Research essay: Compare and contrast two readings.

Research Essay Assignment: Comparing and Contrasting Two Readings on a Specific Topic

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The Assignment:

The Research Essay is your second analytical essay in this course and is worth 25% of your final grade. This assignment is a comparative essay that analyses two readings from the textbook and provides an interpretation based on research. You will be choosing from one of the topics below. Be sure to refer to a minimum of TWO of the following formal elements: rhetorical appeals, logic, evidence, structure, tone, diction etc.

SPECIAL NOTE: Be specific when referring to your analysis, evaluation and critique of the article. Be sure to answer the how, why, and so what questions. Remember to avoid discussing the issues in general terms. Instead the purpose is to demonstrate your critical thinking skills and your ability to analyze how a text is written and why it works or not.

Note that you must also use proper documentation for this essay. For this course, you will be required to use the APA style of documentation.

This assignment asks you not only to analyse the texts in terms of persuasiveness and position (or thesis) on the issue they address and to research a minimum of 2 other resources (outside the text) on the issue addressed. These resources must be peer-reviewed and can only be accessed through the Seneca library or Google Scholar. Any sources used from the Free Web will lead to a significant loss of marks since these are not appropriate for a post-secondary level essay. Finally, I would recommend that you refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy when you are writing your paper to meet the higher levels of thinking discussed in the class.

Incorporate relevant data from this research into your evaluation and analysis using MLA documentation styles to cite all sources that you end up using for your essay.

In both Anna Quindlen’s article “Between the Sexes, a Great Divide” and Roxanne Gay’s article “A Tale of Three Coming Out Stories,” the writers focus on the challenges facing people as a result of their gender, sexuality etc.

Using these two articles as your focus, compare and/or contrast how these two writers explore the problems which arise from difference, sterotyping and prejudice. Do not write about gender issues in general terms.

Since this is a research paper, you must ensure that you incorporate appropriate peer-reviewed secondary resources that help you build your analysis of the two articles. Remember you still must direct your attention to both the structure of the articles as well as the content. This means that you will need to apply our course material on rhetorical strategies, modes of discourse etc. In addition to your research sources, ensure that you use references from the two articles to support your thesis and arguments. Again, please refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy when you are analysing the articles, pushing your analysis towards the top three levels of Bloom’s pyramid.

In both Jane McGonigal’s “Be a Gamer, Save the World” and Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” the writers analyse how technology is shaping and effecting humans.

Using these two articles as your focus, compare and/or contrast how these two writers examine the challenges and opportunities afforded to us from technology. Do not write about technology in general terms.

For an essay to be complete, credible and persuasive it must include the following:

Your thesis must provide an interpretation and critical analysis of the article or story. It must also be a debatable and supportable claim.
Your essay must include supporting points, examples and explanation (analysis). Also your points must connect to and develop your main thesis statement. Finally, your evidence must be precise and based in the text. Use specific quotes and references to the article or story.
You must show some original analysis. Your work cannot simply duplicate our course lectures and discussions.
Avoid summary and description or general discussions about the reading that you have chosen.

Your revised essay will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Relevant introduction that avoids generalizations
Clear, argumentative/debatable and convincing thesis
Clearly and fully developed body of the essay that analyzes the text
Appropriate and specific textual evidence from both primary and secondary sources used to support the thesis
Use of research is contextualized and does not stray off topic
Logical, unified development of ideas with original analysis
Transitions between ideas and paragraphs to provide a logical flow of information
Well developed conclusion that does not just repeat the introduction

As well, you are expected to edit and proofread the essay to eliminate: