Prompt: Research paper (final paper)

Prompt: Final Research Paper

Research paper – English 101

We discussed the issue of trust and food in class. The truth is that the American people have had little choice but to trust the food industry who, for the most part, are responsible for providing us with the food we consume. We need to examine the history of the food industry to decide for ourselves whether or not this trust is warranted. The new frontier of food production is genetic modification (GMO), but in fact, science has long been an essential element of food production. In recent years, light has been shown on the treatment of the animals whose bodies give America the meat it eats. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes on YouTube.com to see that ethical treatment of animals has been a low priority for the food industry. Another important element of the journey from farms to our table involves the workers who tend and slaughter animals, and those who pick fruit and vegetables. Food and union activists have raised important issues regarding the  way that workers in the food industry are treated - and what it does to them. Another important issue that is now being discussed is the harsh reality of food manufacturing’s impact on climate change. 

Your research paper will take you inside the long journey from the farms and slaughterhouses (and laboratories) to our tables by going deep into one issue. During discussion of your research, we’ll be asking many important questions: Who oversees all the elements of food production? What is the relationship between the legal system and the food industry? How well-tested are genetically modified foods? Since we are, quite literally, what we eat, is it possible for humankind to ignore the health and welfare of those animals who give us life without paying a severe price for it? What about the imposing list of chemicals that show up on the labels of our food. How safe are these additives? What are they and what effect to they have on our bodies and minds?

For this assignment, you must choose one of three questions to write about.

1. Examine the relationship between the legal system and the food industry by writing about one court case. The legal battles and public debate concerning GMO - genetically modified food -should be the focus your research. Make sure to focus your research around one court case so that you examine the particulars of the controversy. 

2. What is “natural” food, and what’s at stake in the legal battle surrounding use of this word in the labeling of food.

3. Food industry practices dictate that intelligent, friendly animals are forced to spend their lives enduring often horrific treatment. These animals have little or not legal protection, a situation that suits the industry fine. How and why did this situation develop. What can and should be done about the situation. What are the obstacles to changing it. Answer these questions while writing about a real face-off between the industry and those who want to change such practices.

Facts about your research paper:

1. This research paper should present a thesis that is specific, manageable, provable, and contestable—in other words, the thesis should offer a clear position, stand, or opinion that will be proven with research.   You should analyze and prove your thesis using examples and quotes from a variety of sources.  
2. You need to research and cite from at least five sources.  You must use at least 3 different types of sources.  At least one source must be from a library database. At least one source must be a book, anthology or textbook. At least one source must be from a credible website, appropriate for academic use.
3. The paper should not over-rely on one main source for most of the information. Rather, it should use multiple sources and synthesize the information found in them.
4. This paper will be approximately 2000 words in length, not including the Works Cited page, which is also required.  (use the word count function to check the length) The Works Cited page does NOT count towards length requirement.  
5. You must use MLA format for the document, in-text citations, and Works Cited page.
6. You must integrate quotations and paraphrases using signal phrases and analysis or commentary.  
7. You must sustain your argument, use transitions effectively, and use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
8. our paper must be logically organized and focused.

Updated Prompts: Essay #2

Essay Assignment #2 – Literary Analysis of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner

Write a 700-1000 word literary analysis essay on one topic from the list below. 

1. Discuss the significance of kites in the novel. Consider both the function and symbolic significance of the kites. How do the traditions and practices of kite fighting and kite running portrayed in The Kite Runner express cultural values and replicate aspects of Afghanistan’s ethnic caste system

2. Discuss the significance of giving and receiving gifts in The Kite Runner.  Consider both the function and symbolic significance of the gifts. How does the practice of giving gifts evolve over the course of the novel? How does the theme of gift giving enhance the main themes of the novel?

3. Compare and contrast the relationship between Soraya and her father with the relationship between Amir and his father. How do these relationships evolve from childhood through adulthood? How are these relationships affected by traditional attitudes about gender? Did they disappear after their marriage?

4. From a Western perspective, it’s tempting to think that Amir and Hassan could have bridged the gap between them if only Amir had been as loyal to Hassan as Hassan was to him. In fact, the cultural and class traditions of Afghanistan shaped both boys, making the kind of friendships we know impossible for either to conceive. Using examples from the text, show how those forces worked on each boy, how each viewed the other, and the roles each played as their relationship unwound.

5. Hassan’s death could be looked as a suicide. He left his son without a father, which – given the hurt that missing parents caused both he and Amir – seemed like a bewildering and even selfish act. Defend or argue against this statement, using examples to make your point: Hassan had no choice but to return to Baba’s house where in the end he refused to flee the Taliban.

Your essay 

- Should contain a clear thesis statement asserting your view, evaluation, or interpretation of a narrowly defined, focused aspect of your topic.

