Assignment

Research Paper Prompt: "Why Worry About Food and Water?"

Essay Question:

The title of this unit in Everything's an Argument is called "Why Worry About Food and Water?" For this paper, you will research any on-going issue related to food and water that is currently affecting San Diego or more broadly, California. The issue must be one that warrants academic attention, one of legitimate concern. You need to pick a topic that is complicated enough where there are competing opinions or schools of thought about how this issue came to be or how best to address the issue.

The focus of your paper can be on a larger issue (like the massive water shortages facing our state and city), or small (like creating a community garden). Regardless, this paper is not simply asking you to explain the issue. You have to take a position on some facet of the issue, voice your opinion and support it using research.

Length: 900-1100 words (include word count at end of paper). This paper will be checked for plagiarism through SafeAssignment, so it's imperative that you cite your sources correctly.

Other Requirements:

Annotated Bibliography:

You must use at least three sources, two of which must be from a source such as a reputable newspaper or peer reviewed research journal found with an academic database you accessed through our library. Please do not use Wikipedia as a source (though as we discussed in the computer lab, it is often an excellent starting point for your research).

You may include one (and only one) of readings assigned for this class in your annotated bibliography (use as many as you like in your paper though).

For each source, you should create an entry using MLA style and provide the following information:

First:

• In 2-3 sentences, provide a general overall description of the contents of the source, making sure to summarize its main points/argument.

Following the summary, provide the following (in any order):

• In 3-4 sentences, explain how you are going to use it in your essay.

You can use more than three sources if you want, and if you do, you only have to annotate three.