Hi!
This is your instructor Paola Brown.
Hopefully this introduction will prevent you from beating your head on the desk as you
work on your Research Report.
One of the first things the assignment screens will lead you to is to my Argumentative Topics
Website.
There you will find a list of controversial topics.
It also has scholarly websites listed that will help you in your research.
AS you select your topic, you may find that you have strong feelings about one topic,
and you may find that you don't really have an opinion either way about other topics.
Feel free to pick whatever topic you want, but I recommend writing on a topic you feel
neutral about.
This will help you write an unbiased research report.
We will talk about bias in a minute.
Your research report will be 4 paragraphs long.
Let's talk about paragraph 1, the intro.
Here, you'll want to give background info on your topic.
Explain in general both sides of the issue.
Tell why it's fiery, why it's controversial.
This is easier said than done.
One way to look at it is to pretend that your audience is an alien.
Pretend they know little to nothing about your Earthling topic.
Explain to the audience the pertinent rules and the background details, so that they will
understand the rest of the essay.
Nobody wants a confused alien—I mean audience—when writing an essay.
At the end of this paragraph, be sure to list at least 3 websites where you found your information.
There's no need to do a works cited page.
We'll learn how to build one in a later assignment.
Once you're introduction paragraph is done, you need to begin the last 3 paragraphs.
Each paragraph focuses on 3 different perspectives of your topic.
Some may see your issue like this, while others may look at it from this angle.
And the rest may look down here.
Let me use gun control as an example.
Some people love guns.
Some think there shouldn't be any guns at all, while others think they're ok as long
as guns are regulated.
Now that you've written the paragraphs, be sure that for each paragraphs, you list the
3 websites where you found your material.
It's ok if some of the websites are repeated.
Just make sure you have a nice variety.
Again, on my argument topics webpage, you will find the list of reliable web links for
each topic.
You're also allowed to seek out your own websites.
Just make sure they're reputable.
So DON'T use Wikipedia.
Now, since you're a human, you probably have an opinion on your topic.
You may like it, or not.
In this particular assignment, I DO NOT want to know your opinion, both explicit or implicit.
Watch your tone and overall attitude as you write.
Ask yourself if your words tend to be more positive in one paragraph, and more dreary
in another.
"But professor!", one might say, "This will make my essay uninteresting.
Boring!
You might fall asleep!"
To that, I say great!
Think back to our Alien example.
The purpose is to report your researched findings to an undecided or uninformed group.
It's how the news should be, but really isn't.
It should explain different perspectives on an issue, and allow the audience to choose
their own position...and they should do so in complete neutrality and objectivity.
Now that you're essay is finished, go ahead and make sure it is MLA formatted.
My favorite website for finding information on MLA website is the Purdue OWL, or Online
Writing Lab.
I have linked this website in the assignment screens, as well as other pertinent information
for MLA formatting.
Now that you have finished watching the video, don't just right in and begin typing your
essay.
Instead, make sure you follow the directions on the calendar and complete the assignments
listed therein.
Finally, if you have any questions at all, feel free to email me.
Feel free to email me A LOT!
I'm here to help.
Well I hope this video was a helpful start to our next assignment.
Good luck and see you online!
Bye!