A research paper is the product of a student’s serious investigation into a topic of interest or importance. Like a typical paper, a research papers is a collection of paragraphs with sections designating the beginning, middle and end parts of the research paper. Some also use a thesis-and-support structure and shows analysis, an academic task often paired with summarizing since research papers usually entail evaluating what you read and summarized over the course of your research. Summaries are used to show and share recall of readings or other information, but summaries by themselves are not analytical research papers and do not meet the minimum standard for a pass in this course. The research papers must be finished and formatted using MLA guidelines and no less than 1,200 words to meet the minimum requirement for a pass. Research papers that do not meet the minimum word count are not passing.
One type of research paper is called a literature review. A literature review is where you discuss what has already been written on your topic. It is a large summary of number of your scholarly sources on your topic. It not only summarizes your findings, it also critiques and evaluates them. A literature review research paper often answers the questions: how did work in this area evolve, and what were some of the major influences? Writing the literature review happens in three phases: first select your topic, second select and read your scholarly sources, and third write your review.
Learning Objectives:
1. Apply critical thinking skills to writing and complex readings
2. Demonstrate academic (analytical, argumentative) writing based on reading of complex texts
3. Demonstrate analysis, comparison, synthesis, and documentation of independent research
Your Tasks:
Write a literature review research style paper using no less than six scholarly sources and MLA formatted citations. You must:
– select one topic from the follow three areas and narrow it to a subtopic. Your choices are refugee, xenophobia, or education
– select and read your scholarly sources
– write your review critiquing and evaluating the summary or your scholarly sources
