PART 1 A TOTAL OF 14 PARTS, PLEASE DO NOT COMMIT IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO COMPLETE THEM ALL.
Finding Sources
Research papers rely on sources to validate the writer’s argument (viewpoint). It is important to find credible sources and to identify them correctly when writing a research paper. In this assignment, we will build upon what you learned in your assigned readings. There are three parts to this assignment. Please be sure you respond to each part thoroughly.
Section One
Visit the OWL site, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing, to answer the following questions:
What are the differences between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing?
Are researchers required to provide in-text citations and a References page entry for all three? Why or why not?
What are three ways to avoid plagiarism?
Section Two
After reading Parts 1 and 2 in the Writing Guide, explain what it means to make choices in writing. To provide a framework for your response, imagine you are trying to convince someone to vote for a new school initiative and answer the following questions.
If you know that the other person sees the issue differently than you do, what strategy would you take to draw him/her to your way of thinking?
What choices would you be faced with?
Section Three
Click here to download a copy of the EBSCOhost practice assignment.
Save the document by renaming it with this naming convention: “EN102_yourlastname_yourfirstname_yourGID”
As you complete the assignment, write your answers on the template (it is a Word document).
Attach this document when you are submitting your responses to this assignment.
Note:
This assignment does not require APA citations; however, you should identify any words or ideas you draw from your readings.
Assignment should be formatted in basic APA format: 1-inch margins, page numbers at the top right of the page, 12 point Times New Roman Font.
Submitting the assignment: Answer the questions in each section and attach your answers to the drop box in a single file.
PART 2
Your ultimate goal for this class is to write a researched argument paper (also known as an argumentative paper).Each weekly assignment and discussion forum is designed to help you achieve this goal.Your rough draft will be due in week 6, and the final draft will be due in week 8.
What is an argumentative paper?This week, your readings included an excerpt from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). Here is their explanation of an argumentative paper:
“An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.” (Tardiff & Brizzee, 2014)
Reference Citation
Tardiff, E. & Brizzee, A. (2014). Tips and examples for writing thesis statements. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/1/.
Through this assignment, you will sharpen your skills for writing your researched argument paper:
1.Practice narrowing a topic so that sources can be found and a clear thesis can be developed
2.Practice writing a thesis statement
Part A: Narrowing Topics
To write a short researched argument, a topic must be controversial and the main point of view (argument) must be clear. Listed below are three broad and controversial topics. Under each topic are four narrowing questions. Each of those questions moves the topic toward a more narrow focus.
Example 1: Violence in schools
1.What causes violence in high schools?
2.Is there a developing trend in frequency or type of school violence?
3.How should violent school children be punished?
4.What can be done to prevent school violence?
Example 2: Drug use
1.Which drugs should be illegal?
2.What kinds of drugs are the most dangerous?
3.Is there a correlation between childhood exposure to drugs and use of drugs in adulthood?
4.What kind of penalties should there be for the various kinds of illegal drug offenses?
Example 3: Immigration
1.What are the effects of illegal immigration?
2.What are the effects of legal immigration?
3.How should immigration laws be enforced?
4.What’s the driving force behind illegal immigration?
After reviewing the three examples, write three narrowing questions for each of the four topics listed below.
Education
1.Is it necessary to go to college in order to be successful?
2.(Your turn – narrow this topic)
3.(keep going – narrow this topic further)
4.(one more time – keep narrowing the topic)
Sports
1.Are professional athletes paid too much?
2.(Your turn – narrow this topic)
3.(keep going – narrow this topic further)
4.(one more time – keep narrowing the topic)
Health insurance
1.Should health insurance companies be able to charge higher rates depending on a person’s age?
2.(Your turn – narrow this topic)
3.(keep going – narrow this topic further)
4.(one more time – keep narrowing the topic)
Technology
1.Are people spending too much money in order to keep up with the latest gadgets?
2.(Your turn – narrow this topic)
3.(keep going – narrow this topic further)
4.(one more time – keep narrowing the topic)
Part B:Write a thesis statement
Pick two of the topics above, and write two argumentative thesis statements that introduce your controversial topic and your point of view for each topic. Then write two 3-5 sentence paragraphs that support your argument based on your knowledge of each topic.
PART 3
Analyzing a Published Work
One of the most important skills you will use throughout your career and personal life is analytical thinking. Analytical thinking requires you to identify the purpose or intent of a document, and determine whether the assertions or claims are valid and reasonable.
This assignment will help you to develop the skills necessary to determine the meaning found within a text. You will find an op/ed piece from an online newspaper, then write an essay in which you analyze the article. The intent of this essay is not to argue for or against the content; instead, you are analyzing what the article does in terms of purpose, approach, and effectiveness.
