Research Project - due Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Assignment:
Research, plan, and compose a six to eight page research paper that investigates a topic of weight and personal interest to you. Your topic may be literary, historical, scientific, political, cultural, or technological in nature but must incorporate some form of analysis (comparison/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution, for/against); the final paper may not be simply a “report.” Documentation of sources will be in-text, following MLA style. The paper is worth 250 points.
Due Date: Tuesday, DECEMBER 15, 2015. Papers turned in after the due date will be assessed a late penalty: 30% = one day late; 40% = two days late; 50% = three of more days late.
Being absent on the date the paper is due or on the days leading up to the due date does not allow you to submit your paper late. If you’re absent on the due date, your paper comes to class. Due to the nature of the assignment, I ask that you turn in a hard copy of your paper. Please do not email your paper to me or to yourself and ask me to print it for you. Plan ahead, stock up on ink cartridges, have a back-up plan/printer.
Content Requirements:
Form: Follow MLA style for the presentation of the paper. Use a 12-point, plain font style.
“Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s writing without giving proper credit – or perhaps without giving any credit at all – to the writer of the original. Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, it represents a serious academic offense. . .” (McCrimmon 499).
McCrimmon, James M. Writing with a Purpose
Any evidence of plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, in your paper, will result in failure of the paper. This includes using a paper or any part of a paper written by you or any other student for this, or any other, course. Do not be a lazy researcher.
Research, plan, and compose a six to eight page research paper that investigates a topic of weight and personal interest to you. Your topic may be literary, historical, scientific, political, cultural, or technological in nature but must incorporate some form of analysis (comparison/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution, for/against); the final paper may not be simply a “report.” Documentation of sources will be in-text, following MLA style. The paper is worth 250 points.
Due Date: Tuesday, DECEMBER 15, 2015. Papers turned in after the due date will be assessed a late penalty: 30% = one day late; 40% = two days late; 50% = three of more days late.
Being absent on the date the paper is due or on the days leading up to the due date does not allow you to submit your paper late. If you’re absent on the due date, your paper comes to class. Due to the nature of the assignment, I ask that you turn in a hard copy of your paper. Please do not email your paper to me or to yourself and ask me to print it for you. Plan ahead, stock up on ink cartridges, have a back-up plan/printer.
Content Requirements:
- a title that captures the reader’s attention and states or implies the focus of the paper,
- the text of the paper includes an introduction, development of the analysis, and a conclusion, totaling 6-8 printed pages,
- a statement in the introduction that presents your purpose and the points to be developed in the paper (thesis statement),
- a balanced mix of sources (print and electronic), minimum of 8, cited in text,
- all research materials properly cited in the text, using current MLA style, (see link below) and
- a Works Cited page accurately listing all sources cited in the text of the paper.
Form: Follow MLA style for the presentation of the paper. Use a 12-point, plain font style.
“Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s writing without giving proper credit – or perhaps without giving any credit at all – to the writer of the original. Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, it represents a serious academic offense. . .” (McCrimmon 499).
McCrimmon, James M. Writing with a Purpose
Any evidence of plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, in your paper, will result in failure of the paper. This includes using a paper or any part of a paper written by you or any other student for this, or any other, course. Do not be a lazy researcher.
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Research Paper Proposal - due 11/3/15
A research proposal is the presentation of an idea that you wish to pursue. A good research proposal presumes that you have already thought about your argument and have devoted some time and effort in doing some preliminary research, reading, and then organizing your thoughts. The research proposal is worth 50 points.
Your proposal should be written in essay form and include
credible electronic source. Think databases.
Your proposal should be written in essay form and include
- Subject of your paper: The subject is the broad area.
- Topic of your paper: The particular issue, aspect, or problem within the subject
- Your interest in this topic and how writing about it will be beneficial to you: If you are not vested in your topic, chances are your incentive to write about the subject will be weak. If you are interested in the topic, you will probably write a better paper.
- Your preliminary thesis: The thesis is generally a sentence or two, which comes after the introductory material and states the main point/s in your paper. It is NOT a question. After giving the topic some thought, what do you think your argument will be? Understand that you may (and probably will to some degree) change your thesis along the way.
