Thoughts on the Final Research Paper

Core mastery of the course material will be demonstrated in the form of a final research paper. Instructor and student will agree upon the paper’s topic. The paper will be six pages long (not counting works cited or bibliography), double-spaced using 12 point Times-New Roman font and have 1" margins.

An abstract presenting an outline or main point of your paper must begin your final research paper. This abstract should be 4-7 sentences long, in italics, and single-spaced.

In this paper, you will need to cite at least 6 different sources. Of these six sources at least 3 sources need to be primary sources, meaning something obtained from an archive or similar repository. Also, the paper must have at least four different types of sources, an example: your paper may use a book, scholarly journal, oral history, and historic photograph.

As this final research paper replaces a "test" final, it is weighted quite heavily in class grading. As such, the paper should demonstrate what we have learned as a class over the duration of the semester. In this paper, be sure to use sound rhetorical principles in the paper: be sure to identify your audience; make a strong, but balanced and supported argument, if you write with bias be sure to make that bias transparent; and include the three rhetoreers in your writing.

Also, be sure to employ the 4 Cs (clear, concise, concrete, current/flow) in your writing, while using some of the techniques we discussed in class to make your writing more readable.

Additionally (also again), be sure to begin the final with your abstract. The abstract should be single-spaced and in Italics before your paper’s introduction.