*Note that no one writes a polished essay in a single sitting. Start early and give yourself time for multiple revisions.
Step 1:
Go to an online newspaper website such as:
Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com/
The Kansas City Star http://www.kansascity.com/
The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/
Find an article in the Op/ED (Opinion/Editorial) section that is argumentative in nature.
Step 2:
Analyze the article using the following questions as a guide.
1.What is the purpose of the text? In other words, what does the author want his or her readers to believe and/or do after reading the article?
2.What strategies does the author use to achieve his/her purpose? Does the author use facts, examples, experiences, logic, assumptions, data, sources, expert opinion, and so on to prove his or her position? Be sure to give examples. You could also try to determine if the position is presented as more of a Classical argument or a Rogerian argument.
3.What are the strengths and weaknesses of the approach the author used? Do you detect bias that is unreasonable? Does the author use unreasonable assertions, stereotypes, or faulty information to make his or her points? Does the author place the opposition in an unfair light? Does the author distort the arguments of those who disagree? Does the author fail to recognize the weaknesses in his or her own position? Does the author leave out important information? Does the author back up his or her assertions with evidence, or does he or she simply make assumptions? What would most improve the argument? Explain your answers.
Remember, you are not arguing for or against the content of the article you choose; you are analyzing how the author supports the claims that are made. Your analysis consists of identifying the author’s purpose, and determining whether the strategies used by the author are reasonable.Be objective.
1.To be clear: Your readers should not know what your position is about the subject.
2.Do not include personal opinion or personal judgments about the subject matter.
3.Do not include personal narrative.
Step 3:
Analysis Checklist – Use these questions to evaluate your essay against the assignment requirements
1.Does the source article discuss a current controversial topic?
2.Does you analysis identify the argument (point of view)?
3.Does your analysis use effective transitions as it progresses from paragraph to paragraph?
4.Does your analysis avoid personal opinion, casual language, or first or second person language (I or You)?
5.Is the analysis complete? Does information need to be added or deleted to complete the assignment?
6.Does this analysis meet the assignment criteria?
Use APA Format for this assignment: This analysis should be presented in the form of a single essay, complete with a title page, an introduction, three body paragraphs (purpose, approach, and effectiveness), a conclusion, and a full References page.
Your analysis should meet the following criteria:
1.Is based on a current topic and/or event;
2.Is between 300-500 words in length, not including the title page, abstract (if used), and References page;
3.Includes direct quotations and paraphrased passages from the text;
4.Uses attributive tags that not only work to convey the mood of the writer, but establish him or her as an authority in the field of study;
5.Avoids personal opinion;
6.Is written clearly, concisely, and accurately;
7.Is written solely in third-person;
8.Includes a References page;
9.Has been closely edited so that it contains few or no mechanical errors;
10.Is ordered with a title page, an introduction, three body paragraphs (purpose, approach, and effectiveness), a conclusion, and a full References page.
PART 4
Summarizing
Last week, your written assignment consisted of analyzing a source. This week, you will summarize a source. These two skills are useful in different situations. Both will be necessary as you work on your researched argument paper for this course. You may even discover that you will use these skills in your personal and professional life as well.
Remember that the purpose of this summary is to present the information from the reading in condensed form; your paper should be objective.
Do not include personal opinion, personal judgments of the material, or personal narrative.
Be brief, be as accurate as you can, and try to capture the complete sense of the reading in your summary.
Step 1:
Use the Ebscohost link to search for the following article:
Friedman, T. L., & Mandelbaum, M. (2011). America really was that great (but that doesn’t mean we are now). Foreign Policy, (189), 76-78.
As you read the article, it may be helpful to take notes, or create an outline of the text.
Step 2:
Write a summary of the article. Your summary should meet the following guidelines:
Is between 150 and 250 words(no longer)
Includes direct quotations and paraphrased passages from the text which are cited in APA in-text citation style
Uses attributive tags that but establishes him or her as an authority in the field of study
Avoids personal opinion
Is written clearly, concisely, and accurately
Is written solely in third-person
Includes an APA style References page
Has been closely edited so that it contains few or no mechanical errors
Step 3:
Summary Exercise Checklist
Use these questions to evaluate your essay against the assignment requirements:
Does this summary meet the assignment criteria?
Does your summary present the main ideas in the original article?
Does this summary use effective transitions as it progresses from sentence to sentence?
Does this summary avoid personal opinion, casual language, or first or second person language?
Is there anything in this summary that could have been left out without losing its effect?
Is the summary effective? Does information need to be added or deleted to complete the assignment?
PART 5
Annotated Bibliography
In an annotated bibliography, you follow each of your reference citations with a brief (100 words or less) qualification of the author (including their relevance to the subject); intended audience; how the source compares/contrasts with your other sources; how this source furthers the discussion of the selected topic.
This week’s assignment will be included in your rough draft (due in week 6).
Step 1:
For this exercise, find sources that are relevant to your researched argument paper. You must have five or more annotations in your bibliography. The sources must be scholarly sources. These types of sources (also identified as academic or peer-reviewed sources) are written by recognized experts in a particular field. These sources provide credible information for use in research papers.
Step 2:
Refer to the Writing Guide for information on scholarly sources. EBSCOhost is a source for scholarly sources. Under the “Limit To” heading on the search page, you can narrow your search:
Step 3:
Prepare your annotations as you read your sources. Use these questions as a guide for your notes:
Who is/are the author(s) and their relevance to the subject
Who is the intended audience; who is the author writing to (general public, researchers, academics, scientists?)
How this source relates or contrasts to at least one of our other sources
How this source helps to further your discussion of the topic
Step 4:
Checklist for Annotated Bibliography:
Does this bibliography meet the assignment criteria?
How does the formatting of this assignment look? Does it follow basic APA guidelines for a Reference page? (e.g. Times New Roman font, double-spaced, no extra spacing between paragraphs, first line of the citation flush left with all following lines indented, etc.?)
Are the annotations brief, clear, and informative? Do they avoid personal opinion? Do they act as a reference guide?
If you came upon this in your research, how useful would you find this bibliography to be?
Does this bibliography contain at least five citations?
PART 6
Researched Argument Rough Draft
Throughout this course, we have been focusing our attention on the practice of arguing to find meaning. Because of that, it is important to practice balancing opposing viewpoints of a single issue. This essay allows you the chance to do just that.
Much of the writing you will be doing throughout your academic and professional career will be argumentative; thus, this essay will help you to hone your rhetorical skills in several ways:
First, this essay will help you to establish an environment of civilized discourse within your writing (essential for productive argumentation);
Secondly, this essay will allow you to practice your research skills in both identifying and integrating sound arguments;
And thirdly, this essay gives you a chance to practice your critical thinking skills—skills you will need for success throughout your academic and professional life.
Remember, the purpose of this essay is not to prove whether you are right or wrong, but instead prove that you can fairly present two sides of an argument and logically determine the best solution to the problem you are faced with. With that in mind, we ask that you withhold your personal opinion, personal judgments of the material, or personal narrative until the concluding remarks of your essay.
*Note that no one writes a polished essay in a single sitting. Start early and give yourself time for multiple revisions.
The rough draft of your essay should meet the following guidelines:
is between 900 and 1200 words in length;
includes direct quotations and paraphrased passages from four or more scholarly texts representing more than one side of the issue;
qualifies each of the authors (authors representing each side of the debate should have compatible credibility);
withholds personal opinion until the conclusion of the essay;
is written clearly, concisely, and accurately;
is written primarily in third-person;
includes a References page;
has been closely edited so that it contains few or no mechanical errors.
Researched Argument Checklist: Use this to evaluate your rough draft against the assignment requirements:
Does this essay present a clear argument on a topic?
Does this essay treat two sides of the argument equally and fairly?
Does the essay cite, at minimum, four scholarly sources?
Are the authors for the articles qualified? Who are they? Use signal phrases/attributive tags to introduce the authors.
What is the purpose of this essay? What does it do to meet that purpose? How effective is the argument?
Does this essay avoid second person language and limit first person language?
Are there elements of pathos, ethos, and logos in this essay? Do these appeals work together to propose a solution?
Does the essay avoid logical fallacy in the reasoning behind the solution?
Does the essay use APA in-text citation and is there an APA format references page?
PART 7
Writing About a Controversial Subject
In the discussion forums for this course, you’ve had the opportunity to read and respond to a variety of controversial topics: immigration, stereotyping, and civil disobedience. In this assignment, you will write an argumentative paper based on any of these topics.
Take your own premise–whatever premise you offered in our discussions throughout the course–and expand on that idea throughout this piece of writing. Or, you may develop a new premise, tying all topics together, and using the articles as supporting evidence.
Note: If you used a previous response to inform your Researched Argument Paper, you cannot use the same topic again.
Your essay should contain the following:
a clear thesis and introduction
two or more points supporting your position
at least one point of contention
a refutation of each opposing viewpoint
and a conclusion
You can review the articles from the discussion forums, but no external sources/research should be included.
