English 4 GHP
Mr. Neff
Research Writing Project
Analyzing Today’s Societal Issues
“Society, man! You know, society! Cause, you know what I
don’t understand? I don’t understand why people, why every
[…] person is so bad to each other so […] often. It doesn’t
make sense to me. Judgment. Control. All that, the whole
spectrum.”
-Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild
“[Siddhartha] saw merchants trading, princes hunting,
mourners wailing for their dead, whores offering
themselves, physicians trying to help the sick, priests
determining the most suitable day for seeding, lovers
loving, mothers nursing their children—and all of this was
not worthy of one look from his eye, it all lied, it all
stank, it all stank of lies, it all pretended to be
meaningful and joyful and beautiful, and it all was just
concealed putrefaction. The world tasted bitter. Life was
torture.”
-from Siddhartha, “With the Samanas”
“The only conception of freedom I can have is that of the
prisoner or the individual in the midst of the State. The
only [freedom] I know is freedom of thought and action.”
-Albert Camus, from The Myth of Sisyphus
Many authors and characters look at the world around
them and see its imperfections. In Siddhartha and
McCandless’s case, their solution was to withdraw and seek
enlightenment away from the world. For Camus the author,
the solution was revolt.
Like Camus, what if instead of trying to deny the
problems of our existence, we fought against it? What if we
tried to come up with a solution to change some aspect of
it for the better, regardless of the odds stacked against
us? With this assignment, you’re going to take a social
issue and attempt to do just this.
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The Assignment:
1. Choose and read a book or stand-alone part of a larger
work: it can be one we have previewed in class, one
you have read and loved in the past, or one you are
interested in (see me for approval).
2. Begin brainstorming possible paper topics. This is NOT
a literary analysis research paper. Instead, consider…
a. Do you want to talk about problems/solutions
raised by the text?
b. Do you want to examine an issue brought up by the
text in greater detail?
c. Do you want to study the history behind the
events of your book?
d. Do you want to research the
customs/culture/history of a foreign nation?
3. In addition to the original book, find 2-3 feature
articles related to your topic using the library
databases or a reputable online source (NY Times, Time
Magazine, Newsweek, etc.). Your article should be a
feature-length article; it should not be an editorial
or book review (if it says “cover story” then you’re
on the right track).
4. Using MLA formatting, tie together ideas from the
text, your chosen articles, and your own insights to
create a cohesive paper.
Paper Requirements:
 Length: 3-6 pages, typed, double spaced, 1” margins,
12 point TNR or Arial font, include a first page
header
 Sources: minimum of 3-4 sources (including the
original text)
 Citations: Provide abundant support for your topic.
Citations should be a combination of both paraphrases
and direct quotes. General rule: each body
paragraph/subtopic should have about 2 to 3 citations
to provide support.
 Works Cited page in MLA format
 Group Research: If you and several classmates choose
the same text, you are free to share sources. Just be
sure that you each write your own, original, unique
paper and thesis (bear in mind that it will be even
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easier for me to spot plagiarism in papers that cover
the same topic).
 Submission to turnitin.com and print copy to me.
Some suggested books, in no particular order:
(note that not all of these are available in the PHS
library; you might have to find them in the local libraries
or purchase on your own if you don’t own it).
1. Into the Wild or Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of
Pat Tillman (Krakauer)
2. Any chapter(s) from Half the Sky: Turning Oppression
into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (Kristof and
WuDunn)
3. Any chapter(s) from Freakonomics or Superfreakonomics
(Levitt and Dubner)
4. Any chapter(s) from any Malcolm Gladwell book
(Outliers, Blink, Tipping Point, What the Dog Saw)
(also, plenty of online articles for Gladwell)
5. The Mole People (Toth)
6. Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey through His Son’s
Addiction (Sheff)
7. Any other work by Albert Camus (The Plague;
“Reflections on the
Guillotine” or other essays)
8. A Long Way Gone (Beah)
9. The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini)
10.
Dan Brown (Angels and Demons, The DaVinci Code,
etc.)
Example Research Topics
Suggestions just so you can see the possible scope and
direction for the project:
Fight Club: origins, pros, cons of a culture of
materialism; changing/conflicting definitions of
masculinity through history; impact of media/advertising on
men; impact of the feminist movement on men;
countercultures/subcultures (e.g. “Fight Clubs”, Straight
Edge, etc.)
