1. Introduction to the Research Paper
Week 9
Introduction to the Research Paper

2. Project 2 Reflection
Did you learn anything while writing this essay: about your topic, about yourself, about writing in general?
What did you discover about your writing process while writing this essay?
Did anything change about your writing process from Essay 1 to Essay 2?
What will you do differently in the future?

3. Introducing Project 3 Review Prompts for Scaffolding Assignments
and Introduce the Research Paper

4. Reviewing Prompts for Project 3
Take notes/highlight the important things you will need to remember as we go over the prompt together.
Remember, the prompt is your guide to a successful assignment.
We will be discussing issues and readings related to the Suggested Topics in class over the next several weeks, however you are not limited to these topics and have the freedom to develop a topic on your own (as long as it is thoughtful, connected to pop culture, and approved by me.

5. Reviewing the Prompt for The Argument Proposal (due November 13)
The Argument Proposal is an assignment that will help prepare you to write the Rough Draft of your Research Paper.
The Argument Proposal is not exactly an essay.
It is a planning document.
Planning documents help you organize your research and ideas prior to starting a large project or writing a lengthy essay
They also give your professor/supervisor a chance to give you feedback on your tentative ideas before too much work has already been done.
PLEASE NOTE: This does not mean you should not start work on a rough draft until your Argument Proposal has been graded. It simply means that I will have an opportunity to check your progress before an entire essay has been written in the unlikely event that you are headed in the wrong direction entirely.

6. The Argument Proposal
Carefully review each of the numbered sections. You must include/address all of these things.
1. Research Question: This is what guides you research process. I want to know what yours is, and more importantly, I want you to know what it is.
2. Summarize an important claim related to your topic that you have discovered while researching. You can pick a specific article you have found for this, or it can be a claim shared by several authors/articles.
3. Summarize an opposing claim you have discovered while researching. It is important to know all sides of an argument. You might use an article that takes the opposite side of the first one, or you might use an article that focuses on a different aspect of the topic

7. The Argument Proposal
4. What is questionable or problematic about some of these claims? – This is where you think critically about the sources you have found. Just because its an article by a published author doesn’t mean it is perfect, or that everything it says is right. Do either of the articles claim something you think is biased or neglects some aspect of the topic?
5. Discuss your claim: What’s your angle on the topic? What are you trying to convince/persuade people of in your Research Paper? To put it another way, what do you think the THESIS of your Research Paper might be?
6. What might other people doubt about your claim and how might you respond? This is important because I want you to be thinking about how you might include a counterargument in your Research Paper.

8. How The Argument Proposal connects to the Research Paper:
One of the goals of the assignment is to show that you can do research, discuss some of the important perspectives and claims relating to your topic, and decide what your own claims/position are on the topic.
Part of the point of the Argument Proposal is to get you to do some early research and plan out your own argument/claims/perspective on the topic.
After completing the Argument Proposal, you should be well on your way to writing a well planned essay—and this should make your rough draft much easier to write.

9. How The Annotated Bibliography Connects to the Research Paper
The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to show that you are carefully considering and documenting your sources.
You can and should use ALL of the sources you include in your Annotated Bibliography in the final draft of your Research Paper.
HOWEVER, if you find more or better sources AFTER the annotated bibliography is due, you may include those in your Final Draft and its works cited page WITHOUT having to redo your Annotated Bibliography.
NOTE: I am reducing the number of sources you must include in your annotated bibliography from 5 to 4.
The final draft of your research paper must still include 6 sources minimum.

10. The Basic Steps for Writing a Persuasive Research Paper:
Ask a question that inspires debate and whose answer matters.
Do research on your question
Come to a conclusion (decide, based on your research, what you think the answer is)
Write your research paper.
Your THESIS is the answer to the question you originally asked, and your supporting evidence comes from the research that you have done. You are explaining to your audience why you decided the way you did about your question.

11. Rhetoric in Research Papers

12. What is “Rhetoric”?
Definition of RHETORIC (from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
1: the art of speaking or writing effectively: as
a : the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times
b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion
2a : skill in the effective use of speech
b : a type or mode of language or speech; also : insincere or grandiloquent language

13. Who Uses Rhetoric? The short answer is, everyone.
If you have ever convinced someone to come around to your point of view, written a facebook post, or written a clever tweet on twitter, you have used rhetoric effectively.
Rhetoric is simply the study of how to communicate effectively and persuasively.
When I talk about “rhetorical choices,” I am talking about the choices that a writer makes in order to fulfill the purpose of the piece of writing and communicate effectively.
When I talk about “rhetorical situations” I am talking about the context or situation in which an argument is being made or rhetoric is being used.