This essay will be evaluated on the strength and completeness of your argument, not on formatting or your grammar/usage skills (provided they do not affect the clarity of your thoughts).
PART 8
Revised Draft – Researched Argument
After receiving feedback on your rough draft, you should have made significant changes to your rough draft. This week you will submit your final, revised draft of your researched argument paper.
The final draft of your essay should meet the following guidelines:
is between 900 and 1200 words in length;
includes direct quotations and paraphrased passages from four or more scholarly texts representing more than one side of the issue;
qualifies each of the authors (authors representing each side of the debate should have compatible credibility);
withholds personal opinion until the conclusion of the essay;
is written clearly, concisely, and accurately;
is written primarily in third-person;
includes a References page;
has been closely edited so that it contains few or no mechanical errors.
Researched Argument Checklist: Use this to evaluate your rough draft against the assignment requirements:
Does this essay present a clear argument on a topic?
Does this essay treat two sides of the argument equally and fairly?
Does the essay cite, at minimum, four scholarly sources?
Are the authors for the articles qualified? Who are they? Use signal phrases/attributive tags to introduce the authors.
What is the purpose of this essay? What does it do to meet that purpose? How effective is the argument?
Does this essay avoid second person language and limit first person language?
Are there elements of pathos, ethos, and logos in this essay? Do these appeals work together to propose a solution?
Does the essay avoid logical fallacy in the reasoning behind the solution?
Does the essay use APA in-text citation and is there an APA format references page?
PART 9
This discussion begins your preparation for the researched argument paper (Weeks 6 & 8) by focusing on selecting and narrowing a topic. A researched argument paper requires a topic that is controversial; this means that there is more than one viewpoint on the topic.
Your initial post should respond to the following discussion elements:
Step 1: Topics and Questions
List three topics that interest you
Write at least one question about each of the topics (remember: who, what, where, when, why, and how)
Step 2: Answering your questions
The answers you provide to the questions help develop and focus a thesis for a researched argument
Answer one of the questions you posed for each of the three topics chosen.
The answers to the questions should be a statement/sentence that contains the words “should,” “must,” or “need” as a helping verb.
Step 3: Expand upon one topic.
Write a paragraph or two based on what you already know about this topic.
Try to come up with several points (or reasons) why your statement (aka thesis) is true.
Tip: Think about how someone would try to prove your thesis isn’t true.
PART 10
This week we continue sharpening our skills related to summarizing published works, and examining different points of view. The topic for this week’s discussion forum is immigration. Immigration (both legal and illegal) is an ever-growing world issue. Viewpoints on immigration vary greatly. Every day there are plenty of good, hard-working, and otherwise law abiding people attempting to cross American borders. The people are, in most instances, looking for a better way to support their families, to be safe in their communities, and to have better opportunities for themselves and for their children.In your analysis, explore alternative viewpoints regarding immigration.
Finding a source
Use the EBSCO host link to find the following articles:
Stock, M.D. (2013). Military Immigration Issues. Gosolo, 30(5). 38-41.
Goldberg, M. (2014). Our Refugee Crisis, Nation, pp. 4-6.
Anderson, S. (2012). American’s Incoherent Immigration System. CATO Journal, 32(1) 71-84.
Step 1: Summarizing
Briefly summarize the articles.
Be sure to cite your sources by identifying the author(s) and the title of the article
Step 2: Examining Different Points of View
Write two paragraphs that compare and contrast the articles.
What is the purpose of each article? Are the purposes the same or different?
What similarities did you find among the articles?
Be specific by providing examples
Be sure to cite your sources
What differences did you find between the articles?
Be specific by providing examples
Be sure to cite your sources
Step 3: Create a References page
At the end of your discussion post, create a references page:
Type the word “References”
Enter a line break
Provide the full citation (in APA format) for your selected sources.
PART 11
Options Menu: Forum
W4: Stereotyping
In this week’s discussion forum, we will be summarizing a published work, and examining different viewpoints regarding the controversial topic of stereotyping.After summarizing the given article, explore differing viewpoints regarding the topic of stereotyping.
Finding a source
Use the EBSCO host link to find the following article:
Lun, J., Sinclair, S., & Cogburn, C. (2009). Cultural stereotypes and the self: A closer examination of implicit self-stereotyping. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 31(2), 117-127. doi:10.1080/01973530902880340
Summarizing a published work
Your initial post should respond to each of following discussion elements:
Step 1: Summarizing a source
Write a brief summary of the argument presented in the article above. Remember that summaries do not go into great detail. Your summary should have enough information for the reader to understand the focus (thesis) of the article and how the author supports the thesis. Your summary should contain all the following elements:
Introduce the article by its author and title
Explain the author’s argument (what does the author claim and what are the supporting reasons)
What the does article tell us about individuality or identity?
