ENC 1102: Research Essay Prompt



ENC 1102: Research Essay Prompt

Make an argument about a debatable topic by taking a stand on that issue and supporting your claim by incorporating outside research on the subject. While this is a relatively open-ended starting point, there are a number of important considerations for this project.

Picking a research topic will be one of the most important decisions you will make this semester. Your research paper should be logos-based and debatable—something about which reasonable people might disagree. If everyone agrees, it is not an arguable topic. Your goal will be to persuade, rather than to simply inform. Ethos-based topics that make an argument according to religious or moral principles will not be acceptable. Your topic also needs to address something of significance. Why should the public at-large care about your topic?

Your research paper will not be a position paper in which you address only one side of an issue. You must legitimately research a wide range of opinions on the topic and address/concede/rebut opposing viewpoints as part of the paper. Think of the research paper as a way to understand the rhetoric used in your major as well as a way to satisfy your curiosity. What do you want to know?

Some topics are simply overdone and lack originality. Good writing always seeks to avoid clichés. Some common examples of topics to avoid include the following:

·        Abortion

·        Capital punishment

·        Prayer in school

·        Gay marriage

·        Affirmative action

·        War in Iraq

Feel free to discuss it with me if you think you have an original take on one of these issues, so long as it is not faith- or morality-based.

Examples of original topics of significance from previous semesters include the following:

·        Bright Futures reform

·        Math education reform

·        Treatment of elephants in zoos

·        FDA regulation of supplements

·        Reform of U. S. electoral system

·        Regulation of deer population through hunting

·        Use of artificial limbs/enhancements in sports

The final essay will be 2500-3000 words long. There will be multiple assignments that will be due in conjunction with the final project, including a research prospectus, an annotated bibliography, a synthesis of literature, and a rough draft.

If you have any questions on anything, do not hesitate to let me know –

Good luck!

CFM

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