Researching and Writing Class Assignment

Course Announcement → Research & Writing (ENG215019VA016-1178-001

Good evening!

This week you will be composing a 3-4 page paper in which you describe the problem(s) surrounding your research topic. By now you should be well into your research and should have no difficulty in identifying these problems. It is important that you address each point in the assignment prompt sufficiently. Before you begin writing any essay, make sure that you have read through the assignment guidelines carefully and that you know what your paper should cover.

Now, for clarification purposes, let’s examine what the assignment guidelines are asking for:

1. Provide an appropriate title and an interesting opening paragraph to appeal to your stated audience (appeal with logic, ethics, or emotion). Here is a resource with some tips on incorporating ethos, pathos, and logos into your paper: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/04…
2. Include a defensible, relevant thesis statement in the first paragraph. (Revised from Assignment 2) Your thesis statement should be a one sentence statement that summarizes the main point or argument of your paper and lists your supporting points. It should be the last sentence of your introduction.
3. Describe the history and status of the issue and provide an overview of the problem(s) that need to be addressed. This should be one or two (1-2) paragraphs. Briefly recount the topic’s history, and be sure to explain what the current status of the issue is. For instance, if you are writing about changes that need to be made to FMLA, you might describe the conditions that led to the Family Medical Leave Act being written and passed to begin with.
4. Explain the first problem (economic, social, political, environmental, complexity, inequity, ethical/moral, etc.) and provide support for your claims. This should be one or two (1-2) paragraphs. “Support” means including direct quotations and paraphrases from your sources. This means you need to also include APA in-text citations!
5. Explain the second problem (economic, social, political, environmental, complexity, inequity, ethical/moral, etc.). and provide support for your claims. This should be one or two (1-2) paragraphs.
6. Explain the third problem (economic, social, political, environmental, complexity, inequity, ethical/moral, etc.) and provide support for your claims. This should be one or two (1-2) paragraphs.
7. Provide a concluding paragraph that summarizes the stated problems and promises a solution. In the past, you’ve probably been told to restate your thesis statement in your conclusions. This does not mean writing your thesis statement word-for-word from the introduction in your conclusion; this means presenting the information from your thesis statement in a new way. Restate it; don’t repeat it.
8. Develop a coherently structured paper with an introduction, body, and conclusion. You do not need to conform to the traditional 5 paragraph essay format. You can include as many body paragraphs as you need to give your paper a logical organization. You do have to include 1 introduction and 1 conclusion.
9. Use effective transitional words, phrases, and sentences throughout the paper.
10. Support claims with at least three (3) quality, relevant references. Use credible, academic sources available through Strayer University’s Resource Center. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting guidelines:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. For more information on formatting your essay in APA style, check out this sample paper from the Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18…