APLangresearchessayinstructions2018
 

• Type of paperResearch Paper
• SubjectOther
• Number of pages5
• Format of citationMLA
• Number of cited resources6
• Type of serviceWriting

My essay is supposed to address a problem in the world so I picked gun violence. My solution is to change the physical and emotional environment of educational institutions. Meaning, create more schools with better security. This solution would not only create smaller, harder to infiltrate targets for terrorist but would also create a better educational environment. Teachers would get to know their students better, reducing the feeling of alienation, which many school shooters express. As well as, create smaller class sizes which would allow more teacher/student one-on-one time. These are the essay requirements from my teacher: -Argumentative -1200 – 2000 words (4 – 7 pages) -Introduction with clear, well-worded thesis statement that argues a claim of policy -Several body paragraphs with support from a minimum of five sources -Conclusion -MLA format (8th Ed) – in-text citations and works cited page (typed, 1 inch margins, 12 pt font, Times New Roman) -Appropriate and creative title

APLang – Argumentative Research Project – 2018

Objectives

● Conduct in-depth research on a problem facing a community
● Use several sources to support an argument in a way that is relevant, logical, and effective
● Create and sustain a logical argument based on extensive research and reading

Project Overview

• Phase 1​: Read widely; learn all you can about a variety of topics that interest you.
• Phase 2​: Narrow your research to a specific unsolved problem facing a specific community.
• Phase 3​:​ ​Conduct in-depth research on your question.
• Phase 4​: Defend a claim of policy in a well written, thoroughly researched essay that proposes

a solution to the unsolved problem.

Essay requirements

• Argumentative
• 1200 – 2000 words (4 – 7 pages)
• Introduction with clear, well-worded thesis statement that argues a claim of policy
• Several body paragraphs with support from a​ ​minimum​ of five sources
• Conclusion
• MLA format (8​th​ Ed) – in-text citations and works cited page

(typed, 1 inch margins, 12 pt font, Times New Roman)
• Appropriate and creative title
• Original work – take strict precautions to avoid plagiarism

Annotated Bibliography requirements
• 10 sources, minimum of 1 source in each of the five categories:

o Print – academic, peer reviewed, journal
o Print – popular (magazine, newspaper, etc.)
o Web
o Video
o Audio (radio program, podcast, etc.)

• Only 5 formal annotations are required – one in each category. Additional sources in the
category should be cited but a written annotation isn’t necessary.

Assignments & due dates:

• Annotated bibliography draft [one source]…………………March 15
o Check for appropriate style/organization on a single source.

• Annotated bibliography​ ​& Research conference………April 9 – 12
o Formal conference one-on-one with your annotated

bibliography – walk through the development of your topic, the
research that contributed to your research question, the
sources you have gathered, and the plan to locate any
remaining sources. Any time before spring break.

• First draft of essay………………………………………………….April 16 – May 4
o Conference one-on-one over first draft and writing progress in

general. Students will sign up for a specific day after
concluding the research conference.

• Final Draft​…………………………………………………………….​May 21

Detailed overview of research project:

You will research an unsolved problem facing a community, and write an argumentative essay that
proposes a solution.

Phase 1​:​ ​Read widely; learn all you can about a variety of topics that interest you. ​Keep an
eye out for unsolved problems facing specific communities. The terms “problem” and “community”
can be defined broadly, but ensure that a particular problem and/or community is worthy of your time
and research. Solving a particular problem for a particular community should result in a net benefit for
society.

Phase 2​: Narrow your research to a specific unsolved problem facing a specific community.
As your research grows more focused on a specific community and a specific problem, you will
develop an appropriate research question that would produce a claim of policy. Examples:

How can coastal communities in the Pacific Northwest safeguard infrastructure against rising sea
levels?

How can the gender imbalance in the American dentistry profession be made more equitable?

What can rural high schools do to increase the level of graduates that go on to enroll in college?

Phase 3​: Conduct in-depth research on your question. ​In this phase of the research, acquire a
firm grasp of anything that helps you understand your question in more depth, from a wide variety of
sources and types of sources. Specifically,

● The history and the causes that contribute to the

problem

● The solutions that have been attempted, and their levels of success

● Other communities that are currently or have before faced a similar problem, and how the
communities responded

● The most important factors the community must consider when developing a solution to the

problem

You will complete an annotated bibliography during this phase that demonstrates your acquired
learning from the most significant sources in your research, and will conference with your teacher
before moving on to starting the essay.

Phase 4​: Defend a claim of policy in a well written, thoroughly researched essay that
proposes a solution to the unsolved problem. ​Develop a claim of policy by researching and
proposing your own solution to the problem, or by proposing a modified version of a yet
unimplemented solution.

Consider types of claims:

Claim of fact:

“There are many factors
threatening to jeopardize the
privacy of American citizens.”

● These claims assert that a

condition has existed,
exists, or will exist – based
on facts or data the
audience will accept as
being objectively verifiable.

● Useful for
establishing/identifying
problems, needs, existing
solutions, various positions,
etc.

● Not useful​ ​as​ thesis for an

argumentative​ essay.
(​expository​ OK)

Claim of value:

“The right to privacy is more
important than the need to
increase security at airports.”

● These claims attempt to

prove that some things are
more or less desirable than
others, and express
approval or disapproval of
standards of taste and
morality.

● Useful for​ establishing
writer’s ethos/position.

● May be less useful as

thesis for an argumentative
essay – ​depends on
subject​. (may be
challenging to prove)

Claim of policy:

“Attempts at making air travel
more secure must not put in
jeopardy the passengers’ right
to privacy.”

