For 8/9: Library Research Day procedure

1.  Work on your research at the campus library.

• Find sources
• write draft

2. by 2:30pm: stop by my office to "check-in" for attendance: see essay handout for details.

• Must show me a book you are going to use for the project

3. by 11:59pm (a minute before midnight): upload at least two pages of your essay. Follow the directions and standards laid out in class and on Blackboard.

Final Research Essay: Where to Go?

1. Each state has a .gov website. Thoroughly inspect it.

2. Look for the state's Constitution (each state has their own, and you can google or .gov search it).

3. Look up the social issues and state laws together. Use commas, use quotation marks to look up exact phrases

• Example:  treatment of women, Oklahoma laws;  poverty, laws, George

4. Let's look at this The Atlantic article: "What This Cruel War Was Over"  With the Civil War being one of the most important events in all of American history, this article provides a nice rabbit hole to lead your thinking towards further research.

Final: 8 to 10 page Research Essay

8-10 page Research Essay: Argue the State of a State

ENGL102

Worth: 350 points (35% of course grade); 250 points for final draft and 100 points for process dates

Important Dates:

·       Tuesday and Wednesday, 8/9 and 8/10: do Library Research Assignments during normal class time: Do you work on a computer lab or on library computers, and save to USB/e-mail:

o   25 points: Tuesday, by 2:30pm: check-in P3 121 (my office) with 1) outline and 2) a book source

o   25 points: Tuesday, by midnight:  At least two (2) pages of essay typed, uploaded to Blackboard, Unit 4

o   50 points:  Wed., by 2:30pm: check-in P3 121 with 1) Work Cited page with all of sources cited correctly and 2) upload a draft of at least six (6) pages to Blackboard, Unit 4.

·       Thur., 8/11: Research Essay (2000-2500 words/8 to 10 pages) due by 2:30pm on Blackboard, Unit 4: Final Research Submission

Requirements:

·       2000 – 2500 effective words, which approximates to 8 to 10 pages.

·       MLA Format: double-spaced paragraphs; 12-point Times New Roman or Cambria font

·       Include MLA in-text citation and a Work Cited page (not included in minimum page count)

·       Ten reliable, evaluated, academic sources:

o   At least two sources should provide history of state information

o   At least three sources should cite laws of the state  (including the state’s Constitution)

o   At least one source should be a study done on the larger discrimination issue, the closer to your subject matter the better

o   At least one source should be on an influential person or business—a source that discusses the impact that person has had on the state

o   At least one source that breaks down important socioeconomic demographics in that state—the source should be as current as possible

·       Single space header on left side:

Student name

ENG 102

8-10 Page Research

Title (Centered)

Essay Topic/Purpose:

First, pick a demographic that you find is marginalized by larger society. Then, choose one of the states of the United States and research its history (laws, famous citizens, famous events), so that you may make an argument for reasons it legally and/or culturally marginalizes that demographic of its citizens. (You may use 3-4 sources from your prior, shorter research essay, considering our summer course time constraints).

In a way, you are researching where the heritage of a state comes from; you are exploring the historical cultural norms and beliefs that play a role in how a state treats its own people today, in 2016. You are trying to understanding what has gone on in the past that informs the present and future of a state. You are making yourself an amateur historian and critiquing society. You can argue what needs to change in that state, based on your analysis of sources. You can argue how the state has progressed, again based on what you find.

Look for state laws that allow for discrimination. Look for studies that show statistics of discrimination. Look for material on major political figures, major businesses, and major events. Start your research at the .gov website for your state. 

Looking at the "Glass Ceiling" casebook as a Model

1. What different types of evidence am I trying to accumulate for my larger research....what is there to take in this source?

• What kind of data is used? 

• Qualitative

• Quantitative (your arguments, your essay, align with this kind of research)

• What disciplines are authors writing within?
• What types of places were these published?
• What kinds of objective/academic studies do I want to find?

2. What other types of sources aren't part of the casebook? What kind of sources should I seek out?

HW for 8/3:

Conference time! Bring:

1. Your Annotated Bibliography

2. A thorough outline of your Research Essay

3. Questions about your essay, research, etc.

Example Annotated Bibliography from Casebook 22

Murray, Charles."What's Wrong With Vocational School?" Wall Street Journal. Jan. 17, 2007.


