public and community safety, law enforcement

2

Writing & Research Casey Rountree

Major Paper 2—Research Topic Exploration

Once you have selected—and I have approved—the topic you will focus on, the first step in the process of creating your Policy Brief (the paper that is the long-term goal of our class) will focus on inquiry and scholarship.

In order to become a true expert on your issue you will need to learn as much as you can on the subject, and one of the best ways to determine what you need to know is to ask a lot of thoughtful questions (i.e. engage in inquiry). Some of the information you’ll need will be available from existing sources, and that is what you will focus on in Paper 2 (i.e. engage in scholarship).

For Major Paper 2 you will discuss:

· why you believe the issue you select and I approve is relevant and important today

· what the main issues people disagree on are

· all you currently know about the topic, including what you’ve learned from existing sources you have located

· even things you have questions about or realize you still need to learn more about

Somewhere in the paper, I would also like you to write out your responses to these four specific questions:

1. What are 3 groups (they could be people, organizations, businesses, government, etc.) who have something at stake in your issue?

2. What are the 2-3 biggest points of disagreement about your issue?

3. What has been your most useful source for information thus far?

4. What are the questions you are finding most difficult to answer on your issue?

This paper will be an opportunity for you to think about all of the aspects of your chosen issue without having to present facts or evidence supporting one point of view over another. In fact, I do not want you to take an argumentative position on your topic in this exploration paper. Said another way, after reading your paper, I should not be able to tell what you are in support of and opposed to with regards to your topic. Instead, strive to remain objective as you begin to learn as much about the topic as you can, presenting some of the opinions held by individuals with a variety of different perspectives.

Major Paper 2 will be approximately 4-6 pages in length and will need to include a works cited page with (at the very least) 8 sources.

· A rough draft of the paper is due to Canvas by 11:59 pm, DU time, on Sunday, May 3.

· Peer responses will be due by 11:59 pm DU time, on Monday, May 4.

· The final draft is due by 11:59 pm DU time, on Sunday, May 10.

Use MLA-style parenthetical documentation for citing sources within the essay and MLA format for your works cited page. Refer to your guidebook for all formatting questions.

Your audience for this paper is really just me, your professor. Write to inform me about this issue and to show me all the hard work and thought you’ve put into your research.

Remember, you aren’t supposed to pick a side on your issue yet (you’ll do that in a future paper). Just share the information you’ve found. And since this is intended to be a type of “status report” on your work to this point, you should also mention the things you realize you need to find, but haven’t been able to locate yet. Identifying those gaps in your research shows me how well you understand the topic and I might have ideas about how to help you develop your research further.