English 102: Intermediate College Writing

Stephen Strother

Research Project (70%; 350 points)

The Research Project is a three-part assignment consisting of four major parts: the Topic Proposal (Part 1), the Annotated Bibliography (Part 2), the Research Paper (Part 3), and the Reflective Essay. Each one of these separate parts will be explained in detail below.

This assignment will require you to follow a research question through the three stages of proposal, research, writing, and reflection in order to develop the research knowledge and argumentative skills necessary to produce a final written product elucidating that knowledge and displaying those skills. Each stage should build upon the previous stage; in other words, you should and must use the information, knowledge, and skills you acquire in each part of the assignment for the next part of the assignment.

Without further adieu, here are explanations for each of the four separate parts of the Research Project.

Part 1: Topic Proposal (5%; 25 points)

Overview:

Write a 500 word proposal outlining three different things:

  1. A research question for your research project, and whether or not you will be doing a position paper or a literature review.
  2. How you plan to argue about this question. If you are doing a position paper, which side of the question do you come down on? Why? If you are doing a literature review, which parts of the question do you plan on emphasizing in your narrative of the literature on this question? For example, if the research question is about war and whether or not it is ever ethical, you might want to narrow the focus of your research to more than “Just War” theory, which is too broad. How would you narrow the focus? Also, make sure to cover what you expect to argue about this question, and how you expect the research to help you do it.
  3. What kind of research you will need to do before writing the paper. This research will be used for the Annotated Bibliography, our next assignment.

Goals:

This part of the research project is designed to

  • Give you a basic plan for researching and preparing to write your research paper.
  • Give you experience in prewriting strategies.

Requirements:

Your topic proposal should contain the following

  • 500 words proposing a plan for your research paper.

Formatting:

  • Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, double-spaced throughout, no exceptions anywhere.
  • 1” margins
  • Abasic title
  • Your name and date in the upper left-hand corner (NOT in a header)
  • Page numbers in the upper right hand corner in a header

Evaluation Criteria:

Your topic will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Criteria / Goal
Plan of Argument 40% / The proposal contains a clear, definite, and workable argumentative plan. The plan must not be so large as to be undoable, or so small as to be insubstantial. You are not required to have all the details of your argument worked out, but the broad outlines should be clear.
Research Plan 40% / A clear plan for researching is present. The research plan gives types of sources, where to find them, and how they might be used. Obviously, you do not have to give me every possible source, or give me all the details of how you will research this paper, but a broad research agenda should be presented.
Research Question
20% / An interesting research question is present in the proposal. The question should be answerable within 8-10 pages, no more or no less. This means that “A” papers will have a question that is neither so broad as to need 20 pages nor so narrow that it can be covered in four to five pages. Furthermore, the research question should be such that you can actually do research on the question.

Due Date: February 10th

Part 2: Annotated Bibliography (15%; 75 Points)

Overview:

This part of the research project asks you to do research and locate 10-12 sources that you will consider using for your research project. After finding these sources, you will provide a bibliography in either MLA or APA format (your choice), and then write TWO paragraphs per source, one giving a short summary of the source’s argument or content, and another evaluating the quality of the source and telling me how you plan to use this source in your paper.

Goals:

This part of the research project is designed to

  • Give you experience summarizing research and therefore demonstrating your understanding of it.
  • Give you experience evaluation source material for the purposes of making your own argument.
  • Give you experience doing physical research at the University.
  • Familiarizing you with citation conventions and formatting.

Types of Sources:

While I understand that many people might like to do research with alternative source material (video, websites, etc.), this assignment will not allow you to do so. You are certainly welcome to do this research for your paper, but you are not allowed to do it for this Annotated Bibliography assignment. Therefore, all 10-12 sources need to be print sources. 4 sources can be non-academic (newspaper, magazine, fiction, popular non-fiction, etc.); the rest must be academic sources, either books or journal articles. I do not accept dictionaries or encyclopedias as valid source material.

