Independent Research Paper Sequence

This assignment will ask you to take your class experience and newfound knowledge to the next level in a completely independent research assignment that you will work on piece-by-piece this semester. You have almost complete liberty to choose the topic you would like to research, but you will need to consider the following questions to ensure that your chosen topic is ultimately successful:

– What is the topic you are interested in? If you are struggling with determining a topic, consider your hobbies, classes, current news stories, and everyday conversations. You may even find inspiration in the films, video games, TV shows, and other visual media you experience daily.

– What is particularly interesting about this topic to you? Is this a topic you have some emotional stake in? Are you concerned with the media’s treatment of it? Do you believe the topic is underrepresented in contemporary conversation? Is the topic controversial?

– How could you possibly learn more about this topic? What research will you need to do to have a better understanding of the topic and the way it has been discussed in the past or present?

– What do you think you can add to the academic dialogue surrounding this topic? Where do you stand? Where do your academic peers stand? Where does the opposition stand?

– Does this topic have room to grow into an exciting, well-developed, and argumentative research paper of about 8-10 pages?
Step 1: Compose a paper topic proposal that answers the questions listed above in one to two paragraphs. Submit this paper topic proposal for me to review. In scheduled one-on-one conferences or written response, I will evaluate your chosen topic, offer constructive suggestions, and hopefully “OK” your chosen research project or ask you to amend or tailor your idea.

Step 2: Once you have completed Step 1, it is now time for you to begin your personal research process. Visit the MC Library homepage and comb through the resources available to you. You may also peruse a general online journal like JSTOR. Searching the databases by subject is another smart option available to you. Either way, you will need to begin to collect data for your annotated bibliography.

– Annotated Bibliography is due on April 20th, 2020. Your annotated bibliography must be typed, double-spaced, and include at least 6 sources in a paragraph (5-7 sentences) for each source, you will briefly summarize the source and explain how you plan to use it in your final paper.

Step 3: The final step for this sequence is the 8-10 page research paper. Using the knowledge you have gained and information you have collected during this process, construct an argumentative essay that introduces your topic, forwards an arguable claim, provides documented support for that claim, acknowledges the opposing arguments, and ultimately concludes with a valuable and unique insight worthy of joining the academic conversations already revolving your chosen topic.