You Say You Want a Revolution? Millett 10R
For this mini-research unit, you will be an activist, working for a cause. Choose a social cause you are already interested
in, or are interested in learning more about. You can pick any relevant topic around which there are opposing
viewpoints. Here are a few examples:
Abortion
Affirmative Action
Airport Security
Animal
Experimentation
Assisted Suicide
Bilingual Education
Capital Punishment
Censorship of Music
Childhood Obesity
Concealed Weapons
Cyberbullying
Drugs and Athletes
Drunk Driving
Electronic Voting
Endangered Species
Food Safety
Freedom of Speech
Gay Marriage
Genocide
Global Warming
Gun Control
Homeschooling
Homework
Illegal Immigrants
Juvenile Offenders
Media Violence
Military Deployment
Minimum Wage
National Security
Prisons
Right of Privacy
School Uniforms
School Violence
Space Exploration
Standardized Testing
Teenage Plastic
Surgery
Texting While Driving
Title IX
Unemployment
Video Game Violence
Wall Street
War Crimes
Although your project will be considerably more fun for you if you pick a topic and viewpoint that you truly believe in,
that’s not necessary to present an argument.
The purpose of this unit is to:
1. learn more about a topic that you are
interested in
2. create a topic proposal to focus your research
3. be (re)introduced to the library databases
4. create a sophisticated, thought provoking thesis
(claim) statement
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
learn how to write an annotated bibliography
create a Works Cited page in correct format
write an effective thesis paragraph
review in-text citations
create a preliminary outline
If you are absent, you need to make arrangements to make up the work within the next few days, as we will quickly
move to the next phase of the project.
A full research paper requires a 5-7 page paper. Since you would be arguing for a cause, the type of paper you would
write would be a position paper.
What is a position paper? A position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue.
The goal: to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and worth listening to. Ideas that you are considering need
to be carefully examined in developing your argument and organizing your paper. It is very important to ensure that you
are addressing all sides of the issue and presenting it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand. Your job
is to take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have well-founded knowledge of the topic
being presented. It is important to support your argument with evidence to ensure the validity of your claims, as well as
to address the counterclaims to show that you are well informed about both sides.
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DEVELOPING THE FORMAL TOPIC PROPOSAL
The first task is to determine a topic and do some preliminary investigation (library and database research – NO
WIKIPEDIA). This helps determine the feasibility of the task.
Follow the format below.
Name
Topic Proposal
A.
B.
C.
D.
Statement of the Issue (what is the issue that you want to research?)
Research/Guiding questions
Definition of terms (if any)
Discussion of the importance of the issue (why and how will this issue benefit from
being studied?)
SAMPLE:
Ms. Millett
Topic Proposal
A. The controversy over today’s sports symbols
B. Questions:
a. What sports symbols used today are met with controversy? Who is against these symbols being used?
Why?
b. What court cases, if any, have arose because of this issue?
c. Can sexist names for women’s teams fit in this category?
d. How much does tradition have to do with one’s resistance to change?
e. Does a sports symbol bind one group together or separate one group from the other?
f. Is it fair to ask a team to change their name, logo, and/or mascot? Why or why not?
g. How many teams have changed their names, logos, and/or mascots?
C. Definitions:
a. Symbol: Anything (words, gestures, or objects) that carries a particular meaning from the members of a
group.
D. At one point in our society certain phrases were the norm. For example in Friday Night Lights, H. G. Bissinger
discusses how members of the Odessa community would say the n-word like it were household cleaner.
Although the old adage of sticks and stones is still used today, we know that words can hurt. Can symbols hurt
as well? This topic is important to discuss because it make one question today’s sports symbols. Are those who
want change being overly sensitive or are sports teams and communities being insensitive?
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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a
brief (usually about 175-250 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the
annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
THE PROCESS
Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise
exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.
First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information
and ideas on your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a
variety of perspectives on your topic.
Next, create your annotated bibliography by following the steps below:
STEP 1: READ the article or chapter or book.
