Russian Collusion Hoax

FINAL PAPER

Your research papers are a culmination of all we have gone over throughout the course of the semester from thesis statement writing, to paragraph organization, to proper use of appropriate supporting evidence, to proper use of MLA format including paper, citation, and works cited formats, and the utilization of proper academic writing.

Schedule of events:

Week of – Proposals due by Friday at noon. Topic + tentative introduction and conclusion.

Week of  – Works consulted due by Friday at noon-list of ten possible sources in proper Works Cited/MLA format

Week of  – Drafts due by Friday at noon. MAKE SURE CITIATIONS AND A WORKS CITED PAGE ARE INCLUDED; otherwise, points will be deducted. Rewrites of the social media and/or argumentative papers and summaries due by Friday at noon if redoing them.

Week of – drafts returned as I get them done; ask any questions. Rewrite it if you feel inclined.

Final Papers are due by . This is a HARD deadline. NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GIVEN.  You can upload them to Blackboard or drop a hard copy in the box outside of my office (College Center 353F) if we are back on campus by then. DO NOT EMAIL PAPERS TO ME. They will NOT be accepted.

When picking a topic, be sure it:

(1) is something of interest to you

(2) has a point you can make about it (should not read like a biography or a narrative)

(3) Has at least five outside appropriate sources you can use for support that are appropriately incorporated

(4) Can fill 5-7 pages of which the Works Cited page does NOT count

(5) is NOT one of the following topics:

• Weed
• Anything gay/trans related
• Anything climate/”sustainability” related
• Gun control
• Immigration
• Basically, avoid any “Social Justice” topic or a “social justice” angle to a topic steeped in logical fallacies (ask if you are not sure). Language is key. Words have meaning. Be sure you know what they entail. For example, do not use the word “free” in terms of payment. Nothing is free. It is “taxpayer funded”. If you choose “free” school or “free” healthcare, you need to advocate for why other working class people should be forced to fund your lifestyle choices. The “1%” are not the ones who get these bills.
• Abortion-you may do abortion only to support late term/post birth abortions that are now legal in New York and Virginia. This includes the resistance to passage of the “Babies Born Alive Act”. “My body my choice” is a slogan. If the people who preached it actually believed it, they’d be marching the streets right now about this “stay at home” order.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SOURCES, THE INFO THEY PUSH, AND THE LANGUAGE THEY USE. Be suspect of any that promoted the Russian Collusion Hoax the last three years, most notably CNN, The NY Times, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, and The Washington Post. It is best to stick with PRIMARY SOURCES not secondary source interpretations.

Do not pick a topic because you think it will be “easy” (which is the primary reason for the above list. Students pick one because they think it will be “easy” and then wind up “arguing” via logical fallacies). PICK ONE THAT INTERESTS YOU THAT YOU HAVE NOT DONE IN MY CLASS THIS SEMESTER ALREADY. Cars. Sneakers. Dogs. Food. Travel. Sports. Makeup. Music. Video games. Relationships. Steroids. Math. Majors. College. Addiction. Alcohol.  Adoption.  Zombies.  American Ninja Warrior.  These are just some of the general topics I have had recently. Yes, it can be a bit more “intense” than subjects like these can, but they need not be.  Keep in mind compare/contrast type essays work well here, as do pros/cons; however, order of importance works well, too, depending on the topic/purpose.  Also, watch your time management and “self-plagiarism” possibilities.