- Approach to the subject of your paper: What analytic approach will you take? Cause/Effect, Problem/Solution, Comparison/Contrast, For/Against? What do you see as possible main points? Will you have to define any terms? If so, which ones? Will you have to clarify terms and concepts? What counterarguments will you need to address? Let me know where you think the paper is headed.
- Intended audience: Assume that your readers have, in general, your level of education, but are not necessarily knowledgeable about the subject of your paper. You may have to define terms and explain concepts. But beyond these obvious ground rules, discuss what people or group of people might benefit from reading your paper. Having a clear audience in mind can help you select and manage your research.
- Graphs or charts: Graphs and charts will not impress me unless they truly help the reader better understand some aspect of your paper. What aspects of your argument might benefit from or lend themselves to the use of a graph or chart? Be sure to document charts and graphs borrowed from other sources. Charts and/or graphs should not stand alone. They should complement textual descriptions. Refer to the chart or graph in the text where you discuss the information. Charts, graphs or other appendices do not count toward the pages of required text and are not a requirement of the paper.
- Kinds of sources you will use and how they will benefit your paper: Do you have a balanced variety of sources? What strengths will they lend to the paper?
credible electronic source. Think databases.
Research Proposal Scoring Rubric
Annotated Bibliography - due 11/16/15
A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, websites, periodicals, interviews, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).
A bibliography differs from a works cited page in that a bibliography lists all sources considered during the research process, while a works cited page lists only those sources cited in the actual paper.
An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources.
The sources you use to compile this bibliography will be the research materials you will use to write your research paper . This bibliography must contain 10-12 sources, and it is expected that you should have a combination of books, periodicals and scholarly journals. The annotated bibliography is worth 100 points.
Additional requirements are
A bibliography differs from a works cited page in that a bibliography lists all sources considered during the research process, while a works cited page lists only those sources cited in the actual paper.
An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources.
The sources you use to compile this bibliography will be the research materials you will use to write your research paper . This bibliography must contain 10-12 sources, and it is expected that you should have a combination of books, periodicals and scholarly journals. The annotated bibliography is worth 100 points.
Additional requirements are
- No articles from general encyclopedias (print or electronic) may be used.
- No more than half the sources may be web-based sources (unless they are full text articles from databases or on-line books)
- Wikipedia, Ask.com, and About.com may not be used as a source.
- Interviews may be used but only if the subject can be established as a credible expert on the research issue. Having personal experience with the issue does not necessarily qualify a person as an expert.
- Summarize: What are the main arguments? What is the point of this source? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this source is about, what would you say?
- Assess: After summarizing a source, evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source? What qualifies this source as an expert on the topic?
- Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your issue?
Annotated Bibliography Example
The example below is designed to illustrate the layout and format of an MLA style annotated bibliography. Your annotations should reflect the Summary, Assess, and Reflect prompts given above.
Annotated Bibliography Scoring Rubric
Multimedia Presentation - beginning Wednesday, 12/6/16
Assignment: Prepare and present a multimedia presentation that shares what you learned about your topic. The presentation should incorporate the highlights of your research project in a way that is interesting and meaningful for the audience. It should not be a recitation of the paper. The presentation is worth 100 points and will be part of the 2nd Semester grade.
Length: 6-8 minutes. There will be a penalty for time over or under the requirement.
Format: Incorporate at least two forms of speaker support media (i.e., print, video, audio, visual, electronic). Media may be integrated or embedded.
Due Date: Presentations will begin on January 6, 2016. We will draw for presentation order on December 15, 2015.
Length: 6-8 minutes. There will be a penalty for time over or under the requirement.
Format: Incorporate at least two forms of speaker support media (i.e., print, video, audio, visual, electronic). Media may be integrated or embedded.
Due Date: Presentations will begin on January 6, 2016. We will draw for presentation order on December 15, 2015.
Presentation Rubric | |
File Size: | 120 kb |
File Type: | doc |