Write a research paper that takes a stand on a current, arguable, social issue and support your position by doing the following things:

· Researching the recent history and context of the topic

· Using description and evidence, specific examples

· Acknowledge and analyze counterarguments (opposing views)

· Give careful reasons for your own point of view.

You need to analyze the issue and present your position by appealing to credibility/character (ethos), emotions/values (pathos), and logic (logos). This is also called the Rhetorical Triangle, and we will talk about it in class.

Advice on Choosing a Topic:

1. Keep in mind that you should choose a subject that you can address to an outside audience. Choose something you can about, but not something you can't be rational about. You should also choose a subject that you might be able to change, especially if your research leads you to a different conclusion than the one you started with.

2. Don't choose an issue that you think will be easy because "there are a lot of sources for it". Ironically, this can actually hurt your paper because these overdone topics breed inaccurate "wiki" style online sources that clog the first 5 pages on Google.

3. Choose something you truly care about and/or have a personal investment in. This passion and interest will make it easy to write about, even if it is a difficult to research topic. It will also force you to look for quality sources, and provide you with motivation to plan ahead.