RESEARCH PAPER

Choose a topic that is of interest to you about an issue concerning a current social issue or modern technology and write an essay in which you take a position on that issue. Your main goal in this researched essay is to present your findings on the topic, present your position on the topic, and finally, show your audience why they should care about the topic. You must have a minimum of six primary and/or secondary sources. A minimum of two of your sources need to be scholarly, academic journal articles. Some suggestions for topics might be the benefits created or problems caused by social media, the benefits created or problems caused by driverless vehicles, the benefits created or problems caused by the use of robots and other automation/technology in industry, police departments, or the military.

Your argument should contain all of the genre’s features listed here:

• An explicit position
• A response to what others have said or done
• Appropriate background information
• A clear indication of why the topic matters
• Good reasons and evidence
• Attention to more than one point of view
• An authoritative tone
• An appeal to readers’ values
• Introduction
  • Establish importance of issue
  • Establish credibility
  • State position: Explicit thesis statement
• Body
  • Provide necessary background information
  • Reasons and evidence to support position
  • Acknowledge possible counterarguments and refute them
• Conclusion
  • Summarize arguments
  • Elaborate on implications
  • Make clear what audience to do in response

Any essay that does not include In-Text Documentation and a Works Cited list will receive a grade of 0.

Any essay that contains a Works Cited list, but lacks In-Text Documentation will not receive a grade higher than 50%.

Other Requirements

Page Count: 6 full double spaced pages, Times New Roman font. (Your Works Cited page does not count toward the page count for your essay.)

Use MLA Style heading for essays without cover pages. Be sure to include headers that contain your last name and page number for each page. Be sure to double space entire essay. 

You must use at least six sources (minimum of 2 academic journal articles) in writing this essay.  Essay will include a works cited entry for the articles used in writing this essay.