- Should abide by the conventions of writing about literature (e.g. use the present tense to describe fictional events and avoid attributing motive to the author).

- Should draw on detailed, concrete, specific evidence from the text of Kite Runner. Be sure to include in-text citations following direct quotations and specific text references. Example: According to Amir, “Winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul” (Hosseini 48).

- May include research material, as long as you cite your sources properly. However, you are not required to use research, and your evidence should consist primarily of your own analysis of the text. 

Reading Analysis Prompt: Fiction

On the day that you present in front of the class you must also write your response to the questions below and hand in your answers. You must hand in your answers on the day you signed up for.

Reading Analysis Guide for Sebastian Junger’s War.

Guidelines for Reading Analysis Presentation

Sign-up on the presentation calendar on my desk. Make a note of the chapters and presentation date that you sign up for below.

Reading analysis chapter: __________________________Presentation date: _______________

You will be presenting your analysis in class along with other classmates. The class will be counting on you to be on top of the article you are covering, so please be prepared!

This assignment is worth 40 points – to receive credit, you must participate in the presentation of your analysis. You will be graded primarily on your written analysis (breakdown of scoring below), but outstanding presentations will be rewarded.

Read the chapters or section that you will be analyzing carefully. On your first reading, just try to identify the main idea(s) and get a feel for the writer’s approach and the flow of the chapter. On your second reading, go over the text more carefully; notice how the writer creates characters and tells the story.

To prepare your written analysis:

Identify the author’s name and the title of the chapter(s) you are covering. Answer the following questions, numbering each answer in the way the questions are numbered.

1.     What is the central theme of the selection? Your answer should be a complete sentence in your own words (not a quote!). Be as specific as possible, but remember that the theme of a book refers to the authors overall concerns. The plot is what happens as the book moves ahead. The theme refers to the overall concerns of a book.

2.     What are the concerns of the characters in the chapter(s) you have read? This book is fiction. Do you think the events in the book could happen in real life? Do you think the way the characters act is believable. If the events in the book are exaggerated by the author, does it make the book less effective? If the behavior of the characters are exaggerated, does it make the book less believable or effective?

3.     Is the central theme expressed explicitly or implicitly? The claim is explicit if the writer spells out what it is. The claim is implicit if the writer only implies the claim but does not state it outright.

4.   Did the events and actions in your chapter(s) surprise you or change your mind about the characters in the book?

4.     What is the tone – the feel – of the chapter(s) you read?

5.     What things in the story give the most insight into human nature?

6.     Does the writer leave the opinions and feelings to the readers? If so, why? Is this approach effective?

Topic Sentence Handout

TOPIC SENTENCES
Topic sentences are the “thesis statements” of paragraphs; therefore, they are both a part of keeping the promise made by the thesis, as well as a sub-promise that should be kept by the paragraphs. They are usually the first sentence in the paragraph. The reader expects topic sentences to provide proof of one aspect of the thesis sentence as well as to provide an indication of what will follow in the paragraph.
A topic sentence is NOT simply a statement of fact. A fact does not contain any controlling ideas that can be easily explained, described, illustrated or analyzed.
There are two kinds of topic sentences:
A statement of opinion contains some form of judgment and the paragraph will support the opinion in the topic sentence.
Example:
The computer is the greatest invention of the twentieth century.
A statement of intent contains no opinion; instead, it informs the reader of what will be objectively explained in the paragraph.
Example:
The common seasoning monosodium glutamate (MSG) has negative side effects.

Topic Sentence Functions
An effective topic sentence:
Relates to the thesis.
Sets up a claim, assertion, argument, evaluation, analysis.
Contains controlling ideas about the topic that need to be developed in the
sentences that follow.
Is the most general sentence in the paragraph. Orients the reader.
Provides a context for understanding what follows. Explains the relationships among elements. Summarizes the rest of the paragraph.
Promises what will follow.

Guidelines for Topic Sentences
A topic sentence must be a complete sentence to perform all the necessary functions.
Weak: Some types of birth control should be provided by schools.
Better: Topreventunwantedpregnanciesandsexuallytransmitteddiseases,schools
should provide every form of non-prescription birth control available.
A topic sentence must predict or promise what follows, so it cannot be a question.
Weak: Should schools provide free computers for their students?
Better: Sinceschoolsshouldassiststudentsintheirstudiesandpreparethemfortheir future careers, they must offer students the technological advantage of free and easy access to computers.

