A minimum of five sources total (all must come from the Pierce Library databases):
- 2 articles from newspapers and/or magazines (periodicals)
- 1 article from a scholarly/academic journal (periodical)
- 1 source of your choosing.
- Assigned essay from the syllabus.
Research Essay Proposal
Instructions: After you have done some preliminary thinking about your Research Essay topic,
please answer the following questions. Number and label your assignment
exactly like it appears here. Make sure the document is MLA formatted.
- RESEARCH QUESTION: What is your research question? (1 sentence) Read p. 360 in Rules for Writers
- WORKING THESIS: What is your working thesis? (1 sentence) Read p. 392-93 in Rules for Writers
- UNSTATED ASSUMPTIONS: List at least one unstated assumption connected to your thesis. (1-2 sentences) Read p. 82 in Rules for Writers
Examples of unstated assumptions:
Working thesis: Democracy is the best form of government because it allows its citizens to have the most freedom.
Unstated assumption: It is a good thing for citizens to have freedom.
Grading:
- This assignment will receive a Pass or No Pass grade.
- Research essays will not be accepted if you fail to hand this portion of the assignment in.
- Outside/internet research/paraphrasing tools/AI/prewritten papers are not permitted and would result in a zero.
Changing Your Thesis
- Your thesis may change or evolve after you become more familiar with your sources or find new ones.
Assignment Overview:
- In your research essay, you will form an argument that responds to the ideas in any of your previously assigned essay texts.
- You must defend your position on a debatable topic by supporting it with research.
- The assignment will be evaluated in accordance with the English 101 Essay Rubric.
- Paraphrasing tools/AI/plagiarism/prewritten papers are not permitted and would result in a zero. If you have any questions, please ask.
Suggested topics that relate to assigned readings (you can also form one of your own):
- Form an argument about the evolution or use of nondiscriminatory / politically correct language.
- Form an argument about the effectiveness of art-targeting climate activism or some other type of non-violent activism.
- Form an argument about the effectiveness of non-violent civil disobedience for a specific social problem.
- Form an argument about the death penalty or some other aspect of the criminal justice system.
Format and length:
- To earn a passing grade for the essay, your document must be MLA
formatted. This includes parenthetically citing all sources in your
essay and including a Works Cited list. - 5-6 pages; typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Only the body is counted in the page requirements (not the Works Cited
page).
please follow the instructions this is only the proposal, the overview of the asignenment is the instructions of the actual research paper, for the future. I just provided for you to see what is going to be needed for the future
