The Sophomore Research Project
Honors English II/STAE
The sophomore project is a 4-6 page, persuasive research paper. You will be required to have in-text citations
from at least five (5) reliable sources (at least one book, at least one scholarly magazine article, at least one
internet source) and follow MLA format. Your paper must fit into one of the following categories: Cause and
Effect, Problem/Solution, Compare/Contrast, or Argumentative/Persuasive. Your paper cannot be purely
informational, like “the history of…”
Important Dates
Due Dates:
Lab/Library Dates:
Initial Interest Research Assignment –
Wednesday, February 4 (Library)
Monday, February 2nd
Friday, February 6 (Library)
Initial Research Graphic Organizers: Internet
& Print – Monday, February 9
Monday, February 16 (Barsaleau Cart)
th
Wednesday, February 18 (Library)
Annotated Bibliography – Thursday, February
Monday, February 23 (Riggs Cart)
19th
Works Cited – Tuesday, February 24th
Outline – Wednesday, March 4th
First Draft (Test Grade) – Monday, March 16th
Peer Editing – Wednesday, March 18th
Final Draft (2 Test Grades) – Friday, March 27th
Speeches (Test Grade) – Monday, April 13th
Monday, March 2 (Riggs)
Monday, March 9 (Barsaleau)
Wednesday, March 11 (Barsaleau)
Friday, March 13 (Barsaleau)
Monday, March 23(Barsaleau)
Wednesday, March 25(Barsaleau)
Wednesday, April 8 (Barsaleau)
Friday, April 10 (Barsaleau)
*NOTES:
-
All assignments are worth a Classwork/Participation grade unless otherwise noted.
Some dates may require alteration due to schedule changes/unforeseen conflicts.
This project will require work at home as well as at school. To prepare for this, and avoid issues with
saving work, please bring a flash drive or utilize Google Docs through your Google account.
Unless otherwise noted, assignments MUST be submitted through turnitin.com. Please ensure that you
are enrolled and have your username and password safely recorded.
Evaluating a Possible Subject ...
If you can answer yes to each of the following questions, your subject is probably worth exploring:
 Am I truly interested in the subject?
 Does it meet the requirements of the assignment?
 Do I have access to enough information?
 Is the subject limited enough?
• The last question is very important. You couldn't, for example, write a research paper about "underground water." Where would you begin or end? Nor could you write about
"aquifers" (a source of underground water). The subject is still too general. However, the "Ogallala Aquifer" would be a subject limited enough to cover adequately in a
research paper. (What type of paper would you write about the Ogallala Aquifer?)
• Focusing Your Efforts—You will need to do some general research to learn more about your specific subject. THEN YOU CAN NARROW IT DOWN! Talk to other people.
Look at websites. Make a cluster map. ASK YOUR TEACHER!
 Bad Topic = WWII
 Good topics = The effects of Pearl Harbor, the effects of the Holocaust, the causes of Hitler’s rise to power, etc.
Potential Research Questions
1. Should government mandates concerning education be set
at the national level or the state and local levels?
2. Should America limit or eliminate immigration?
3. Do we still need feminism in 21st century America?
4. Are the nations of the world obligated to step into the
present- day situation in Darfur, which has been labeled
genocide by the United States?
5. Is there too much violence/sex portrayed in the American
media?
6. Should the legal drinking age be lowered in America?
7. Is affirmative action still necessary?
8. Should America open their doors to refugees in time of
war?
9. Is society responsible for taking care of the homeless?
10. Should euthanasia be legalized?
11. Do we need national healthcare?
12. Do we have the right to use animals for testing purposes?
13. Were the United Nations and the United States obligated
to interfere in the warfare in 1994 Rwanda, which led to
genocide?
14. Is censorship always wrong?
15. Should school start later in the day?
16. Has advertising had a positive or negative effect on
American culture?
17. Should women be allowed to take frontline roles in the
military?
18. Has technology had a positive or negative effect on
American culture?
19. Should standardized tests be used to measure student
performance?
20. Should there be open access to material on the internet in
public places like libraries?
21. Should stem cell research be allowed to continue?
22. Should people be held legally and financially responsible
when their pets attack others?
23. Should minors ever be tried as adults?
24. Do the racial attitudes of the past continue to have an
impact on American society?
25. Should homosexuals be allowed to marry and have full
spousal benefits?
26. Should environmentalism be mandated by the
government?
27. Should families of slaves be paid reparation for slavery in
the U.S.?
28. Is racial or religious profiling ever justified?
29. Should the U.S. End Birthright Citizenship?
30. Is Outsourcing Good for the U.S. Economy?
31. Have Youth Sports Become Too Intense?
32. Is the Health Care Law Good for the Nation?
33. Should the U.S. have a national health-care system?
34. Is Google Making Us Stupid?
35. Is It Time to Revive Nuclear Power?
36. Should the U.S. Halt Offshore Drilling?
37. Do School Libraries Still Need Books?
38. Should high school players be eligible for the N.B.A.
draft?
39. Should U.S. airports use full-body scanners?
40. Should the U.S. reinstate the draft?
41. Do we still need the post office?
42. Should public schools offer single-sex education?
43. Should Supreme Court Justices continue to have life
tenure?
44. Should assault weapons be banned?
45. Should the Driving Age Be Raised?
46. Should states enact tougher gun-control laws?
47. Is It Time to End Affirmative Action?
48. Should College Football Players Be Paid?
49.
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74.
Should States Allow Election Day Registration?
Are Illegal Immigrants Good for the U.S. Economy?
Should High Schools Have Valedictorians?
Should Illegal Immigrants Be Able to Get Driver's
Licenses?
Should We Elect The President By Popular Vote?
Should teens be banned from tanning salons?
Should the death penalty be abolished?
Should The U.S. Negotiate With Its Enemies?
Is America's Food Supply Safe?
Is It Too Easy to Get a Gun in America?
Should the Penny Be Retired?
Should illegal immigrants be eligible for in-state tuition?
Should schools do random drug testing?
Should there be Bible classes in public schools?
Should the U.S. close the prison at Guantánamo?
Should the U.S. raise the gas tax?
Should cell phones be banned in school?
Does the "Real ID" law make sense?
Should high school students be required to declare
majors?
Should English be declared America's national language?
Should the records of baseball players who used steroids
count?
Should the federal minimum wage be raised?
Should the driving age be raised to 18?
Should the 22nd Amendment be repealed?
Is torture ever justified?
Nuclear Energy: Does it make sense for the environment?
Should the United States adopt voter ID cards?
75.
*The answer to the question, which you’ll come up
with after conducting initial research, will be your
thesis statement.