CTE Within sports

Objective: This research paper will reflect the work built upon through the semester, as you will expand
research processes and refine analysis of texts. You will pick a research topic arising out of one of two
concepts: Contemporary Social Issues (in the past approximate five years) or Identities on the Periphery.
You will want to determine the approach to the topic to guide your research and writing. As instead of
discussing a narrative experience and the topic of a text, you will now analyze what position a text
provides to your research topic and a conversation on that topic amongst your research sources. You will
be supporting a controlling idea or arguing a thesis (which could encompass one or a few combined
arguments pertaining to your topic). In addition, you may also be including some of the following
approaches in combination with your thesis, extending to an approximate 7-page length:
-Argumentative Approach
-Informative Approach
-Cause/Effect Approach (Overall issue /s that your topic is facing across the board)
-Problem/Solution
Canter 2
*For this project, you want to primarily focus on an objective analysis of the research; therefore, any
first person writing should be at a minimum. Your writing style needs to become more formal and
academic than prior projects which allowed a larger narrative component. Will your approach be only
argumentative, or will it include some other elements such as problem and solution, cause and effect, or
strictly informative? The minimum length requirement is seven full pages before Works Cited (do not go
over 9), and the paper is worth 30 % of your overall grade. There is a six source minimum. The paper
should reflect concepts of issues/identity we have overviewed throughout the semester, a clear
understanding of MLA, a polished, formal writing style, and a controlling idea/thesis statement which
overviews as a whole, how your chosen paper topic is represented by your sources. You have a primary
source/secondary source guide for an outline. Note that the outline is just a minimum paragraph length
suggestion, and you are able to devote more paragraphs to your project to reach the minimum length.
A) Primary/Secondary Source Outline (two sources will be primary, and four or more will be secondary)
Intro:
-Introduce topic (culture/identity/person which is the focus of your paper)
-Establish how your topic has been a marginalized culture/identity/person in America and American
Media or an important social issue
-Introduce your two primary sources and establish their representation of your topic
-Thesis/Controlling idea (This should be an overview of your primary sources’ rhetoric, and a general
reflection of the research conversation. As a whole, what kind of representation do the sources give upon
your topic?)
Paragraph 2:
-Summarize your topic. What is the significance of your topic? What is the background of their
experience in our society? What are some of the ways they have been portrayed? In what ways may
they be misunderstood? You do not need to cite information in this paragraph.
Paragraph 3: Primary Source 1
-Here you will discuss how the source reports on the topic. Do they seem biased? Is a clear message or
argument being presented? Cite from your source in correct MLA format and elaborate upon the
significance of your cited passages.
-Introduce source (title/author/publication).
-Summarize source in a couple sentences.
Canter 3
-Provide a quote which illustrates the perspective of your source.
-Elaborate for a few sentences on the perspective of the source on the event/issue.
Paragraph 4: Primary Source 1
-Here you will discuss how the source reports on the topic. Do they seem biased? Is a clear message or
argument being presented? Cite from your source in correct MLA format and elaborate upon the
significance of your cited passages.
-Introduce source (title/author/publication).
-Summarize source in a couple sentences.
-Provide a quote which illustrates the perspective of your source.
-Elaborate for a few sentences on the perspective of the source on the event/issue.
Paragraphs 5 and 6: Secondary Sources 1-2 or more
-Here you will engage two secondary sources in discussion with your primary source #1. You will
compare/contrast the perspectives of your secondary sources to the primary source. Do they show a
similar perspective, do they challenge the perspective of the primary source, etc.?
-Introduce secondary sources.
-Summarize what they are about in a couple sentences.
-Quote from one of the secondary sources.
-Elaborate for a few sentences how these sources compare/contrast with primary source #1.
Paragraph 7: Primary Source 2
-Here you will discuss how the source reports on the topic. Do they seem biased? Is a clear message or
argument being presented? Cite from your source in correct MLA format and elaborate upon the
significance of your cited passages.
-Introduce source (title/author/publication).
-Summarize source in a couple sentences.
-Provide a quote which illustrates the perspective of your source.
Canter 4
-Elaborate for a few sentences on the perspective of the source on the event/issue.
Paragraph 8: Primary Source 2
-Here you will discuss how the source reports on the topic. Do they seem biased? Is a clear message or
argument being presented? Cite from your source in correct MLA format and elaborate upon the
significance of your cited passages.
-Introduce source (title/author/publication).
-Summarize source in a couple sentences.
-Provide a quote which illustrates the perspective of your source.
-Elaborate for a few sentences on the perspective of the source on the event/issue.
Paragraphs 9 and 10: Secondary Sources 3-4 or more
-Here you will engage two secondary sources in discussion with your primary source #2. You will
compare/contrast the perspectives of your secondary sources to the primary source. Do they show a
similar perspective, do they challenge the perspective of the primary source, etc.?
-Introduce secondary sources.
-Summarize what they are about in a couple sentences.
-Quote from one of the secondary sources.
-Elaborate for a few sentences how these sources compare/contrast with primary source #2.
Second to Last Paragraph:
-Here you will compare and contrast the rhetoric of your primary sources. How do they relate or conflict
in their coverage? You may cite if necessary, but the cited passages should illustrate an overall
controlling idea about the coverage as you established in the intro. Make sure that you clearly develop
your controlling idea in these paragraphs.
Conclusion:
-Provide a closing discussion on your topic (culture/identity/person)
-Re-introduce primary sources
Canter 5
-Re-phrase the Thesis/Controlling Idea
-Close with a discussion of what has been learned from your research, and the significance of your topic
beyond your essay and research.