ENG 102
Researched Paper
Due: Length: Format: Sources:
You should submit to BlackBoard before the end of the day on the date indicated in the course.
A minimum of 8-10 pages (at least 2000-2500 words), not including Works Cited page.
Double spaced, 12-pt. common font. MLA citation format with MLA formatted works cited page.
You will be required to have at least five credible and diverse sources cited in your essay. At least three of the sources must be academic journal articles or books.
Assignment
By this point in the semester, you have developed an understanding of some idea, theme, or issue. You began by writing about a TV show or film that helped in which you isolated that idea or theme. You then researched that idea or theme, finding a variety of sources related to it. Finally, you have developed a deeper understanding by working with two individual sources to see how they understand or discuss the theme or idea.
So, by now, you should have a good idea of the theme, issue, or idea you have been working with, and, ideally, have a good sense of what it is that you can say about it.
So, for this final paper, you will need to write an 8-10 page paper in which you develop an argument related to the idea, theme, or issue you have been working with. You need to find “something to say” about your theme, and then make that the centerpiece of your paper.
There are two ways you can do this:
• You can return to the text (film/TV show) you began the course with, and make this final paper an extended analysis of the text, focusing on the idea you saw within the text and using the research to help you to further interrogate and investigate that idea.
• You can, conversely, focus entirely on the issue or idea and develop a paper in which you make some sort of argument about that idea or issue. This should be something that is your perspective on the idea or theme, developed using the research to help you sort out what it is that you want to say.
Here are a couple of key points to keep in mind as you develop your ideas:
• Your argument should be more than just “I like this” or not. In other words, move beyond simple yes/no or black/white thinking on your text to present a more nuanced argument about it. We will work on this.
• A key component of the research has been your finding and evaluating of authors writing from different perspectives on your topic. You are inserting yourself into the conversation they are having about the topic and presenting your perspective supported by the things that others are saying.
Important! – This assignment is not meant to be a research paper in which you give a detailed summary of the research you have done or of the topic itself. It is, at heart, an analysis/argument paper. A bulk of the paper should be focused on what you have to say, not a recounting of your research. The research is there to help you make your argument and, as such, should operate in a subordinate role to the argument.
