RESEARCH

 ESSAY  
Dietel-­‐McLaughlin  /  FYC  13100  /  Spring  2011  

Paper Requirements

⇒ Address a topic of interest to

you, while also engaging a
theme of the course

⇒ Present a clearly articulated,

well-reasoned, focused
argument to a specific
audience

⇒ Develop key points with

examples, evidence, and
analysis

Over  the  past  several   Your  research  topic  should   ⇒ Anticipate and respond to
weeks,  you  have   somehow  engage  the  broad   possible counterarguments
developed  a  variety  of   themes  of  our  course  
important  critical  thinking   (rhetoric,  literacy,  and   ⇒ Use at least six credible
and  writing  skills.   digital  culture).  Within  that   sources
Specifically,  you’ve   broad  theme,  your  topic  
learned  how  to  write  with   should  be  1)  of  interest  and   ⇒ Follow MLA format and
compelling  clarity  and   importance  to  you,  2)   citation guidelines
detail,  how  to  read,   narrow  enough  in  scope  to  
summarize,  analyze,  and   be  adequately  discussed  in   ⇒ Be 8-10 pages in length.
synthesize  sources,  and   a  8-­‐10  page  paper,  and  3)  
how  to  craft  an  organized,   broad  enough  in  scope  that   DUE:    MARCH  22    
focused,  fully  supported   you  will  be  able  to  locate  a    
argument  for  a  specific   variety  of  credible  sources.   (by  11:59  p.m.,  via  
audience  and  purpose.     Concourse)  

This  essay  will  draw  from   Other Requirements

all  of  the  skills  listed   Before  turning  in  your  finished  essay,  you  will  be  asked  to  complete  
above  and  will  also  orient   several  smaller  tasks  along  the  way.  Most  importantly,  you  will  be  
you  to  the  realm  of   required  to  turn  in  a  research  proposal  and  exploratory  draft  
independent  research.  You   early  in  your  research  process,  so  that  I  can  get  a  sense  for  the  
will  research  a  controversy   direction  your  work  is  taking.  You  will  compile  an  annotated  
relevant  to  your  interests   bibliography  to  organize  your  research.  You  will  give  a  short  
and  will  develop  an   presentation  of  your  major  research  findings  to  your  peers.  We  will  
argument  for  an  audience  of   talk  more  about  these  smaller  projects  in  class.  
your  choosing.    
   Inventing a Topic
There  are  many  strategies  for  finding  a  viable  topic,  but  one  of  the  best  approaches  is  to  begin  
asking  questions  about  communities  that  are  of  interest  to  you.  Here  are  some  examples:  
 
Academics:  How  is  your  intended  field  of  study  challenged  by  some  of  the  issues  we’ve  been  
discussing  in  class?  How  are  these  issues  reflected  in  the  experiences  of  Notre  Dame  students?    
• Do  small  business  owners  need  to  utilize  social  media  to  be  successful  in  the  21st  century?  
• How  can  Notre  Dame  students  solve  the  “problem  of  distraction”  with  mobile  technology?  
• Why  do  many  religious  organizations  seem  reluctant  to  embrace  digital  media?  
 
Hobbies:  Are  you  a  die-­‐hard  sports  fan?  Do  you  love  a  specific  genre  of  movie,  video  game,  or  T.V.  
show?  How  are  the  issues  we’ve  been  discussing  relevant  to  those  hobbies?    
• Should  Notre  Dame  student  athletes  be  required  to  delete  their  social  networking  accounts?  
• Why  are  there  so  few  female  video  gamers?  
• What  are  the  “hard  structures”  and  “soft  structures”  of  Notre  Dame  stadium?  
 
Social  Concerns/Current  Events:  What’s  in  the  news?  What  about  recent  happenings  on  campus?    
• Should  South  Bend  schools  be  allowed  to  install  surveillance  software  on  school-­‐issued  laptops?  
• What  role  should  digital  technology  play  in  Notre  Dame’s  ongoing  sustainability  efforts?  
• How  can  K-­‐12  teachers  help  combat  “technological  somnambulism”?  
 

The “Dos” and “Don’ts” of Research Writing

• DO  investigate  a  topic  that  
interests  you.  If  you’re   • DON’T  turn  your  paper  
bored,  then  your  readers   into  a  “report”  about  your  
will  be  bored,  too!   topic.  Keep  your  essay  
• DO  look  for  opportunities  to   argumentative.  
create  NEW  knowledge   • DON’T  rely  on  just  one  
through  your  fresh   source  (or  one  TYPE  of  
perspective  on  the  topic.   source).  
• DO  draw  from  a  variety  of   • DON’T  use  sources  that  
credible  sources.   your  audience  may  not  
• DO  synthesize  source   see  as  credible.  
material  to  add  richness  and   • DON’T  lose  track  of  your  
complexity  to  your   audience  
argument.   and  purpose.   Need Help?
• DO  cite  all  source  material    
Dr.  Erin:  edietelm@nd.edu  
accurately  and  responsibly.      
• DO  research  and  respond   Leslie  Morgan  (Librarian):  
thoughtfully  to   lmorgan1@nd.edu  
counterarguments.    
The  Writing  Center:  
http:/writingcenter.nd.edu