Any work of Albert Camus: Existentialism and Absurdism;
Capital Punishment (“Reflections on the Guillotine”);
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alternatives and/or solutions to flaws in the judicial
system (The Stranger)
Into the Wild: Oxfam and how they use donated funds;
researching any of McCandless’ favorite authors (Thoreau),
homelessness
Brave New World: Current trends in genetic modification;
prescription drug abuse; effect of mass media and marketing
on the general public; methods authoritarian governments
use to control their populace; instances and manner of
rebellion against authoritarian government
Freakonomics: Ethics and business; standardized testing;
minimum/living wage; incentives in another area not covered
in the book; topics from any of the chapters
Beautiful Boy: Does the 12 step program really work; meth
addiction (or other drug): signs, treatment, statistics,
likelihood of relapse
19 Minutes: How to keep schools safe; bullying; mental
illness; school security (check out your college of
choice); compare the shooting in the book with modern
examples
Half the Sky: child slavery/prostitution; research any
worthy charity active in 3rd world countries; cultural or
religious expectations of women; infant/birth mortality;
problem/solution approach to any issues in the book
Example Project Outline:
Example #1
Author: David Foster Wallace, “Consider the Lobster”
From Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays
 See http://www.amazon.com/Consider-Lobster-DavidFoster-Wallace/dp/0316156116
 See
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2004/08/consider
_the_lobster for text
Related Topic and Questions:
Animal Ethics in Food Production and Consumption
 How/why does the food industry separate us from the
animals we consume as food?
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 What ethical considerations exist regarding the
animals we consume as food?
Related Source: Food, Inc. (film)
 See http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-film.php
Related Source: “Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap
Food,” from Time
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1917458,00.html
(click “Print” for text)
Example #2
Author: David Eggers, Zeitoun
 See http://www.amazon.com/Zeitoun-Vintage-DaveEggers/dp/0307387941/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=12
94150220&sr=1-1
Related Topic and Questions:
Hurricane Katrina and Government Involvement; impact of
race and culture in aftermath
 Was the government clean-up of Katrina a success or
failure?
 How did issues of racism, cultural prejudice, and
terrorism impact clean-up efforts?
Related Source: “4 Places Where the System Broke Down”,
from Time
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1103560,00.html
(click on “Print” if articles don’t show up initially)
Example #3
Author: Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Related Topics and Questions:
Counterculture groups and rebellion
 What countercultural groups exist and why? (then
identify one or more as focal points)
 What purpose(s) do they claim to serve, and are they
successful and true to these goals?
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Related Source: “Cyberpunk!”, Time
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,977654,00.html
Related Source: “’Fight Club’ Fight Goes On”, NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/movies/homevideo/08lim.ht
ml?_r=1
Example Essay Approaches:
This assignment does not call for a specific type of essay
(it’s not necessarily an argumentative paper about a social
issue). All it essentially requires is a research-based
topic and approach that is connected to your chosen novel.
Thus, the type of essay you write should be based on the
topic and approach you’re interested in. Following are some
example essay types1 that could fit this ISearch paper:
 Cause-Effect Essay:
o “provides a careful examination of the
relationship between events…Some essays focus on
a single cause and a single effect. Others focus
on multiple…”
 Sample approaches / thesis statements
o “The humors theory was a simple concept
that had far-reaching implications in
diagnosing and treating illness.” (Writer
explains the cause behind some medical practices
of the past and argues that the cause of these
practices was the doctors’ belief in “humors.”)
o “Charlemagne’s unification of Europe
brought peace to all the people,
stabilized the European economy, and
promoted education.” (Writer identifies the
effects of Charlemagne’s unification of Europe.)
 Problem-Solution Essay
o “closely examines all aspects of a problem and
then suggests a reasonable solution”
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Information compiled from Write for College, by Sebranek, Meyer, and Kemper.
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 Sample approaches / thesis statements
o “The overuse of antibiotics has resulted
in the development of bacterial strains
that are resistant to these drugs, a
serious threat to world health.” (Writer
focuses on problem of antibiotic resistance by
first explaining the problem and then advocating
a set of clear, reasonable steps to solve it.)
o “In addition to battling winds and waves
in their homemade crafts, Cuban refugees
also must battle a United States policy
that makes their perilous decision even
more desperate.” (Writer focuses on the plight
of Cuban refugees by first explaining the problem
and then arguing for a specific solution.)
 Essay of Evaluation
o “writer acts like a…critic, exploring the
worth of an event, a trend, a product, a
decision…The essay explores the topic’s
value, impact, and significance; its
strengths and weaknesses; its place in the
scheme of things”
 Sample approaches / thesis statements
o “Welcome to a bizarre, pugilistic world in which
ordinary people humiliate themselves for valuable
prizes and a little fame. Welcome to reality TV.”
(Writer uses diverse examples to explain and
critique reality TV.)
o “According to [The Independent], a
cyberathlete is a professional player of
computer games (“Cyberathlete”). As crazy
as that concept might sound to some
people, to others, it’s only a matter of
time before cyberathletes and their
digital arenas become as much a part of
everyday life as quarterbacks and football
fields.” (Writer explores the world of computer
athletics. Throughout the essay, she assesses the
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worth of the new trend, but her final page
provides one long, complex evaluation.)
 Essay of Argumentation
o “presents a sensible discussion of a topic based
on thorough research and logical thinking…centers
on a debatable proposition and a carefully
crafted argument featuring convincing supporting
evidence and reasonable counters to opposing
points of view. The essay should enlighten as
well as persuade.”
 Sample approaches / thesis statements
o “Barbed hooks should be banned from lure
fishing to protect fish that are not yet
ready for anglers to keep.” (Provides an
argument for banning the barbed hook from
sportfishing.)
o “Though economic sanctions appear to be a
powerful peacetime weapon, they actually
do more harm than good.” (Writer defends her
position against the use of economic sanctions as
a political tool.)
 Position Paper
o “presents a[n]…extensive analysis of a noteworthy
issue. This analysis stems from the writer’s
position…on the issue. The goal of a position
paper is to trace a particular line of thinking
on a topic.”
 Sample approaches / thesis statements
o “Human beings are connected in more ways
now than ever before, and yet some
researchers fear that all of this
connection has left people strangely
disconnected. As the baud rate of bits
exchanged has skyrocketed, the quality of
interpersonal relationships has reached
new lows.” (Writer argues about the unhealthy
effects of our Internet society. She states her
position in the beginning, reviews both sides of
the issue, and then returns to her position by
the end of the essay.)
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o “The best way to prevent the use of
performance-enhancing drugs in our schools
is to institute random drug tests for all
high school athletes.” (Writer argues for the
use of random drug testing to assure that high
school athletes do not use performance-enhancing
drugs.)
Outline of the Research Process
Generally, you want to do all of the following when
approaching any research-based paper.
I.
Prewriting
a. Select a topic: Choose something you’re
interested in and that fits the assignment.
b. Conduct initial research: Find sources related to
your topic. Begin reading them and take notes and
document your sources (potential quotes,
paraphrases) as you read.
i. Create a Working Thesis. What’s your focus
now that you’ve learned about your topic? In
what areas do you need more information?
ii. Create Works Cited as you find articles.
This way you won’t have to do it later, and
you’ll have sources documented as you use
them.
c. Conduct further research: Find sources to fill in
any incomplete areas of your topic.
i. Update Working Thesis. Don’t forget to
update your thesis as you learn new things
or take a new focus. Make sure your thesis
is focused yet comprehensive, and make sure
it fits the type of paper that you’re
writing.
d. Outline your essay: It doesn’t matter whether you
do a topic outline or a full sentence outline; do
whatever works for you, but do something to craft
a blueprint for your paper so that it’s wellorganized. At the least, create an outline that
includes at least the following information:
I.
Introduction
a. Attention-grabber
b. Introduce, provide background, and define topic
c. Thesis statement
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II.
Body (structure for each body paragraph would be
roughly the same)
a. Topic Sentence and/or Claim
b. Evidence
c. Analysis of Evidence and connection back to
Thesis
d. Repeat process for additional Claim(s)/Evidence
III. Next Body (and so on)
IV. Address and Counter Opposition (if necessary for
paper’s purpose)
V.
Conclusion
a. Bring back to and rephrase thesis
b. Add connecting and closing thoughts (avoid simple
summary)
II.
Writing
a. Write your first draft. Use your outline and
evidence to get your thoughts onto paper. Note
any areas where you might need more evidence for
a claim, and you can find this later.
III. Revising
a. Check your ideas. Have you connected all claims
and evidence back to thesis? Do you need to find
any more evidence?
b. Review organization. Is everything where it
should be in the Intro, Body, Conclusion, etc.?
Have you included transitions between paragraphs
and ideas?
c. Revise for voice, word choice, and sentence
fluency. Read your paper out loud and/or have
someone read it to you. Do any words or sentences
need to be changed? Did you meet the conventions
of whatever paper type you’ve written (firstperson, third-person, etc.)?
IV. Editing
a. Check for conventions. Have you used correct
punctuation, spelling, capitalization, grammar,
and MLA conventions?
V.
Publishing
a. Finalize and publish your work. Make sure you’ve
included title page and headers if required, and
submit electronic and/or hard copies as required.
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