The assignment, in a nutshell: Compose a 7 - 10 page synthesis argument in which you propose a possible answer or answers to a self-generated question. Your essay should draw on a variety of properly cited, credible, college level resources, and include a properly formatted Works Cited page. Powerful introductions, rhetorical flourishes, and compelling conclusions are expected.
If you're not sure if your question is good enough, check out the following questions:
Can you research your question? Will you find evidence from a wide variety of sources?
- Consider literature, film, music, history, and the arts and sciences as possible sources. Consider databases, websites, and contemporary periodicals, newspapers, and essays as possible sources. Consider people and personal experiences as possible sources. No matter your source, is it credible? Is it college level? Is it sophisticated and complex?
Is your question an argument?
- If you're just collecting facts about a subject that interests you, then you're simply regurgitating someone else's facts. How can you introduce an element of evaluation into your question? Remember, one type of argument is the argument to explore. Another type of argument is an argument to persuade. A third type of argument is an argument of proposal. There is no such thing as an argument of regurgitation.
Is your question complex? Does it embrace multiple perspectives and points of view? Does it have the potential to have multiple - perhaps contradictory - answers?
- Many of you were concerned that you wouldn't be able to find answers to your question. Many of the best questions don't have answers; they do, however, have many researchable possibilities.
Is your question genuinely interesting to you? If you don't want to know the answer, why waste your time? If you don't care about your answer, why would your reader?
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