Phrases such as “I think” or “in my opinion” may muddle or weaken topic sentences. Your writing is always your opinion, so you don’t need these phrases unless they are central to the idea that you are trying to convey.
Weak: I think that it is important for every woman to carry mace or pepper spray.
Better: Asviolentcriminalstakeoverthecitystreets,womenmustcarrymaceorpepper
spray to protect themselves.
The topic sentence should provide clear relationships among all of its elements so that it can provide a framework for understanding the rest of the paragraph.
Weak: Historians record only dry statistics; we should read novels.
Better: Accuratehistoricalnovelsgiveusadeeperunderstandingofthepastthandothe
dry collection of facts and statistics that pass for history texts.
A topic sentence needs to be clear and specific, so that it can predict and summarize the rest of the paragraph for the reader.
Weak: Public transit is terrible.
Better: Incapableofprovidingreliable,comfortableservice,theSanFranciscoMunicipal
Transit system is failing its ridership.
A topic sentence must be coherent so that the reader can use it as a key to the rest of the paragraph.
Weak: The differences of their socioeconomic classes, indeed, were not more potent than the already inherent differences among the population.
Better: Bosniaissplitapartnotbyanyeconomicclassdifferences,butbyracialand ethnic conflicts.
Because the topic sentence is a reference for the rest of the paragraph, it needs to be exceptionally clear. If there is figurative language in a topic sentence, the wording should be such that the reader does not need to understand the allusion to understand the sentence.
Weak: The Surgeon General must be the Hercules that slays the Hydra of chemical addictions.
Better: AsHerculesslewHydra,theSurgeonGeneralmustdefeatthemany-headed monster that is chemical addiction.

Supporting Sentence Functions
The supporting sentences (the rest of the paragraph) must:
Fulfill the promise set by the topic sentence.
Be on the same topic.
Relate to each other and the topic sentence in a manner established by the topic
sentence.

EXERCISE: Below is a hypothetical essay assignment. With this assignment in mind, determine if any of the topic and thesis sentences for the following three “essay skeletons” would lead to an effective essay. If not, why?

Essay Assignment:
We all have in our lives certain types of people we tend to avoid: aggressive types, “nosy” types, people who monopolize every conversation with talk about themselves, people who always seem to be bad-tempered. Identify one type of person you tend to avoid, and then, in a well-organized and well-developed essay, explain why you avoid that type of person.
Essay Skeleton # 1
Thesis: After having dated several of them, I have discovered that I want to avoid possessive boyfriends at all costs.
Topic Sentence: This kind of man always wants to set limits on how much time I can spend socializing with my female friends.
Topic Sentence: Possessive boyfriends can be counted on to display annoyance whenever I talk to my other male friends.
Topic Sentence: Besides being possessive, such males can also be incredibly stingy with money.
Essay Skeleton # 2
Thesis: Over the years, I have learned to avoid strict teachers because they give too much homework, show no understanding when a student turns in assignments late, get impatient instead of helping when students don’t understand the subject matter, and often yell at the class.
Topic Sentence: At age six, I entered school.
Topic Sentence: Later on, I got into the sixth grade. Topic Sentence: Eventually, I went on to high school. Topic Sentence: Finally, I went to college.

Essay Skeleton # 3

Thesis: Without a doubt, narcissistic people are the types most vociferously to be avoided; whenever I happen to encounter one, I will automatically try to discontinue having to have any contact with that individual.
Topic Sentence: Narcissistic people always think that no one else could possibly be so physically stunning in appearance as they are.
Topic Sentence: It would seem that narcissistic people would like to believe that there are no other persons in the world who could win beauty contests and attract mates as easily as they could.
Topic Sentence: These people show in every way that they believe their beauty is more impressive than anyone else’s.
Thesis: I’ve learned from experience that people who have short tempers never change, and their short tempers can end up making your life miserable.
Topic Sentence:
Topic Sentence:
Topic Sentence:

EXERCISE: Now create your own topic sentences for the following thesis statement.

Thesis: I’ve learned from experience that people who have short tempers never change, and their short tempers can end up making your life miserable. 

MLA Cheat Sheet

MLA Format Cheat Sheet

This handout provides a quick reference to the basics of using MLA style. For complete guidelines, consult MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7^th ed., call number: LB2369 .G53 2009. 

Major Updates from the New (7^th) Edition

·       MLA no longer requires underlining. Titles, such as books and periodical titles, are now italicized rather than underlined.

·       All entries in a reference list, whether print or electronic, must now include the medium in which they have been published (Print, Web, DVD, Television, etc.)

·       URLs are no longer required in citations. MLA recommends that writers only include a web address if the audience is unlikely to find the source otherwise.

·       New Abbreviations: Some sources do not have a date, publisher or pagination. MLA advises, where applicable, to write n.d. for no date, n.p. for no publisher, and n.pag. for no pagination given.

Formatting Basics

·       Double space throughout paper, with no extra spaces between paragraphs.  

·       Do not right justify.

·       Top, bottom, and side margins should be one inch.

·       Indent the first word of each paragraph by ½ inch or 5 spaces.

·       Do not use a title page for the research paper: instead simply type your name, instructor’s name, course number, and date. This should be flush with the left margin. 

·       Center the title of the paper. Do not underline the title, or put in “quotation marks,” or set in ALL CAPITALS. 

·       Number all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, ½ inch from the top and flush with right margin.  Type your last name before the page number, and do not use “p.” before the number.

 

SAMPLE FIRST PAGE:

       

 Works Cited

MLA style requires that the list of Works Cited start on a new page at the end of your paper.  Formatting rules include:

·       Continue page numbering from the body of your paper.

·       Center the title “Works Cited,” one inch from the top.

·       Alphabetize entries by the author’s last name. If no author, alphabetize by the title (ignore A, An,The).

·       Use a hanging indent.

For books:

·       Name(s) of authors or editors.  If only citing one chapter within a book, the author and title (in “quotation marks”) of the chapter.

·       Title of book (including subtitle) italicized.

·       City of publication, name of the publisher, and year of publication.

·       Medium of publication.

·       Edition (only if 2nd ed. or later).

·       Volume number (if there is one).

·       If citing one chapter within a book, the page numbers of the chapter.

For print journal and magazine articles :

·       Names of authors.

·       Title of article in “quotation marks.”

·       Title of journal or magazine italicized.

·       Volume number (for a journal).

·       Issue number (for a journal, if available).

·       Date of publication (for journal article, note year only).

·       Page numbers of the article.

·       Medium of publication (Print).

For journal and magazine articles acquired using a library database:

·       Names of authors.

·       Title of article in “quotation marks.”

·       Title of journal or magazine italicized.

·       Volume number and issue number (for a journal).

·       Date of publication (for journal article, note year only).

·       Page numbers of the article as originally published in print journal.

·       Name of the database italicized.

·       Medium of publication (Web).

·       Date of access (day, month, and year).

For websites:

·       Name of author or editor (if given).

·       Title of the work italicized if the work is independent; in quotation marks if it is part of a larger work.

·       Title of the overall website italicized, if distinct from above.

·       Publisher or sponsor of the site; if not available, use n.p.

·       Date of publication (day, month, and year), if not available, use n.d.

·       Medium of publication (Web).

·       Date of access (day, month, and year).

Examples of Citations

Book with one author:

Steele, Timothy. The Color Wheel: Poems. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1994. Print.

Book with two or three authors:

Broer, Lawrence R., and Gloria Holland. Hemingway and Women: Female Critics and the Female

                  Voice. Tuscaloosa: U of Alabama P, 2002. Print.

Book with four or more authors:

Jones, Terry, et al. Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery.  New York: Thomas Dunne Books,

2004. Print.

Chapter in a book:

Naremore, James. "Hitchcock at the Margins of Noir." Alfred Hitchcock: Centenary Essays. 

Ed. Richard Allen and S. Ishii-Gonzales. London: BFI, 1999. 263-77.  Print.

Translation:

Murasaki Shikibu. The Tale of Genji .  Trans. Royall Tyler.  New York: Viking, 2001.  Print.

Print journal article:

Levine, June Perry. “Passage to the Odeon: Too Lean.” Literature Film Quarterly  

14.3 (1986): 139-50. Print.

Journal article acquired using a library database:

Letemendia, V. C. “Revolution on Animal Farm: Orwell's Neglected Commentary.” Journal of Modern Literature 18.1 (1992): 127-37. JSTOR . Web. 6 July 2009.

Website:

Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web.  7 July 2009.

Newspaper article:

Daker, Susan.  “No Happy Holiday for Refiners.” Wall Street Journal 3 July 2009: C10.  Print.

Film:

Chocolat.  Dir. Lasse Hallstrom.  Perf.  Alfred Molina and Juliette Binoche. 2000.  Miramax, 2003.  DVD.

Parenthetical Citations

•        References in your paper must clearly point to specific sources in your list of Works Cited.

•        In most cases, providing the author’s last name and the page number is sufficient: 

Medieval Europe was a place both of “raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion” and of “traveling merchants, monetary exchange, towns if not cities, and active markets in grain” (Townsend 10).

•        If you have several works by the same author, also include the title (abbreviated if long):

(Frye, Double Vision 85).

•        If no author is listed, use the title (shortened if long):

Voice of the Shuttle has many electronic sources.

•        If using the title, remember to use correct punctuation: italicize book titles, use quotation marks for journal articles, short stories, book chapters, etc.

•        The author’s name can be referred to within the sentence:

Tannen has argued this point (178-85).

         …or the author’s name can be referred to within the parenthetical reference:

This point has already been argued (Tannen 178-85).

For additional help

•        Consult Joseph Gibaldi’s MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7^th ed,
available at the Reference Desk and on Reserve.

•        Refer to the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/15/

•        Utilize bibliographic management tools such as…
                  -RefWorks - https://www.refworks.com/Refworks

                           - Zotero (Firefox only) - http://www.zotero.org/

         - Knight Cite - http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/