Task
Now that you have selected a topic, developed a research question, and placed sources in conversation with each other, you will make your own contribution to the conversation. While you have prioritized others’ voices, in this essay, you should focus on your own voice. That is, you should be doing more of the explaining and reasoning. You will still do a great degree of writing with sources, summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting to support your points and provide evidence. But ultimately, make sure that you have several points to make of your own. Develop and support a thesis statement that responds to your research question in a complex, insightful way, demonstrating your deep engagement with this research process.
Since audience is so central to this assignment, you will not be limited to a traditional essay for this assignment. If you think that your chosen audience will respond better to a different modality, then you are welcome (encouraged, even!) to use it. Other modalities might include–but are not limited to:
TED talk-style videos
Podcast-style audio recordings
Series of infographics (check out this example)
Blog post or website
If you choose this option, all other requirements still apply: you must clearly state and defend a thesis; you must cite at least six sources, at least three of which are peer reviewed; you must provide a list of sources in MLA format; and your project should contain at least 2300 words (or be at least 15 minutes in length). All alternate modality projects must be approved by your instructor by November 30.
Number of Sources
Your Position Project should contain a minimum of six sources, at least three of which should be scholarly journal articles. You may have more, but any more than eight sources suggests that you are not engaging deeply with those sources that you have. No more than two of these sources can be primary sources. If you are unsure about what might count as a primary source, ask me!
Citation Guidelines
As we have discussed, any information that is not your own must be cited within the text and the Works Cited page. Quotation marks should be used any time you are using language that is copied from your sources. Information should be cited according to MLA style.
Formatting Guidelines
Traditional essays should be typed, double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins.