Before completing this assignment, carefully and thoroughly read the Module Three Essay Prompt. Note: Instructors, you may provide access to this prompt by creating a link here. *This assignment must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document and formatted in Proper MLA Formatting (Times New Roman, 12 pt. font type, double-spaced, with appropriate heading information). Our Learning Outcomes for this assignment are: Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing process Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution; Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose; Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts; Use Edited American English in academic essays. In this assignment, you will be proposing a topic you wish to write about for the Module Three Essay.  Below is a small section of the essay prompt that explains what you may select as a topic. PURPOSE: The purpose of this assignment is to ensure that you have picked an appropriate article that fits within the scope of this assignment. Often, students pick a topic/article that is too broad and would require a longer, more advanced essay than what is required in this module. Remember the importance of selecting an article that is large enough you can adequately meet the essay length and development requirements, but also an article that is small enough you can adequately and thoroughly discuss it within the essay length requirements.  For instance, if you pick a topic like trying to persuade people why everyone should paint their homes green because it is the color that appears the most in nature and is most soothing to the eye, it might be too specific of a topic and not offer enough diversity in the topic. Also, a topic like this would not be very argumentative which simply means other people can take an opposing view from you. This provides a point to what we write and provides audience interest.  This essay will require research (2 sources - we will cover how to find these and where you need to get these after the topic proposal), and will also require a topic that you are interested in to write about. When we are interested in what we are writing, our writing automatically becomes better and more appealing to our reader.  TOPIC CHOICE: You can choose the article you want to write about within reason.  Avoid all blogs and Wikis as often the information is unreliable, and we need to practice making smart source choices now.  If you choose to write about an article that addresses or connects to the following topics, you must email your instructor and explain why your approach is unique and offers something new that has not already been hashed out multiple times. The topic must then be approved by the instructor. Abortion Immigration/"the Wall" Legalizing Marijuana Second Amendment rights/gun control Politics Religion The Death Penalty/doctor-assisted suicides Good Places to Find Articles:  The New York Times has over 1,000 articles arranged by topic in a repository for students. Follow the link here: The New York Times Writing Prompts for Students. The Atlantic also has many articles on popular topics. If you go to the website and click on the menu, a list of topics appears. Follow the link here: The Atlantic The Odessa College Library has access to the CQ Researcher Database that offers a vast array of topics on almost any subject. Select the menu, and then "Browse Topics" for a categorized list. Follow the link here: CQ Researcher Or, you may find your own article on any number of Internet sites.  HOW TO WRITE THE ASSIGNMENT: Minimum word length requirement: 250 words. Once you have selected a possible topic and found an article, please answer the following questions in complete sentences: What topic have you decided to write about? Please be specific in what you want to write about, not just the general category but specifically what you want to write about. What made you interested in this topic?  Why do you think your topic is important to write about? What do you know already about the topic you selected, and do you have strong feelings one way or another about the topic already? It is best to pick a topic that allows you to be on one side of the fence or another. In other words, don't sit in the gray area of a topic for the purposes of this essay. It is all right to discuss the gray area, but ultimately, the topic should argue for a very specific. What is one argument against your topic that you could think about, and if you disagreed with the chosen topic, what would you say? This will help you understand what the potential audience for your paper might say and be prepared to respond to it.  What are some questions you have about the topic that you do not know about, or would like to know more about? After thinking and brainstorming about the topic a little bit, what are three specific areas that you think would be good to talk about that support your topic and the side you have chosen to take on the topic?  Help finding Sources for Research: Often, research seems a bit overwhelming because the Internet is so large in scale, we don't know where to begin.  I am offering some help in where to look for sources as this is probably the first larger-scale research project you may have completed in college thus far. Below are some great websites and databases that will help you find articles that match your topic and that you can use in your final research. Please remember that you must have two (2) sources for your final essay. One of these sources must come from the Library Super Search or CQ Researcher, both linked below. This means that you will find two sources and use direct quotes from the sources in your body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should have a minimum of one direct quote from one of the sources that is cited in-text (we will review what we learned in Module 2 a bit later in this module). You must also remember to save the URL web links to any source you find that you want to use so that we can cite it in a proper Works Cited page at the end of your essay (again, we will review this more later). These are just a few things to keep in mind as we move forward and begin finding our sources. The following are click-able links that will take you to these websites.  Odessa College Super Search  Be aware that if you are not on campus or using campus wi-fi, you will be asked to log in. This is the same login you use for Blackboard CQ Researcher  Be aware that if you are not on campus or using campus wi-fi, you will be asked to log in. This is the same login you use for Blackboard.  The Library of Congress  The Smithsonian Magazine  Science.Gov USA.Gov Educational Resources Information Center National Archives Virtual Learning Resource Center Please remember to still check the articles found on these links with the Credibility PDF in the previous posts, and if you find one of your sources from a different site, you are still responsible to make sure it adheres to the guidelines of the essay.  