final paper prompt

Your final paper should be the culmination of all the rhetorical strategies you've learned this semester from They Say, I Say. 

The topic: You can choose a topic based on any of the readings we have done in class - the essay handouts, the course reader, the textbook, or the primary texts. (Caveat: do not write on a topic you have previously used for your first paper on love and technology and do not re-use research you have done for a previous paper. This will result in an automatic failing grade.)

Example #1: You read the essay in the course reader on Why White Kids Love Hip Hop and decide to write about urban culture and racial identity. 
Example #2: You were intrigued by the film American Beauty and decide to write about how the film both reflects and subverts "the male gaze" in various ways. 
Example #3: You were intrigued by the essay on fast food and obesity and decide to write about the rise of fitness culture and the organic food industry and how one's relationship to "healthy" living is directly linked to socioeconomic privilege. 

The argument/the thesis: Your paper should bring to light a controversy or debate on a given topic. Do not choose sources that all agree on the subject you choose. Give yourself room to agree with some ideas and challenge others. Feel free to explore ideas in your thesis rather than limit yourself to a strict argument. Ask good and interesting questions. Be sure to argue different angles. Be your own devil's advocate. Anticipate criticism and use your critical thinking skills to cover all the bases. Surprise yourself. Don't say things that are obvious or that 99% of your peers would agree with. Your paper should develop ideas throughout the 5-6 pages - meaning, you should not start and end with the same sentiment. If you begin by asking some serious questions, your thought process throughout the paper and your presentation of others' ideas should build on each other and your conclusion, as a result, should have new and intriguing answers to the questions you posed at the beginning of your essay.

Style: Start writing as soon as you can. Don't procrastinate on writing a draft. The majority of your time should be spent on revision, not drafting. Drafting is when you write everything your brain is thinking. Revision is when you refine and edit and omit.

Revision: Be merciless in your revisions. Be harsh. Omit every superfluous word, sentence, paragraph - if it doesn't NEED to be there, take it out.

The requirements: 
1. You need to cite at least three outside sources (not read in class). These sources should be professional and well-recognized sources of information (academic or professional sources such as The New York Times, essay in a critical anthology, books, or academic journals). If you use articles or interviews from the internet that are not well-respected sources, they can be additional sources but do not count as one of your three required outside sources. (Hint: be sure to re-read the section on how to properly introduce and engage with an outside source in an academic essay from They Say, I Say). DO NOT LIMIT your research by only conducting a google search! This is a huge mistake. Go to the library - search key words in the library database, talk to a research librarian, use the library to access hundreds of databases of academic journals. A great search engine for academic journals is JSTOR but this search engine is usually reserved and password protected for institutional use only - meaning you probably do not have access to full articles at home or on your personal computer. Access is only granted if you are using a school computer.

2. 5-6 pages double-spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point font, no extra spaces between paragraphs, must include a works cited page, must follow MLA guidelines (if your paper does not meet any of these minimum requirements, it will receive a failing grade). Look up MLA guidelines online - there is absolutely no excuse for not following MLA guidelines. It is simple and easy to understand if you put the energy into learning how to cite properly.

3. Turn in a 1-2 page paper proposal by Monday November 23. This will be a graded assignment (check plus, check, check minus will indicate the level of thinking you've done on your topic so far). In this proposal, you should outline to the best of your ability what topic you will write about. You should mention at least one outside source (include title and publication information) so I can get an idea of the level of research you have done on the topic. I will comment on the quality of the research and if I am familiar with the topic, I can point you in the right direction. If you change topics, it is your responsibility to approve the topic with me before the final paper is due. If you do not receive an approval on your topic (check or check plus), I will not grade your final paper.

If there is enough interest in doing a peer writing workshop for your final papers, we can discuss potential dates for this. Most likely, this will push your deadline for college essays to 12/7 and a peer writing workshop for final papers can be on the last day of class 12/9.

FINAL PAPERS ARE DUE DURING FINALS WEEK
Monday 8 am class - your final papers are due on Monday December 14 8:30-9:30 am
Monday 9:30 am class - your final papers are due on Wednesday December 16 8:30-9:30am

As always - if you have any questions about this paper, please feel free to email me or talk to me after class.