103 Paper #3: Argumentative Paper with Research

Your final assignment for this course will be an argumentative paper (with research) on a topic related to our course readings and discussions. Choose 1 of the 3 paper prompts below, and write a 4-5 page paper in response to it.

Research Paper Topics

1. Published 5 decades ago, Margaret Mead in “The Changing Significance of Food,” argued that with “the increase in diseases of affluence and the growth of commercial agriculture” (205), food had lost its primary significance or function, which is that of feeding people. In 1970, Mead believed that the problem of hunger in the U.S. (and the world) was an ethical one that could be remedied with existing technical, agricultural, and scientific knowledge. What is the significance of food in 2020? That is, what ethical concern and/or moral issue should be at the forefront of contemporary discussions pertaining to food today? In your research paper, you must cite Margaret Mead’s “The Changing Significance of Food” and also include an additional 4-5 outside sources.

2. In “Something to Food About,” in Questlove’s interview with the New Orleans-based chef Donald Link, the two discuss the relationship between food and race in American culture. This relationship is also a point of discussion in Sallie Tisdale’s The Best Thing I Ever Tasted, Oliver Wang’s “Learning from Los Kogi Angeles: A Taco Truck and Its City,” Lily Wong’s “Eating the Hyphen,” and Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s “The Kitchen Crisis: A Rap.” Why is the link between food and race important? In your research paper, you must cite at least one of the above mentioned course readings (Questlove, Tisdale, Wang, Wong, or Smart-Grosvenor) and also include an additional 4-5 outside sources.

3. Read a text (e.g., poem, short story, play, or novel) or watch a film that treats food as its central topic and write an argumentative paper discussing its significance. What does food represent in the piece of literature or film? That is, what importance does it play? In your research paper, you must include at least 4-5 outside sources to support your analysis.

* For Research Paper Topic #3, please note that it will take additional time to locate a text or film and read or watch it. If you should choose this research paper topic, make sure to factor in the necessary time!

Your essay needs to include the following elements:

* an introduction with a clear thesis statement

* body paragraphs with strong topic sentences (please refrain from using quotes as your topic sentences)

* evidence and examples from outside sources such as articles from WLAC’s library research databases or reputable online sources

* a conclusion

* an original title and a list of works cited (your works cited page should not count as part of the 4-5 page paper requirement)

** Your paper needs to be submitted in Microsoft Word (doc, docx) and formatted in MLA style (typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font, Times New Roman).

** In addition to submitting Paper #3 (due at the end of Unit 11), you will also need to submit an Annotated Bibliography documenting your research efforts for Paper #3 (due at the end of Unit 9). See the Annotated Bibliography assignment page for details.