Assignment Overview

Assignment Objectives: To become familiar with and proficient at using library research tools and materials; to continue to develop skills in close reading, structuring evidence and analysis, and developing a thesis.

Assignment Description: In this researched essay, you will explore a topic in-depth and present evidence to support a thesis. Your final product will be approximately 5-8 pages, not including the Works Cited page.

Assignment Structure: Plan on dividing your research essay into at least three (3) main body sections. There are many different ways to do this; below are two examples. All essay styles should have an introduction and conclusion in addition to the body sections.

Solution-focused three-part structure:

1. History/explanation of the issue; important background information that will allow the reader to understand your analysis.
2. Analysis of the causes of the identified issues.
3. Proposal of a solution to address the issue, and explanation of how this will solve the issue.

Argument/Counterargument-focused three-part structure:

1. Researched arguments/explanation/examples in favor of your researched topic.
2. Researched arguments/explanation/examples opposed to your researched topic.
3. Argue your opinion on the topic and explain why your position is correct.

Your structure should derive from your own thinking about your chosen topic, and basically it should follow a progression that allows a thorough look at the problem or issue you are addressing.

Skills Needed to Successfully Complete the Assignment

Develop a thesis from the starting point of a research question. Your question should narrow one of the research issues (listed above). This research question will guide how you find sources, and eventually how you develop your overall argument.

Find appropriate, authoritative evidence from well-respected sources. For this assignment, you are required to read at least five sources and use them in the paper. All of the final paper’s quoted sources should be print sources: a print source is a book, article, essay, or report that originally appeared in print (this means that peer reviewed scholarly journal articles accessed through a library database count as print sources).

Incorporate sources to support your argument. A research argument calls for many of the same skills as a more general essay, with the addition of using outside sources. In this assignment you will use one text (research source) to consider another; you will incorporate quotations effectively; you will close read passages from your texts. As with every essay, you should have a central argument, supported by evidence (your research).

Pace yourself. Writing a researched argument is a process that builds on a series of smaller steps. A research essay requires advance planning to find and read sources, organize an outline, and write multiple drafts. You will have several assignments across the semester which are designed to keep you on task and to help you along the way.