Persuasive Research Essay (15% of final grade) English 1301 / Foster Due Date: Rough draft • Hard copy, typed, due in class for workshop on Tuesday, 11/28. Final Draft • Electronic copy due to Turnitin.com by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, 11/30. • Hard copy of all draft materials due in class on presentation day (during Finals Week) How Long? 1200-1500 words Formatting • 11 or 12 point Times New Roman/Cambria font, double spaced, 1” margins. • Your name and section number (CRN) in header, page number in footer. • MLA parenthetical citations in essay text. • MLA Works Cited page. What to Do 1. Choose a debate to take part in—an issue about which we do not have all the answers, or about which reasonable, informed people disagree. 2. Formulate a research question. Email me your chosen topic (with two backups). We will have an email conversation about how to refine it. 3. After receiving approval for your topic, conduct research to craft the best possible answer to your research question you’ve formulated on your topic. 4. Take part in the debate, using the knowledge you’ve gained from your research to write a paper whose thesis answers your research question. Use the research as evidence for your answer in your paper. In short, write an essay on your topic that makes an argument and supports that argument with evidence from your research. Your essay must • • • take a side within a debate over your topic; argue for that side successfully throughout the paper; and use research effectively as evidence to support your argument. Research Requirements – 7 sources total • 3 from databases: JSTOR, Academic Search Complete, and/or Opposing Viewpoints (other databases only with my approval). • 4 from magazines, newspapers, books, or acceptable internet sources (see below). Unacceptable internet sources include Wikipedia or any wiki; Ehow, About.com, Howstuffworks or other linkbait/content farm sources; Britannica or encyclopedias, dictionaries, or basic reference books; Enotes, Sparknotes, or any other “study guide” sites; any sites providing sample essays or reference lists for common essay topics; Fox News, Huffington Post, Breitbart, Daily Kos, Infowars, Daily Caller, The Other 98%, OccupyDemocrats, and any other sources that are excessively partisan and/or don’t sufficiently distinguish between fact and opinion or fact and fiction; and personal blogs or personal websites. Acceptable internet sources include advocacy group websites like Sierra Club or the National Mining Association (note they will take a side and have a bias); government websites (.gov); large news organization websites such as CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, BBC, ABC/NBC/CBS; newspapers of record such as Washington Post, New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal; major print magazines such as Time, The Economist, Wired, Discover, Harper’s, Atlantic Monthly, National Geographic, etc. (avoid fashion, decorating, regional, and celebrity magazines, as their articles are usually too short); and professional blogs with editors (Gawker/Univision sites like The Root and Jezebel; blogs run by newspapers or magazines; blogs written by experts in a field). How to Structure This Essay Introductory paragraph (1) ------“big picture” statement that introduces general topic and establishes timeliness/importance of your essay (1-2 sentences) ---------narrowing of topic, outlining of major points of controversy (2-4 sentences) -------------thesis statement: the essay’s main idea or argument History/Background paragraph (1, optional) If the history of your debate needs summarizing, this is where you can do that. If your reader is going to need special background knowledge to understand your topic, this is where you can do that, too. Regular Body paragraphs (3 to infinity)  Topic sentence ◦ Makes an argument (is not just summary) ◦ Supports the thesis statement ◦ Tells us the topic of the paragraph  Support ◦ Often this = quotes from the text you're writing about ◦ Can also be paraphrasing or summary of statistics, facts, etc. ◦ Can also be further argumentation  Analysis ◦ Explain how the support proves your topic sentence argument. Rebutting or Conceding + Rebutting paragraph (1, optional) If you need to discuss certain arguments that your opponents are likely to have, this is where you can do that. You can either bring up their arguments and knock them down (rebuttal), or you can bring them up, acknowledge certain parts of them are valid, and then explain why they aren’t a good enough reason to say “no” to your position. Conclusion paragraph (1)  Re-state without repeating the main points from your paper. (Don't cut and paste!) (2-6 sentences)  End with a general statement that reminds reader of importance of your topic / connects your paper to the “big picture.” (Often a future prediction.) 
Purchase answer to see full attachment