       In his op-ed piece "What's Wrong With Vocational School," adjective of authority Charles Murray argues that only people with an IQ above 110 should get a college education, believing that "...students who cannot follow complex arguments accurately are not really learning..." (pages), and that most high school graduates should go to trade schools and learn a vocation, instead. Murray cites high dropout rates as proof that one's IQ should persuade a student to pursue "market-driven" (page) career paths through community colleges. Murray also argues that varying student interest levels for a four-year education as a reason to skip college. Murray's argument hinges on persuading readers that our economy has a huge need for "craftsmen jobs" that are "economically attractive" (pages), which will allow students with minimal post-secondary education to live comfortable lives.

       In my essay, where I argue that community colleges are often prejudiced as extensions of high school by those in higher social classes and are only for those who cannot handle four-year educations, I will rebut Charles Murray's limited definition of a two-year education. Furthermore, I will analyze his premises that most future jobs will not require a four-year degree and that those jobs will allow for social mobility. Also, I will tear down Murray's notion that IQ is an accurate measurement for intelligence, and I will argue that his overall views insult the educational value of community colleges and those who work and study at them.

Synthesis: Connecting Various Ideas From Various Authors Together

When writing a piece, you have to be logical in your approach on relationships. How would you connect M to N or A to E? 

If you were talking to a friend, how do you outline your ideas about the best from a list? Essentially, you use "organizing relationship" words like "both" or "none" or "either" or "although" to distinguish texts.  

Somewhere in your claims, when you are talking about large-scale ideas that relate to you and other authors, you have to use these types of words within your speech--and hence, within your writing claims.  

The length, the depth, of which you make relationship claim is up to your purposes: both the thesis purpose and your subtopic purpose. In other words, if an idea is really, really, really, really, really, really important--you are going to expand on that relationship claim with lots of reasons and evidence. 

Some of the general actions you can take, as topic sentence claims:

1. Claim a point that more than one author has, and attribute that point to each author.

• ex:  Both _______ and ________ .... |  All ______(three, four, five, ...) authors....

2. Claim one point of disagreement, and clarify each author's stance.

• ex.:  Although __________ believes _________, ________ believes ___________.
• ex.: _______ and ______ find state __________, yet ________ argues ________.

3. Claim a point agreed upon and one part of that point where two or more authors disagree.

• ex.:  Both support _____________; however, _________ believes ________ and _______ counters that ___________.

4. What other relationships do you find between your sources/examples?  

Writing a Synthesis paragraph

• What purpose do I want this paragraph to have?  (This is key: you are the writer, and you must realize that you control what type of point you want to make, especially in research.)

• What relationship words do I need to use in my topic sentence claim and in my reasoning sentences?  

• What is the best evidence to use from each source material? (Yes, cite a clear quote or provide a concise summary of the idea from each author. Again, the length of the evidence is dictated by purpose--your purpose.)

• Organize your ideas before you write the paragraph*. Use a column chart, pull out a quote from each source that discusses the same subject matter.
• Active Reading
• Pre-writing 
• Outline

*The stronger, clearer, more effective arguments come from a writer who knows how to stay focused on the same idea--not just on "topic."  

• Name your paragraphs for yourself:  "This is my 'definition of life' paragraph for my abortion issue essay"  or "This is my 'the problem with using IQ to measure academic success' paragraph"

• Sometimes a writer will shift subject matter from X to Y so subtly that he or she doesn't realize they are trying to write about Author 1's views on X and Author 2's views on Y when they should be writing about both author's views on X, then--if needed--both author's views on Y.

• Professional writers and speakers (politicians and partisan thinkers and PR firms and lawyers) may try to intentionally shift topics because it benefits their own views to address the argument made--this is called a 'red herring.'

Let's practice with today's case study...

• Practice writing a paragraph in which you synthesize a comparison point
• Practice writing a paragraph in which you synthesize a contrasting point
• Practice writing a paragraph in which you show both a comparison and contrast on a subject.