14. Rhetorical Situation for Research Papers
What is the “rhetorical situation” of piece of writing that is classified as “research”?
What is its purpose?
What is its audience?
What is its tone?
What is its medium?

15. The Purpose of Our Research Paper
Make a CLAIM about some area of pop culture and defend that claim using reputable sources and your own analysis of the issue.
How do I discover and defend a claim?
ASK a research question that invites further discussion.
READ a variety of sources about your question.
DECIDE, based on your research, where you stand on your question, and put that stance into a thesis/claim.
DEFEND your decision (your thesis) in your paper.

16. Audience for our Research Paper
Another important aspect of writing a persuasive piece is an awareness of audience. While it may be impossible to change your audience's mind completely, you want everyone who reads your piece to come away understanding and respecting your point of view.
For your Research Paper, assume a general audience of other college-level students and professors. Your audience is interested in your topic, and they know what pop culture is, but may not be familiar with your specific issue. You will need to provide appropriate context.

17. Tone and Medium of Research Paper
Tone: I will expect the paper to have a clear point of view on the question you choose, but I will expect the paper to be professional and respectful of those who might disagree. (If you wouldn’t say it to the face of someone you respect but disagree with, it doesn’t belong in your research paper.)
Medium: Written paper, with the option of added images at the end. Also, if you choose to do the extra credit, you may use video and internet sources in your presentation.

18. Expectations for Style:
This paper should be written in an academic style.
Some extra points to remember:
No text-speak (“u” for “you,” for example)
Precise, academically appropriate language
Limit use of “I” and “me” to well-chosen, relevant examples.

19. Choosing a Topic for the Research Paper
The major topic sections in Pop Perspectives—look at the Table of Contents:
Chapter 4: “Understanding Lives and Work”
Some of the text in this section relate to issues of pop culture and identity, also class issues and work/economics—corporate culture, etc.
Chapter 5: “Spaces, Rituals, and Styles”
Texts in this section relate to places and spaces in popular culture—images in popular culture of the Supermarket, the “Ghetto”, Prom, and Theme Parks.
Texts in this section also relate to issues in Fashion and Style
Chapter 6: “Playing Sports”
Texts in this section relate to a variety of issues in the wide world of sports.
Chapter 7: “Analyzing Print Ads and Commercials”
Texts in this section relate to a variety of issues in advertising and how we represent diversity and gender in advertising.

20. Choosing a Topic for the Research Paper
Chapter 8: “Watching Television”
Texts in this section relate to a variety of issues in television shows, and can serve as examples of how to analyze and write critically about issues in a VARIETY of different kinds of tv shows.
Chapter 9: “Seeing Movies and Listening to Music”
This chapter is split into two sections—one for movies, one for music. The section on movies probably more closely relates to the previous chapter on television, as far as the kinds of issues that can be brought up, and how to talk about them. So I would recommend that people interested in tv/movies join groups.
The section on music has a lot of fascinating texts as well, relating to a variety of issues in music genres and music culture.
Chapter 10: “Surfing in Cyberculture and Gaming”
Issues relating to “cyberculture” the internet, and video games/gaming.

21. A Word of Caution for Your Essay
Part of being specific is having a specific topic.
You can’t write this essay about ALL pop culture and the effect is has on ALL of America.
You have to narrow it down to a specific TYPE of pop culture (the more specific the better)
Example: Movies
Disney movies and society vs
The Disney Princess movies and the advertising/products connected to them and how they influence how young girls define what it means to be a girl.

22. Resources for the Research Paper: Library Workshops
You should attend at least one.
Turn in proof of attendance to receive 10 points of extra credit.

23. What should I be working on this week for Project Text?
You should do the required homework readings for next week and think about how they are examples of writing critically about Pop Culture:
2 essays: “Vote the Bitch Off!” p. 434 and “The Colonization and Commodification of Racial Identities: Stereotyping…in Rush Hour” p.513
Also textbook reading on the craft of writing: “Rhetoric” p
You should be actively thinking about what topic you want to choose for the Research Paper and review the Requirements for the Argument Proposal carefully, with the knowledge that it is due in two weeks.
Start researching your ideas by looking at essays that involve related topics in Pop Perspectives as well as doing some preliminary reading/research on your ideas to see which ones seem most fruitful and interesting