Length:            Minimum: 1250 Words

Format:             MLA

Research: Three Outside Sources

Reading: Incorporating Research p. 733

The first page, including the introduction, thesis statement, your three sources from your research, and first body paragraph is due NEXT class for review in a private conference with me.

Context:

For the last three weeks, we’ve been analyzing and comparing other people’s perspectives on certain issues. Now it’s time for you to stake out a claim and put forth a convincing position of your own. For this paper, you’ll write a thesis statement in which you assert your position or perspective. You will then be supporting that position or perspective with your own observations and any quotes, paraphrases, or summary you would like to include from the research that you do.

Assignment:

Your thesis statement will be in response to the following question/prompt:

Has social media been a positive or a negative force in your life?

Again, make clear your stance/position at the end of your introduction with a strong thesis statement and three supporting points to support that position.  Then make sure to support those three points using well-developed topic sentences and body paragraphs with relevant facts, quotations, observations, descriptions, sound reasoning, statistics, and narrative examples (stories from your personal experience (see our Types of Support module).

* As a primer for the writing of this essay I highly recommend viewing the recent documentary, The Social Dilemma.  It is available on Netflix.  We will try to watch at least half of it in class.