WRI 1100: Barnes

Your major project for this course will be to produce an 8-10 page research paper. You’ll be focusing on a specific approach, trend, or topic in education that you find particularly valuable, and making a strong argument about why this topic adds value to education and should be widely implemented in schools.

Your rhetoric will need to demonstrate a strong understanding of the issues facing students and teachers today and provide concrete reasons why the topic you choose will be highly beneficial to the academic and social development of students. You’ll also need to address and refute any concerns or controversies that your topic might raise, and comment on any potential challenges that a teacher might face when implementing this strategy.

This is a very open-ended prompt—that is intentional, as I hope that each WRI 1100 student will choose a topic that sparks interest. However, if you feel stuck as you attempt to choose a topic, a list of current educational trends will be posted on our library resource page, and we will also brainstorm together as a class.

After you chose your focus, your next task will be to read widely on your topic—you’ll want to read everything from opinion pieces to blogposts to peer-reviewed journal articles. As you shape your argument, you will use this research to support and enrich your claims. You will also be able to draw on themes we’ve covered in our course discussions and assigned readings as a basis for the argument you present in your final paper. In week six of the course, you’ll create an annotated bibliography demonstrating the depth of your research.

After spending time choosing and researching a topic that appeals to you, you will begin your paper. The paper should do the following:

1. Demonstrate excellent organization of ideas and clear, logical presentation of a cohesive argument.
2. Skillfully acknowledge and refute any concerns or issues associated with your topic.
3. Avoid simple summary or basic analysis. Instead, fully answer the question of why the topic you’ve focused on would be highly beneficial to the academic and social development of students today.
4. The paper should be written in creative, unique, and engaging prose that demonstrates mastery of the academic register.
5. The final paper must show evidence of revision, both in depth of argument and in writing style. This is important regardless of the level of skill with which you begin the course.
6. The final paper will be well-researched and skillfully present
7. The paper will be formatted in APA style, as this course is offered through the School of Education, a discipline which utilizes APA. 

Project Calendar (subject to change—check Canvas for final due dates):

• Topic choice & rationale reflection: 4/18
• Annotated bibliography: 5/6
• Outline due: 5/13
• Draft due for peer edit: 5/20
• Second draft due for instructor edit: 5/25
• Final paper due, with portfolio of prior drafts: 6/5

Title Page - with interesting title that draws the reader in. Also on the Title Page should be your name, university, professor, due date. See the sample student paper on the APA website. 

Introduction - include background information and tell your reader what you plan to write about *

Literature Review - "A literature review is both a summary and explanation of the complete and current state of knowledge on a limited topic as found in academic books and journal articles. It is NOT an annotated bibliography" or a just a description of what you read. (Mongan-Rallis, 2014). Click on the Literature Review link to find out more about how to write a literature review. *

Conclusion - summary of what you wrote about *

References - This section should include all the sources you cited in the text of your paper. It should be double-spaced with hanging indents for every reference item.

* These sections should have in-text citations whenever you quote or paraphrase a source. See the In-Text Citations page of the APA website for more information. Also, see the Sample Student paper for how in-text citations look.