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Part One will consist of a minimum seven page researched position paper on any topic addressed in
Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death . The research paper will be persuasive and argumentative rather than merely informative, and will be structured as a special type of argument called a classical argument .
That is, your essay will contain an introduction with a clear, assertive, and narrow thesis; a narration section; a confirmation section, a concession and refutation section; and a conclusion. You must include a discernible and persuasive concession and refutation section in the paper.
You should use Postman as a starting point in your essay, but you may wish to apply Postman to our 21 st
century culture today or to investigate further his claims about the implications of our visual-media-dominated culture. For instance, you may want to explore specific topics related to entertainment as the supra-ideology of American life; visual media and the theory of anti-communication; television and its effects on politics or religion; or visual media’s impact on relationships, cognitive development, or childhood. You should narrow your topic considerably, and present a clear stance, or position, on your topic. You may essentially agree or disagree with Postman, but if you agree with him, you should not simply use his points of support as your own points of support. Explore his claims by applying them to new contexts or examining them in more detail. Bring to your argument new or additional research, examples, etc., or argue against his position using opposing evidence. Your argument should be narrow, focused, and assertive, and you must include the best points of your opposing side and refute them in your concession/refutation section.
Part Two will consist of an annotated bibliography in which you list at least seven relevant, credible sources and identify the fundamental and powerful concepts (Nosich Chapter Three) in each source. Each source should contain a correctly-formatted MLA Works Cited entry followed by a short paragraph in which you identify any fundamental and powerful concepts in the source. You may also comment briefly on whether or not the source was relevant and helpful to the research process.
Part Three will consist of a one-to-two page self-analysis in which you apply the concepts in Nosich
Chapter One to your own process of researching, thinking, and writing this paper. What impediments did you face while writing this paper? Did you find yourself trying to ignore evidence you disagree with? Did you recognize educational impediments such as not taking claims and evidence seriously or skimming material quickly? Did you procrastinate on the project? If so, try to analyze and examine why you procrastinated. Did you find yourself noticing times when you were tempted to stereotype or see things in a “black and white” or simplistic way? Did you notice any egocentrism affecting how you gathered and interpreted information? Analyze the research and writing process from the perspective of the impediments in order to draw some conclusions about how they may have impacted or influenced the writing process.
The paper should carefully and consistently follow MLA guidelines for documenting sources.
Documentation and format will comprise a significant percentage of the final grading criteria. Papers should be typed, double-spaced, and seven to nine pages (minimum 1750 words) in length. All sources should be documented correctly (see The Correct Use of Borrowed Information document).

You must include at least seven sources in your research paper. (One of these sources will be Postman’s text.) Sources should be reliable, credible, and mostly scholarly. Be very careful about Internet sources – very few of them are appropriate for scholarly, academic papers. Please take advantage of the many scholarly databases available through Dacus library. All sources must be introduced, identified, evaluated, and must be cited correctly according to MLA format.
Tuesday, Dec. 3 Research Paper, Annotated Bibliography, and Self-Analysis Due in Class. Please submit assignments in a paper folder. No late papers will be accepted without written documentation of a medical or family emergency.
The Self-Analysis and Annotated Bibliography will each count 10 points toward the assignment grade. The classical argument research paper will account for the remaining 80 points of the assignment grade. The research paper will be graded according to the following criteria:
Standards:
All assertions, arguments, and evidence in the paper are sufficiently clear, accurate, relevant/important, sufficient (deep and broad), precise, and logical.
Argument and Thesis:
Paper has a clear, concise, and “risky” thesis/argument.
Paper contains an introduction, narration, confirmation, concession/refutation, and conclusion.
The best points from the opposition are included and persuasively refuted.
Argument is supported with concrete and specific evidence.
Evidence is relevant and credible.
Sources are handles expertly and credibly.
All significant assertions in the paper are supported with researched evidence.
Paper’s central argument is distinguishable from those contained in its sources.
Argument is complex and sophisticated – not a simple statement of fact.
MLA Format:
Paper typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.
Paper has a typed heading and captivating title.
In-text citations handled correctly (follow MLA guidelines).
All quoted, summarized, or paraphrased material handled correctly and economically. (Review the document The Correct Use of Borrowed Information; you will be responsible for the correct handling of all outside sources.)
MLA Works Cited page correctly formatted.
All sources are introduced, identified, and evaluated.
No dropped quotations are contained in the paper.
Organization and Development:
Paper has a clear organizational strategy throughout.
Paragraphs fully developed.
Argument fully supported and explained.
Topic sentences connected to thesis.
Transitional expressions used.
Conclusion sums up argument and creates sense of significance.
Grammar and Mechanics:
Syntax is clear and correct (no run-on sentences, fragments, misplaced modifiers).
No pronoun-antecedent or subject-verb disagreement.
Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct.