Q THE RESEARCH PAPER In the final assignment in our course, we are putting together what we have learned through our work on Essays 1, 2, and 3. Because this assignment is the most complex one, we will be working on it throughout Unit 4, dividing the work into steps (by which I mean assignments) that will produce material for us to put together into a successful research paper in which we will revisit one (or, at the most, two) of our course readings and enrich our analysis with concepts and terms we will have found in additional sources from the RCC library catalog. Research papers differ depending on the academic discipline. There is no “one size fits all” approach to research writing, but there are some core principles that hold true across disciplines. Our handout What Is a Research Paper? provides an overview of such core principles. Here, on the other hand, is advice specific to ENG 102: A successful research paper in ENG 102: 1. Explores a central research question and offers a thesis that provides either an answer to or a guide to understanding that question better (What is this poem/short story/film really about? or: What is the most important thing about this poem/short story/film?) 2. Explores the subject or primary source (in our case, a poem or a short story, or a film from our course) in a detailed and serious way, providing evidence for claims about it (in our case, it means close reading and discussion of quotations) 3. Brings together important insights from secondary sources and the writer’s own ideas (it presents ideas from those sources by summarizing them very briefly, offering a discussion of quotations and, importantly, drawing links between these ideas and the writer’s own thinking) 4. Acknowledges all sources correctly and thoroughly in a way that allows the reader to locate ideas and do further reading based on your Works Cited. The research paper is your own original work: it’s written entirely by you based on your own ideas and research, with all quotations and paraphrases clearly marked and properly acknowledged. The final draft of the research paper should be between 7 and 10 double-spaced pages in length (1800-3000 words, not counting Works Cited or drafts). It needs to cite at least four secondary sources (only scholarly sources and other approved sources count). How do we get there? Here are the steps (assignments) that will get us there in Unit 4: ENG 102 / The Research Paper (GENERAL PROMPT) / 1 STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC AND WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER PROPOSAL You have three options, based on Units 1, 2, and 3 in our course: Option 1: POETRY Choose one or two poems from our selection in Unit 1 and write a research paper about them. (Feel free to write about the same poem you wrote your Essay 1 about. You can revisit some arguments from your first essay, but do not copy your entire essay into the research paper.) Option 2: FICTION Choose one short story from our selection in Unit 2 and write a research paper about it. (Feel free to write about the same short story you wrote your Essay 2 about, but do not copy your entire essay into the research paper.) Option 3: FILM Write your research paper on Jordan Peele’s Get Out. (Feel free to write about the same short story you wrote your Essay 2 about, but do not copy your entire essay into the research paper.) ASSIGNMENT: THE RESEARCH PAPER PROPOSAL QUESTIONNAIRE STEP 2: CONDUCT RESEARCH USING RCC LIBRARY RESOURCES AND TAKE RESEARCH NOTES Use the RCC library catalog and the Research Guide for our course (linked here) to find four secondary sources useful for your project. Our handout Research Guidelines provides a guide to good sources (and some tips on sources to avoid). IMPORTANT: All of your four secondary sources MUST come from RCC library. ASSIGNMENT: RESEARCH NOTES ASSIGNMENT (may be revised once) STEP 3: WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF YOUR RESEARCH PAPER Putting together and developing further your ideas from the proposal questionnaire and your research notes, write your first draft. Let it be imperfect but as complete as possible by its deadline, so that you can get feedback and advice for revisions. STEP 4: DEVELOP, FINISH, AND REVISE YOUR RESEARCH PAPER (FINAL DRAFT) The most up-to-date deadlines will be posted on our COURSEWORK page on MyRCC.