● These claims assert that

specific policies should be
instituted as solutions to
problems. They also rely on
compelling language
(​should​, ​must​, etc.) Policy
claims call for analysis of
both fact and value.

● Thesis statement in
argumentative essay should
probably be based​ on a
claim of policy.

The wording of a research question can produce different types of claims:

“How does a changing climate impact
farmers in the Walla Walla valley?”

● Will produce a ​claim of fact

(thus, insufficient for an argumentative essay)

“How can farmers in the Walla Walla
valley remain competitive in a global
market affected by climate change?”

● Will produce a ​claim of value/policy

(appropriate for an argumentative essay)

Analyzing sources

1. Scrutinize each source as a fact checker BEFORE closely reading

Reputation​?
(Does the author or source have a
credible reputation? Do you have
any reason to be suspect of the
author or source? Is there an
apparent bias demonstrated in the
writing that interferes with its
credibility?)

Organization?
(Is the writing coherently
organized? Is the form, style, and
content sufficient for its purpose?)

Accuracy?
(​Is the evidence accurate? Are
sources cited? Do you have
reason to be suspect of the
accuracy of the evidence? Can it
be corroborated by other credible
sources?)

2. Evaluate the role this text plays in the academic conversation of this topic
● Consider the basics: speaker, audience, purpose, context, etc.

● What is the impact of this text on or within the academic conversation? Is this text

referenced, cited, challenged, or addressed in any other significant way by prominent
voices? OR does this text itself reference, cite, challenge, or otherwise address
prominent voices?

● Seek out the most significant or impactful voices in the conversation, but don’t shy away

from new voices that are adequately cognizant of the conversation.

● Can you answer, “why this source?” in an informed, well-reasoned way? Ensure that you
develop a rationale for each source that will play a role in your research project.

3. Analyze the text and summarize the content
● Consider a “say/do” analysis – annotate for content/information, as well as analysis of

craft, structure, process, etc.

● Write a summary for the article – long and short versions

Annotated bibliography vs. works cited page

A ​works cited page​ is a documentation of the
sources cited in a written work. You will include
a works cited page with your research essay.

The sources listed in your ​works cited page​ will
not necessarily be the same sources cited in
your annotated bibliography. Only include a
source in a works cited page if it has been
directly cited in the essay. Similarly, ​all​ sources
cited in an essay ​must​ be listed on the works
cited page.

An ​annotated bibliography​ represents
documentation of the learning acquired through
research – in addition to documenting the
bibliographic information, the sources
researched are summarized, evaluated, and
reflected upon.

The sources listed in your ​annotated
bibliography​ should represent the key sources
that played an important role in the development
of your research question. You do not need to
document sources you researched if they did not
play a significant role in your learning or
development of the topic.

Works cited page example:

Works Cited

Dean, Cornelia. “Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet.” The New York Times, 22 May 2007,

www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/science/earth/22ander.html?_r=0. Accessed 12 May

2016.

Ebert, Roger. Review of An Inconvenient Truth, directed by Davis Guggenheim. rogerebert.com, 1 June 2006,

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/an-inconvenient-truth-2006. Accessed 15 June 2016.

Gowdy, John. “Avoiding Self-organized Extinction: Toward a Co-evolutionary Economics of Sustainability.”

International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, vol. 14, no. 1, 2007, pp. 27-36.

Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology. Springer, 2005.

Milken, Michael, et al. “On Global Warming and Financial Imbalances.” New Perspectives Quarterly, vol. 23,

no. 4, 2006, p. 63.

Nordhaus, William D. “After Kyoto: Alternative Mechanisms to Control Global Warming.” American

Economic Review, vol. 96, no. 2, 2006, pp. 31-34.

Regas, Diane. “Three Key Energy Policies That Can Help Us Turn the Corner on Climate.” Environmental

Defense Fund, 1 June 2016,

www.edf.org/blog/2016/06/01/3-key-energy-policies-can-help-us-turn-corner-climate. Accessed 19 July

2016.

Writing annotations

You will write a total of ​5​ annotations for your annotated bibliography. An annotation should include
three main components. Write a few sentences for each step:

Summary

● Paraphrase the central claim and any additional claims.
● Paraphrase the primary supporting evidence.

Evaluation

● Consider fact-checker analysis – reputation, organization, accuracy, etc.

Reflection

● Consider:
o What did I learn from this source?
o How does this source contribute to my research and/or argument?

Annotated bibliography example:

King, Peter. “Unparalleled Fascination with Richard Sherman.” ​The MMQB, ​21 Jan. 2014,

mmqb.si.com/2014/01/21/richard-sherman-fascination. Accessed 16 March 2017.

In this article written by the editor of ​The MMQB​, Peter King, he responds to the unprecedented

popularity of an earlier article published on the same site. Interviewed are an expert on fan behavior and a

professor of psychology – Dr. Annemarie Farrell and Dr. Christian End, respectively – who speculate why the

response has been so overwhelmingly negative to both Richard Sherman’s article, “To Those Who Would Call

Me A Thug or Worse…” and an earlier interview Sherman gave on national television with Erin Andrews. The

article offers three possible theories for the popularity of the aforementioned Sherman article and interview:

jealousy of other fans, breaking the unwritten rules of sportsmanship, and racism. The theories alone make this

article worth the unfounded assertion by King that the negative reaction to Sherman is due to a combination of

jealousy and violation of the sportsman’s code. I have revised my research question to focus on the hypothesis

that racism could be to blame for the outbreak of negative tweets. This, in turn, will lead to reading on the

various types and definitions of racism and an investigation into the policies of various social media providers

on hate speech and its consequences.