First, choose your topic: Do research on a problem that matters to you. According to our textbook, “a good academic research topic needs to be substantive enough that you can find adequate information but not so broad that you become overwhelmed by the number of sources you find” (Lunsford et al. 448). With this in mind, avoid broad, predictable, and “overdone” topics (no papers on abortion, death penalty, marijuana legalization, etc!). If you start with a general topic (something like “the problem with animal cruelty”), narrow it down to something more specific and relevant (like, “the problem with pit bull legislation”)
If you wish to write about the current COVID-19 crisis for this essay, you can, but narrow down that topic to a specific problem that the crisis has caused, like: how this pandemic has impacted learning, how it has impacted small businesses, how it has impacted the healthcare industry, mass panic buying, anti-Asian racism, etc. (You can currently view all COVID-19 articles on the NY Times website for free, but you must make an account with them to do so
Find appropriate sources: This assignment requires you to engage deeply with evidence from at least five trustworthy sources, with at least one of these sources coming from GWC library databases like EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete. You will want to find sources that speak to different aspects of your topic: for instance, if you’ve found several articles that discuss the effects that helicopter parenting can have on a child’s social skills, you will want to make sure you find sources that focus on other parts of the paper, like how this parenting style affects a child’s academic performance, or, the solutions or alternatives to helicopter parenting. And if your sources are heavy on data and studies, you could look for sources that provide another side to your topic, like a personal story or experience. Think about the variety of evidence that an author like Jamie Oliver or Gene Weingarten provides, and follow their lead!
When providing evidence from sources and studies in your essay, you are expected to introduce them, and then embed and engage with specific points, paraphrases, and quotes; however, the sources themselves should not dominate your voice! Use the sources to support the points that you wish to make.
Structure your essay: The first part of your paper is the problem section: present evidence and examples to convince the reader that the topic you are writing about is a problem that needs immediate solving. In other words, in this first section of your paper, your paragraphs might show how the problem started, who it affects, how it affects them, and so on. In the second part of the paper, convince the reader that specific solution(s) will be effective, and address the critics who might question the effectiveness of the solution(s). By refuting or building common ground with potential counter-arguments, you show the reader that your solutions are sound and that you have successfully assessed all sides of the issue. It’s okay if your solution does not eliminate the problem! You can argue that the solution will help alleviate the problem, or at least make things a little better.
****Link to Topics you can pick: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-RCby922lOcM5H8WDK36-Ru3IL_VvfJ_Az_F-hvJK7k/edit
****Link to database: https://goldenwestcollege.libguides.com/az.php
ask support for logins
There is a must for at least one source from database, so please let me know if you can’t get in.