Use in-text citations to identify when you are using the author’s ideas.
Quote a passage that struck you as interesting or enlightening and explain why.
Introduce the quotation carefully with a signal phrase, such as, “Lun, Sinclair, & Cogburn explain that…”, and
Include an in-text citation including a page number to cite your quotation.
Step 2: Examining Different Viewpoints
One of the most interesting things about stereotypes is how they can affect the actions of those who have been stereotyped. Think of a stereotype you’re familiar with.
Which came first, the label or the trait?
How can the things that other people say about us affect who we become?
Step 3: Create a References Page
At the end of your discussion post, create a references page:
Type the word “References”
Enter a line break
Provide the full citation (in APA format) for your selected text.
PART 12
This discussion forum explores a controversial topic: Civil Disobedience. Remember that any argument asks (or perhaps challenges) us to change something about our perspective on a topic or issue. If we are asking our readers to change their perspectives, we need to be persuasive and civil. Likewise, when we are challenged by others with a different opinion, we need to keep an open mind and keep our responses persuasive and civil.
Analyzing Published Works
Select either Option A or Option B for a selection of articles to read for this discussion forum.
Option A:Civil Disobedience and Non-violence
King, M. (2009). Letter from Birmingham Jail. Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1.
Brown, T. M., & Fee, E. (2008). Spinning for India’s Independence. American Journal Of Public Health, 98(1), 39.
Perlin, R. (2015). Two Occupys: Dissent (00123846), 62(3), 92-100.
Option B:Civil Disobedience in Cyberspace
Ludlow, P. (2013). Hacktivist Witch Hunt. Nation, 297(26/27), 23-26.
Iltan, C. (2011). Moving targets. Maclean’s, 124(33/34), 63.
Dunion, K. (2011). Viewpoint: In defense of Freedom of Information. Information Polity: The International Journal Of Government & Democracy In The Information Age, 16(2), 93-96. doi:10.3233/IP-2011-0233
Be sure to address all of the following elements in your initial post:
Step 1: Summarizing and examining different points of view.
Summarize the articles you picked. Write one paragraph. Identify the sources by title and author in your paragraph.
What is the main thesis of each?
How are they are they different and how are they similar?
Step 2: Using sources to support your argument (point of view).
Now, discuss your perspective of the topic. Support your statements by citing supportive evidence from the articles you read. Remember to use appropriate citations when you quote, paraphrase or summarize. Write one paragraph. Here are some questions you can use as a starting point for your one-paragraph discussion.
What is your opinion of the content and the topic? For a researched argument, you would support your opinion by using supporting information from the article. Use in-text citations if you quote, summarize, or paraphrase.
Was the article persuasive? How?
What reaction did you have to the content of the article? Draw upon personal experience or use other sources to support your discussion.
PART 13
This week, we are going to practice making counter-arguments. Once you have selected your topic and devised your thesis, you will need to support your thesis with arguments. In addition, you will need to anticipate alternative viewpoints, and develop counter-arguments that will address those concerns.
Step 1: Finding and Citing Sources
For this discussion forum, select one topic from the list provided below. Use the EBSCO host link to find five sources that relate to this topic. Confine your search to articles from 2010 to present. Copy and paste the APA citations into your post or your document.
Effects of Prison on First-time Offenders
Salaries for Engineers
Cyber terrorism
Effective Managers
Medical Coding Challenges
Step 2: State your position.
Draft one sentence stating your position on your chosen topic.
Step 3: Anticipating Different Points of View
Think through all aspects of the topic.
Develop a list of all various viewpoints, and select those that you will address with counter-arguments.
Step 4: Offering counter-arguments
Find a source that counters your statement (has a different viewpoint).
Draft one sentence that explains the different viewpoint.
Cite the source by copying and pasting the APA citation into the post.
PART 14
This week, you will consider how to improve your paper. First, review the Course Objectives (from the syllabus, and weekly “Getting Started” modules) to remind yourself about the goals of this course. Next, review the tips for revision, editing, and proofreading from the reading this week. Now consider the feedback you received on your rough draft. In your initial post to this discussion forum, discuss your rough draft in terms of the following Course Objectives:
Finding Sources
Analyzing Published Works
Using APA Style
Effective Writing
Presenting an Argument
Identify three ways that you will apply what you have learned from the reading (be specific) to help you create the final draft of your paper (the researched argument, Week 8 assignment). Your discussion should display your knowledge of the reading.
PART 15
In week 1, an article was introduced: