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Directions
Define an issue related to your topic and misinformation.
Explain the issue’s history and the causes + respective effects that shaped your issue.
Present an argument you disagree with and refute its supporting claims.
Propose a solution about how this issue should be addressed.
Goals
Begin with an overview of the issue and its current situation in your introduction.
Develop an open thesis that states the defined issue, your own position on the issue, and the greater significance of the issue (i.e., convey the urgency of the issue and the need for its resolution today).
Describe the issue’s characteristics, history, argument, and refutation using and citing a variety of textual evidence from your research such as summary, quotation, and paraphrase.
Conclude with the significance of resolving your defined issue, the significance of your proposed solution(s), and a call to action (i.e., why should your target audience act with your proposed solution?).
Develop audience awareness and write for readers who are a part of your primary target audience and are interested in participating in the scholarly discourse around your topic.
Guidelines
A creative yet focused title that clearly captures your overall argument about your defined issue
Ex: “When the Stars Don’t Align: How Astrology Has Disfigured Gen Z’s Online and Offline Identities”
Minimum of 15 full pages and maximum of 22 full pages (points will be deducted if over 22 full pages)
Page count does not include the Works Cited page
MLA format (Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, including Works Cited page)
Write your essay entirely in third person
We’re aiming to present a comprehensive, scholarly account of your research. Balance your newfound authorial style with the expectations of academic, research-based writing!
Required Texts
At least 7 academic/scholarly sources (these can be the same ones you’ve curated from previous essays)
Nonsense and/or Foolproof (at least use one concept from either book for the entire paper)
Optional Texts (can be multiple of either one or both, but do not exceed a total of 5)
Sources from the internet (excluding encyclopedias) or social media or
Image sources from the internet or social media
Points to Keep in Mind
🚨Do not simply copy and paste your essays together for the final version🚨
Revise and reorganize your previous essays into a coherent argument, including only those parts that are consistent with the final paper’s argument and purpose.
You can copy and paste your previous essays during the drafting stage, but you must revise them into a single, unified academic research paper.
To be consistent with the theme of misinformation, your final research paper must involve some aspect of misinformation. Talk to me if you need help with this!
You’re now a scholar on the topic. Therefore, the proper usage and integration of relevant, trustworthy sources is expected at this point. Any paper submitted without appropriate MLA citations will not receive a passing grade.
This assignment is not simply a research report; instead, you’re constructing your own argument and drawing upon evidence from various sources to support your argument throughout your paper.
You do not need to reference all the concepts we learned from Nonsense and/or Foolproof. Reference the concepts that are the most relevant to your overall research topic. You also do not need to use both Nonsense and Foolproof; referencing only one of them is fine.
Criteria
Unity and focus through a controlling thesis and topic sentence claims
Development of a thesis through support and elaboration
Coherence and organization with clear connections and a logically structured intro, body, and conclusion
Style using sophisticated diction, a variety of sentence structures, and a strong authorial voice
Conventions of Standard Written English through sound grammar and correct mechanics
Conventions of essay format by following MLA conventions such as citations, endnotes, and Works Cited