STEP 2: CITE the source using the appropriate style (MLA format).
STEP 3: Summarize, analyze, and evaluate the source addressing the following questions:
1. What does the author suggest in this article?
2. What is interesting, relevant, and/or surprising about this article?
3. How will this article be useful to prove your thesis?
4. Can it be compared to another article you read?
5. What information from the source can you use to showcase your knowledge of proper in-text
citation use?
STEP 4: Create 4 entries and put them in alphabetical order. You need to include quotes of specific data from
the article and cite this information using in-text citations. If you were to write a paper, this will be quite
helpful.
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SAMPLE Annotated Bibliography (250 words +)
Ferro, Jeffery. Gun Control: Restricting Rights or Protecting People? Woodbridge, CT: Gale Group, 2001. Print.
This book has records situations in which gun control has been debated between political officials in the past. It
brings up the fact that in Switzerland they give each citizen a gun. They require every male between the ages of
20-50 to be a in a civilian militia, where they have to get training for three to four weeks a year. During their
service, they are given a fully automatic assault rifle that they keep at home with them at all times, except when
taking it for training. “In a country which is about two-thirds the size of West Virginia, there are over 3,000 mass
shootings ranges. Ammunition, while we have one proposal right no to tax it, is subsidized in Switzerland. To
get a handgun or rifle, there is a very easy permitting process” (Ferro 122). These gun laws are more relaxed
than America’s, yet our gun violence rate is much higher than Switzerland’s. This book connects to Thomas R.
Eddlem’s article from The New American, which talks about the Chinese people who have managed to attack
schools and still kill people without the use of a gun. This document helps to prove my thesis in that even if gun
laws were more restricted, the violence would not change that much. If someone wants to kill another, they will
find a way, whether or not they have a gun.
Schwartz, Emma. “In Congress, The Uphill Battle for Gun Control.” U.S. News & World Report 17 Mar. 2008: 41.
MAS Ultra – School Edition. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
The authors at U.S. News & World Report have gathered information about the actions that have been taken in
the past decade toward gun control. Most Democrats have been against the right to own guns and at one point
banned assault weapons. Although when Republicans took control of Congress, the ban expired. The National
Rifle Association (NRA) is a large group with significant influence on national votes. “The powerful group has
about 4 million members nationwide, a $20 million to $30 million lobbying budget, and a strong youth group
raising a new generation of members” (Schwartz). This group makes it extremely difficult for the government to
pass an act restricting guns. This article has a plethora of background information regarding Americans
opinions. “And nearly 3 out of 4 believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual the right to have
a firearm. Recent Gallup polls show that only 38 percent of Americans think the most important way to combat
gun violence is through stricter gun laws; 58 percent believe more should be done to enforce current laws
instead. And more than two thirds oppose an outright ban on handguns” (Schwartz). This shows that most
Americans would oppose an act restricting guns. This connects to the Ferro book; both agree that proposing
strict gun laws is not the solution to solve the problem of gun violence. This article provides strong information
that a majority of America agrees with my thesis.
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WRITING A THESIS/CLAIM
Almost all of us – even if we don’t do it consciously – look early in an essay for a one-to-two sentence condensation of
the argument or analysis that is follow. We refer to that condensation as a thesis (claim) statement.
Why should your essay contain a thesis/claim statement?



to test your ideas by condensing them into a sentence or two
to better organize and develop your argument
to provide your reader with a “guide” to your argument
In general, your thesis statement will accomplish these goals if you think of a thesis as the answer to the questions your
paper explores.
How to generate a thesis/claim statement:
Your thesis statement needs to answer a question about an issue you’d like to explore. In this situation, your job is to
figure out what question you’d like to write about.
A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes:
 take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree
 deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment
 express ONE main idea
 assert your conclusions about a subject
STEP 1: General Topic
Homework.
(What one word/phrase topic are you
writing about?)
This fragment is not a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general
subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn’t know what you want to say about
homework.
STEP 2: Narrow the Topic and Take a
Position
Kids shouldn’t have to do homework because it doesn’t help them and it
even hurts them.
(What conclusion have you made
from your research?)
This statement asserts your position, but the terms are vague and your thesis
contains casual language (“kids”) instead of formal language.
STEP 3: Use specific language and
make an assertion based on clearly
stated support.
As cited by several reputable studies, the large amounts of homework
assigned to students have no correlation to student performance in school,
overwhelms students, and negatively affects students’ ability to truly
concentrate on their studies; therefore, homework should be eradicated.
(Use formal language and make sure
you answer the question, “Why?”)
- Do you take a stand?
- Is your thesis specific?
Notice how the thesis statement answers the question, “Why shouldn’t
homework be assigned?”
5
WRITE YOUR THESIS/CLAIM STATEMENT
Remember, a strong thesis does the following:
Stand: take a stand that a reasonable person could disagree with
One topic: has a narrow focus to ONE topic only
Specific: use specific language
You are answering the question, “why”? Why should anyone be concerned about the issue you are
researching?
STEP 1: General Topic
(What one word topic are you
writing about?)
STEP 2: Narrow the Topic and
Take a Position
(What conclusion have you made
from your research?)
STEP 3: Use specific language and
make an assertion based on
clearly stated support.
(Use formal language and make
sure you answer the question,
“Why?”)
- Do you have claims you can
support using your research?
- Is your thesis specific?
- Does it take a stand?
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NOW, you have a thesis/claim! 
THESIS PARAGRAPH
Your thesis paragraph should be persuasive—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of
view on your subject. Old Major uses the art of persuasion when giving his speech about the rebellion. It’s
also a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your brother to clean up or your parents to let
you borrow the car. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. After a brief introduction of
your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the
thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you'll make in the rest of your paper.
Start with a HOOK:
- Begin with an interesting fact or statistic to get your audience’s attention
Ex: 350,000 children are abused in this country a year.
- Begin with a question to make your readers think
Ex: Do you know what drinking two shots of alcohol can do to a teen’s body?
- Begin with a brief case study example:
Ex: Mary has been using marijuana for two months to relieve the pain caused by her
Chemotherapy sessions; this is the only relief she has had in over a year.
Then comment on your first sentence:
Comment on the statistic, answer the question, comment on the case study…etc.
- Start general and get more specific as the paragraph goes on
- The thesis paragraph is about building up to your thesis…you are giving the reader some background
(just a little) to inform and interest them.
End with your thesis statement:
Take your statement from p. 6 of this packet, and place this at the end of your thesis paragraph.
7
CREATING A PRELIMINARY OUTLINE
Before the age of GPS, people would Mapquest directions for a trip. One wouldn’t leave for a drive to Florida without
printing out directions first. One shouldn’t write a paper without an outline. A well done and comprehensive outline
will serve as a map of where you’re going. It’s how you know where to start, which turns to take, and when you’ve
reached your destination.
Follow the format below when outlining the BODY of a position paper:
I.
Counter Argument
A. Summarize one counterclaim
B. Refute the counterclaim
C. Give evidence for argument
II.
Your Argument
A. Assert your point #1 of your claims and provide support (quote, fact, anecdote)
B. Assert your point #2 of your claims and provide support (quote, fact, anecdote)
C. Assert your point #1 of your claims and provide support (quote, fact, anecdote)
SAMPLE OUTLINE:
Ms. Millett
Preliminary Outline
I.
Names, logos, and mascots must change
A. A racist practice; insensitive and misunderstanding of culture, negative view on the culture
B. Trying to be respectful and pay homage to the culture
C. Part of tradition, financially better to keep team name, promote knowledge of culture
II.
Names, logos, and mascots should stay the same
A. Tradition
i. History of schools
ii. Florida State Seminoles
B. Finances
i. Estimated sales generated at games
ii. Pro-Football Inc. vs. Harjo
C. Promoting knowledge
i. Washington Redskins
ii. University of Illinois – Chief Illiniwek
iii. Southern Memphis University
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