Research Essay (10 pages , sources included)

You are required to examine the intersection of two disadvantaged social locations. You selected Native American (race), women (gender) from the lower class ( class). That makes three. You need to reduce this down

(old ) : Native American women and Lower classes

(New) Topic : Native American and Lower classes

– The Essay

Students will produce a research essay in which they will discuss an instance of social disadvantage in American society. Instructions regarding topic selection are listed above. Research essays must be 10 pages double spaced in length.

· Research

Students must consult at least eight (8) peer-reviewed academic sources for their essays. Students are only permitted to consult peer-reviewed academic sources for this assignment. These include books, essays in edited collections, and journal articles (in print and electronically published) by acknowledged academic printing presses.

· Students are NOT permitted to consult the following sources as they are not peer-reviewed: conference papers (as they are not peer-reviewed)

film reviews, magazines like Variety, NY Times, Entertainment Weekly, Huffington Post, etc. , webpages such as wikipedia.org, imdb.com , university newspapers/newsletters PhD dissertations

Students can use any of the readings assigned for this course. However, they will not count towards your required eight (8) sources.

· Consulting Sources

Students are required to consult eight (8) peer-reviewed academic sources. Each source must be referenced at least once, within the body of your essay, in order to count towards your total.

· Direct Quotes

Only 10% of your paper can be comprised of direct quotes. Use direct quotes only for emphasis.

· Paraphrasing

For the majority of your paper, you must paraphrase the ideas from your sources. In other words, you must entirely restate and rephrase the ideas presented by the author(s). If you copy a sentence and merely change a word here and there, you are engaging in plagiarism and not paraphrasing. You must restate the sentence, in its entirely, in your own words.

· In-Text Citations

You are required to cite all of your sources in-text. Whether you are directly quoting or paraphrasing the material, you must include the last name of the author and the page number of the source in brackets. For instance (Smith 12).

· Highlighting Authors

You are required to highlight the authors who produced the sources you are citing. Mention each author by name and attribute their ideas to them. For example; John Smith notes that the Harry Potter films have been extremely popular (Smith 12) According to John Smith, Harry Potter films are extremely popular (Smith 12).

John Smith argues, “Harry Potter films are among the most popular films ever produced.” (Smith 12).

· Lesson Slides

Students are not allowed to cite the lesson slides as academic sources. Instead, they must look up and cite the original academic sources. Material from each lesson slide corresponds to the readings assigned for that week. You are responsible for tracking down this information on your own. Students will be deducted grades for citing lesson slides

· MLA Format

Students are required to use MLA when citing their sources in-text and listing them in their Works Cited. Students will be deducted grades for not adhering to MLA style.

· Complete Source Information

Students are required to provide complete information for the sources that they use. If a key piece of information is not provided in the version you are viewing—such as publisher, issue number, and/or page range—you are required to track down this information. A simple internet search will provide you with complete bibliographic information. Students will be deducted grades for not providing complete information about their sources.

· Essay Format

Essays must adhere to the following requirements.

Essay Form

Students must present their papers in proper essay form. This includes: an introduction with a clearly stated thesis body paragraphs with strong introductory and concluding sentences a conclusion summarizing your ideas

· Writing

Spelling and Grammar

Students must present their work in full sentences. Grades will be deducted for spelling and grammar errors, and for the use of point form (or bullet points). Be sure to proofread your essay before you submit them.

· Thesis

A thesis is a statement of intent. In your thesis you need to highlight 2 key components: what you will argue Sentence 1: In this paper, I will examine… how you will go about arguing it Sentence 2: I will focus specifically on [elements 1, 2, 3]

· First Person

Use the first person only for emphasis.

you can use it in your thesis (e.g. In this paper, I will explore...)

you can use it to differentiate your ideas from a particular author (e.g. Black argues this, but I think that...)

ou cannot use the first person throughout your paper. This is an academic essay and not a journal or blog.

· Second Person or Collective “We”

Do not use the collective “we” or second person in your essays. When you use the collective “we” you are speaking on behalf of everyone including your professor. You cannot possibly know how everyone thinks, sees, or feels. Moreover, phrases like “we see,” “we think,” “we feel,” and “we know” can easily be refuted with the response, “no I don’t.” As a result, your entire line of argument falls apart because of your use of the second person.

· Third Person

Use the third person throughout your paper. This helps you to be descriptive while maintaining an academic tone.

· Paper Format

Essays must be formatted in the following way:

12 point Times New Roman black font (no color!) 1 inch margins (or 2.54 cm)

double spacing

proper tabs (1.27 cm)

page numbers , no pictures, graphics, or tables are allowed no “tracked changes” should be visible