Guided Research Outline Assignment: You will submit a Microsoft Word copy to your instructor here, using the browse and attach feature. *This assignment must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document, and formatted in Proper MLA Formatting (Times New Roman, 12 pt. font type, double-spaced, with appropriate heading information).Before completing this assignment, carefully and thoroughly read the Module Three Essay Prompt. Note: Instructors, you may provide access to this prompt by creating a link here. *This assignment must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document and formatted in Proper MLA Formatting (Times New Roman, 12 pt. font type, double-spaced, with appropriate heading information). Our Learning Outcomes for this assignment are: Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing process Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution; Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose; Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts; Use Edited American English in academic essays. In this assignment, you will be proposing a topic you wish to write about for the Module Three Essay.  Below is a small section of the essay prompt that explains what you may select as a topic. PURPOSE: The purpose of this assignment is to ensure that you have picked an appropriate article that fits within the scope of this assignment. Often, students pick a topic/article that is too broad and would require a longer, more advanced essay than what is required in this module. Remember the importance of selecting an article that is large enough you can adequately meet the essay length and development requirements, but also an article that is small enough you can adequately and thoroughly discuss it within the essay length requirements.  For instance, if you pick a topic like trying to persuade people why everyone should paint their homes green because it is the color that appears the most in nature and is most soothing to the eye, it might be too specific of a topic and not offer enough diversity in the topic. Also, a topic like this would not be very argumentative which simply means other people can take an opposing view from you. This provides a point to what we write and provides audience interest.  This essay will require research (2 sources - we will cover how to find these and where you need to get these after the topic proposal), and will also require a topic that you are interested in to write about. When we are interested in what we are writing, our writing automatically becomes better and more appealing to our reader.  TOPIC CHOICE: You can choose the article you want to write about within reason.  Avoid all blogs and Wikis as often the information is unreliable, and we need to practice making smart source choices now.  If you choose to write about an article that addresses or connects to the following topics, you must email your instructor and explain why your approach is unique and offers something new that has not already been hashed out multiple times. The topic must then be approved by the instructor. Abortion Immigration/"the Wall" Legalizing Marijuana Second Amendment rights/gun control Politics Religion The Death Penalty/doctor-assisted suicides Good Places to Find Articles:  The New York Times has over 1,000 articles arranged by topic in a repository for students. Follow the link here: The New York Times Writing Prompts for Students. The Atlantic also has many articles on popular topics. If you go to the website and click on the menu, a list of topics appears. Follow the link here: The Atlantic The Odessa College Library has access to the CQ Researcher Database that offers a vast array of topics on almost any subject. Select the menu, and then "Browse Topics" for a categorized list. Follow the link here: CQ Researcher Or, you may find your own article on any number of Internet sites.  HOW TO WRITE THE ASSIGNMENT: Minimum word length requirement: 250 words. Once you have selected a possible topic and found an article, please answer the following questions in complete sentences: What topic have you decided to write about? Please be specific in what you want to write about, not just the general category but specifically what you want to write about. What made you interested in this topic?  Why do you think your topic is important to write about? What do you know already about the topic you selected, and do you have strong feelings one way or another about the topic already? It is best to pick a topic that allows you to be on one side of the fence or another. In other words, don't sit in the gray area of a topic for the purposes of this essay. It is all right to discuss the gray area, but ultimately, the topic should argue for a very specific. What is one argument against your topic that you could think about, and if you disagreed with the chosen topic, what would you say? This will help you understand what the potential audience for your paper might say and be prepared to respond to it.  What are some questions you have about the topic that you do not know about, or would like to know more about? After thinking and brainstorming about the topic a little bit, what are three specific areas that you think would be good to talk about that support your topic and the side you have chosen to take on the topic?  Help finding Sources for Research: Often, research seems a bit overwhelming because the Internet is so large in scale, we don't know where to begin.  I am offering some help in where to look for sources as this is probably the first larger-scale research project you may have completed in college thus far. Below are some great websites and databases that will help you find articles that match your topic and that you can use in your final research. Please remember that you must have two (2) sources for your final essay. One of these sources must come from the Library Super Search or CQ Researcher, both linked below. This means that you will find two sources and use direct quotes from the sources in your body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should have a minimum of one direct quote from one of the sources that is cited in-text (we will review what we learned in Module 2 a bit later in this module). You must also remember to save the URL web links to any source you find that you want to use so that we can cite it in a proper Works Cited page at the end of your essay (again, we will review this more later). These are just a few things to keep in mind as we move forward and begin finding our sources. The following are click-able links that will take you to these websites.  Odessa College Super Search  Be aware that if you are not on campus or using campus wi-fi, you will be asked to log in. This is the same login you use for Blackboard CQ Researcher  Be aware that if you are not on campus or using campus wi-fi, you will be asked to log in. This is the same login you use for Blackboard.  The Library of Congress  The Smithsonian Magazine  Science.Gov USA.Gov Educational Resources Information Center National Archives Virtual Learning Resource Center Please remember to still check the articles found on these links with the Credibility PDF in the previous posts, and if you find one of your sources from a different site, you are still responsible to make sure it adheres to the guidelines of the essay.