Note on Summary and Evaluation

For the purposes of this annotated bibliography, I expect the summary paragraph to do the following: 1) provide an overview of the main argument of the source and 2) provide any key pieces of supporting argument or evidence for the main article. Basically, you will be giving me no more than the source main points or pieces of information. I expect this summary to be narrative; in other words, I expect the summary of main points to follow the order of the source’s presentation of those points.

For the evaluation, I want you to give me a short analysis of the source’s argument, evidence, tone, bias, credentials, and credibility. Obviously, you can only say so much about these elements in such a short space, so be as brief as you can be. Also, I want you to tell me how this article will be useful for your paper. How will you use it? Will you argue with this source, or use it as positive support for your article? Do you need the information it provides? Does it serve as an example or evidence helping your prove one of your own points? Finally, make sure to place more emphasis on evaluating the argument and information in the article, as well as telling me how you will use the argument and information; these are by far the most important parts of the evaluative paragraph. .

Requirements:

Your Annotated Bibliography should contain the following:

  • 10-12 source entries in correct MLA or APA format.
  • 2 paragraphs per entry totaling 200-250 words. These word limits are rigid: no more than 250, no less than 200.

Formatting:

Be sure to include

  • Proper MLA or APA formatting
  • Times New Roman, 12 pt. Font; Double-spaced throughout, 1” margins
  • A title
  • Your name and date in the upper left hand corner (NOT in a header)
  • Page Numbers in the upper right hand corner in a header

Evaluation Criteria:

Your Annotated Bibliography will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Criteria / Goal
Summary of Sources
35% / Each entry contains a clear and concise summary of all the main lines of argument in the source. The summary does not indulge in needless detail, but gives only those points which are most important to understanding the source’s argument or content.
Evaluation of Source
35% / Each entry contains a clear and concise evaluation of each source. Each source is discussed in terms of its usefulness for the research project, and its strengths and weaknesses are clearly outlined. No important points are left out, and no needless details are incorporated into the evaluations.
Formatting
20% / Each entry is correctly formatted in MLA or APA format with no major errors.
Completeness & Mechanics
10% / The assignment was turned in on time. It contains no grammatical errors that interfere with the reader's ability to understand the argument. The style is clear and concise.

Due Dates: First Draft, March 5: Final Draft, March 12.

Part 3: Research Paper (40 %; 200 Points)

Overview:

Write one of the following:

  1. A Position Paper arguing for or against a possible interpretation of an ethical dilemma. This choice asks you to take a side and do research to find support for and dissent from that position. You will make an argument about the ethical choices involved in a practical problem. This will require you to know the ethical dimensions of a problem and be able to argue on behalf of certain ethical choices in light of the different views on that problem. Possible examples of topics include:

1)The ethics of smoking. Is smoking in public in any way ethically problematic? Does banning smoking violate any important ethical principles?

2)The ethics of lawsuits. Is suing another person justifiable? When? Under what circumstances is suing another person ethically justifiable? When is it not justifiable? What is the ethical role of an attorney in this situation? A judge? A jury?

  1. A literature review of research on a particular topic in ethics. This will require you to do research on a particular ethical topic and summarize and synthesize the different strands of research. Literature reviews require you to construct a research narrative: you will organize your paper according to different views, different time periods, etc., and guide us through those topics or time periods in an organized fashion, telling us what different scholars and writers have to say about this topic. It also requires you to construct an argument within these summaries about which strands of research are more important and defensible than others. Therefore, you will also, throughout the paper, evaluate different views, giving an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective. By the end of your paper, we should have a clear picture of the current and past thinking and writing on this topic, and also be convinced that certain research strands are more true, comprehensive, or important than others. If you choose to write the literature review, let me know early, and I will provide you with materials on, the literature review.

Goals:

This part of the research project is designed to

  • Give you experience using research in making your own argument
  • Make you situate your own argument within the writing of others.
  • Help you practice and understand the conventions of a common academic research genre: the position paper or literature review

Requirements:

Your Research Paper should contain the following

  • 8-10 pages of full text. This does not include any cover page or works cited page.
  • At least 6-8 sources, all of which must be substantially utilized in the paper.
  • In-text source citations and a works cited page in either MLA or APA format.

