Sung Ohm, Instructor :: Essays Papers

Sung Ohm, Instructor Purpose The documented researched essay allows you to understand the fundamentals of an academic conversation. In many respects, this essay is your entry into the conventions, methods, and rhetoric of an academic dialog. Participating in this conversation means that you will have to look carefully at the various positions academics and other experts take on a particular subject matter—especially when they differ from your own. You will need to negotiate and analyze the various arguments and eventually formulate your own stance. However, this must be a critically and ethically informed position—one that is substantiated by credible evidence. In order to successfully determine what a credible position is, you will need to rely on your rhetorical analysis skills. Not only will you analyze your sources ethos, pathos, and logos, but you will also analyze the persuasive nature of your own paper. You will need to make logically sound arguments—one that speaks to others who ar e in the same academic conversation and that seeks to persuade them responsibly. Research is essential in academics. A well-researched paper creates new knowledge—one of the basic premises of a university such as ours. A well-constructed and well-researched essay reveals that the writer has become an authority on a particular topic. To become an authority, you will determine and rely on the experts in the field so your readers can see that you have a well-informed and critical perspective. The Assignment For this assignment, you will research an issue that we have discussed in class. You will write and rewrite an out-of-class essay that uses your research to develop an argument on your topic. To help you research this essay, you will be required to write a short research proposal that draws upon your readings in this and other courses and an annotated bibliography. Proposal: The proposal is a way for you to begin the research process as well as a way for you to articulate your own interests in this project. In other words, the proposal allows you to create or negotiate the assignment according to your own interests. You may want to begin by asking critical questions that may lead you to refine your topic even more. Remember this essay is relatively short for a research paper so a more focused topic will serve you better. I strongly encourage you to ask questions rather than state a position at this point.