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As academic scholars, we engage in research that goes beyond merely reporting research findings. Our research adds to larger conversations by going beyond just reiterating what others have said (or what most already know) and by adding new "voices" to the conversation.

For your major paper of the semester, then, you are going to focus on a topic of your choice related to information from your common read and explore it as academic scholars.

Your research essay should, then:

Be appropriate for an audience of your peers at NCTC.
Focus on an issue related to our common read by Hans Rosling Factfulness.
Be unified around a research question rather than simply reporting on several different aspects of a topic.
Be “original” in that it attempts to wrestle with a topic that has not already been rehashed again and again in print.
And, be “research,” which may mean textual studies, library sources, historical sources, or media sources.

Note: Look at the "Rules of Thumb" on page 256 in Factfulness. Think about which one interests you. Then, refer back to the individual chapters and think about topics for research.

We will break up writing this paper into several parts to make it more manageable and to encourage you to engage in the writing process as a method of inquiry. Therefore, you will first need to start thinking about a topic. Then, we'll move into locating and evaluating sources, drafting our rough draft and constructing a thesis statement, revising, editing, and submitting.

Also:

Your paper will be 7-8 pages. (This doesn't include the works cited, abstract, or title/cover page.)
Your paper should utilize MLA or APA documentation.
You can work with a partner on this assignment.

For this lesson, then, we will:

Read/Reflect
- Read from The Hub:
  - "ENGL 1302: Research Essay" (pg. xl).
  - "Strategies for Success: Writing a Research Essay" (pg. xl).
  - "The Writing Process" (pg. 3),
  - "Preparing to Write" (pg. 11),
  - "Writing Strategies" (pg. 196).
- Read Writing Toolkit: Finding a Research Topic.
- Read Writing Toolkit: Strategies for Writing a Research Essay.
Collaborate/Connect
- Complete Lesson 10: Reading Quiz (The Writing Process / Preparing to Write / Writing Strategies, The Hub).
- Complete Lesson 10: Discussion (The Hub).
Experiment/Apply
- Complete Lesson 10: Canvas Conference.