Formatting:

  • Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, double-spaced throughout, no exceptions anywhere; 1” margins
  • Proper MLA or APA formatting throughout
  • Asubstantive, creative title
  • Your name, date, my name, and the course number in the upper left hand corner (NOT in a header)
  • Page numbers in the upper right hand corner in a header

Evaluation Criteria:

Your research paper will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Criteria / Goal
Argument, Summary and Synthesis
35% / The position paper contains a clear argument that makes a persuasive case for an ethical position or set of choices. The argument is logical, and logical fallacies are avoided throughout. No important considerations are left out of the paper, and objections are responded to throughout, showing full consideration of other arguments.
The literature review gives a clear picture of the research on an ethical topic. Major lines of research are summarized and evaluated in clear, concise language. The literature review also constructs an argument using summary and synthesis, leading us to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective.
Use of Sources
35% / Each paper uses research to construct an argument. Sources are used to build arguments, or are utilized to provide opposing viewpoints that can then be dealt with respectfully. Quotes and paraphrases are used with an argumentative or illustrative purpose. Sources are treated fairly throughout.
Organization
20% / Each paper has a coherent structure, uses transitions effectively, utilizes argumentative or informative topic sentences, and builds a logical argument.
Completeness & Mechanics
10% / The assignment was turned in on time. It contains no grammatical errors that interfere with the reader's ability to understand the argument. The style is clear and concise. MLA or APA format is used correctly throughout the paper and in the Works Cited page. The paper was formatted according to the instructions above.

Due Dates: First Draft, March 31: Final Draft, April 12.

Part 4: Research Project Reflection (10%; 50 points)

Overview

Write a 4-5 page reflective essay exploring three questions:

  1. What knowledge of research and research writing did you have when you came into English 102? How would you assess your skill level at these tasks?
  2. How did you knowledge and skill level change throughout the course of the semester? How did the assignments, course readings, homework, and in-class meetings contribute to your growth as a reader, researcher, writing, and critical thinker?
  3. How do you feel that you could improve your knowledge and skills as reader, thinker, research, and writer? What do you need more help with? What do you think could have worked harder at? What do you still not understand?

Each one of these questions should be answered as fully as possible through examination of your own work. This means that quoting from your own writing and analyzing that writing is a necessary part of this paper, and you are expected to do it. Also, quotations from class readings can be used to support any discussion of those readings, if those quotes are used as representative examples of what troubled you or challenged you in the course. Otherwise, use quotes from sources other than your own writing sparingly, if at all.

Goals

This part of the research project is designed to:

  • Get you to reflect on the reading, thinking, researching, and writing we did in this course
  • Help you think through your own strengths and weaknesses as a writer
  • Use the critical thinking skills developed in this course to analyze your own work

Requirements

Your Reflective Essay should contain the following:

  • 4-5 pages (at least 1200 words) answering the three questions outlined above
  • Citations to your own work in parenthetical form
  • A Works Cited page in MLA or APA format for any outside sources referenced

Formatting

  • Times New Roman, 12 pt. Font
  • Double-spaced throughout; 1” margins
  • Page Numbers in top right corner in a header
  • Your name and date in the upper left hand corner (NOT in a header)
  • A substantive title

Evaluation Criteria

Your Reflective Essay will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Criteria / Goal
Quality of Reflection
60% / The essay exhibits quality reflection throughout. Critical thinking and analytic skills are applied to the work done throughout the semester. Students show that they have put real though into their work throughout the course and give nuanced, detailed evaluations of their own progress as a reader, thinker, researcher, and writer.
Use of Course Work
20% / Students make appropriate use of course work throughout the paper, analyzing it for insights into progress as a writer, researcher, thinker, and reader. Quotes are used appropriately and only when necessary.
Organization
10% / Each paper will have a coherent structure, answering each question above in turn, and uses appropriate transitions.
Completeness & Mechanics
10% / The assignment was turned in on time. It contains no grammatical errors that interfere with the reader's ability to understand the argument. The style is clear and concise. MLA or APA format is used correctly throughout the paper and in the Works Cited page. The paper was formatted according to the instructions above.