For this assignment, you will need to present a proposal for the topic you are intending to use for your end-of-semester research project. You can find the instructions for that assignment here.Your research proposal will need to include a couple of things:Topic (I chose the topic: women directors in the film industry)Question that you want to answer/Problem you are addressingSample Source (You can use the inspiration article or another source)Working Thesis(Please write a clear and complex thesis statement)Unlike other completion assignments, you will have to complete this one to move on with your research project. This may mean more than one submission to get it right, so consider starting early on this and giving yourself enough time so that you can complete it and begin working on your research project as soon as we are done with Unit 3. You are encouraged to use my office drop-in hours to help in your search for the right topic – I love brainstorming!The Researched Argument PaperThe research paper is a kind of capstone assignment in English 1, a chance to combine your interests and ideas with the skills of writing and research you have strengthened week after week this semester. Before you embark on your research journey, you need to choose one of the prompts below– Prompt A or Prompt B. Each prompt calls for an 8-10 page research paper with a minimum of six sources, but the questions asked are different. While Prompt A is open-ended and calls upon you to define your own research question and approach to answering it, Prompt B sets forth a clear structure to your inquiry and may offer a more predictable strategy for developing and organizing your paper.Prompt AChoose a current specific issue that sincerely interests you and write an insightful argumentative paper on that topic. I highly recommend that you choose an issue that is specific, detailed, and multi-faceted. Whatever you choose, you will use your own insight as well as scholarly research to establish the critical and creative terms of your inquiry. Ideally, your approach will problematize, or challenge established views of the topic you have chosen. While this is a research paper, it is still a thesis-driven, argumentative essay. I want to read your thoughts about the issue(s), and I want you to convince me of your opinions. The topic you choose and the position you take should invite debate and differences of opinion. Your paper should not merely report facts; rather, it should show that you can use facts and critical thinking to persuasively support your position on the issue. It may help for you to write your own prompt in order to keep your essay focused and argumentative. If you do this, please make sure that it is open-ended and invites ideas, not just facts.
