The research paper is a replacement of an in-class final exam. The paper is required and must be
submitted on or before the designated due date (4/24/22). The paper must comply with the following
requirements:
1. Length at least 1,000 words, but no more than 1,500 words.
2. The paper including format, citations and a “Works Cited” page must be in MLA 8th or 9th format.
3. At least three (3) scholarly sources must be used in the paper and appear in in-text citations and
on the a “Works Cited” page. Further assistance is available in the UTA Writing Center.
4. The type of research paper is argumentative.
5. Select one of the possible research questions below: (United States refers to the federal
government through Congress and the Executive branch taking federal control through legislation and
Constitutional amendments as necessary)
a. Should United States provide and require a national voter ID Card to all eligible citizens?
b. Should the United States implement “Medicare for all”?
c. Should the United States ban “assault weapons” and large capacity clips?
d. Should the United States ensure a nationwide “livable wage or income?”
e. Should the United States amend its constitution to provide for direct election of the
President and Vice president and replace the electoral college process?
f. Should the United States take redistricting out of the hands of partisan state legislatures
to ensure an end to partisan and discriminatory redistricting known as
“gerrymandering”?
g. Should the United States Constitution be amended to provide for personal
privacy as outlined ibn the decision in Griswold v. Connecticut 381 US 479
(1965)
6. An argumentative paper takes a position on a debatable question. Here, you review the various
experts’ arguments surrounding that question and present material arguing for a particular
answer. A good argument paper not only fairly and clearly presents the views of those with whom
you disagree, but also points out where and how you believe those arguments are flawed. In this
paper, you need to show why your argument presents a stronger response to the question than
the responses of others who might disagree with your position. You do those by providing
information from experts (your sources) that support your argument.
7. Paper must be in a Microsoft Word or PDF format and submitted no later than the beginning of
the scheduled final exam date. A ten percent (10%) bonus will be applied to all papers
submitted for grading prior to 3/21/22
8. Recommended Organization:
a. Introduction- one to two paragraphs tops. PURPOSE: To set up and state one’s claim
(position on the research question) First state the research question, followed by your
position on the question. Make your introductory paragraph interesting. How can you
draw your readers in? What background information, if any, do we need to know to
understand your topic and claim? REQUIRED ELEMENTS If you’re arguing about an 12/22/21 Page 2
issue– provide brief explanation or the issue. In other words, why is this topic important
to research and write about.
b. Background – if not included in the introduction. Summary of the issue and of
works(sources) being discussed, definition of key terms and explaining the key theories
or positions and how and where they differ or are the in agreement.
c. Supporting evidence – at least three paragraphs that provide evidence from your
sources that supports your position as stated in the introduction.
i. Each paragraph: PURPOSE: To prove your argument. Components: Topic
Sentence: What is one item, fact, detail, or example from your sources you can
tell your readers that will help them better understand your claim.? Your
answer should be the topic sentence for this paragraph. Explain Topic
Sentence: Do you need to explain your topic sentence? If so, do so here.
Introduce Evidence: Introduce your evidence either in a few words (As Dr.
Brown states ―…) or in a full sentence (―To understand this issue we first need
to look at statistics). State Evidence: What supporting evidence (reasons,
examples, facts, statistics, and/or quotations) can you include to
prove/support/explain your topic sentence? Explain Evidence: How should we
read or interpret the evidence you are providing us? How does this evidence
prove the point you are trying to make in this paragraph? Can be opinion based
and is often at least 1-3 sentences. Concluding Sentence: End your paragraph
with a concluding sentence that reasserts how the topic sentence of this
paragraph helps up better understand and/or prove your paper’s overall claim.
d. Counter Argument: (at least one of your sources must present a argument in opposition
to your position)
i. PURPOSE: To anticipate your reader’s objections; make yourself sound more
objective and reasonable. What possible argument might your reader pose
against your argument and/or some aspect of your reasoning? Insert one or
more of those arguments here and refute them. End paragraph with a
concluding sentence that reasserts your paper’s claim.
e. Conclusion:
i. PURPOSE: To illustrate to your instructor that you have thought critically and
analytically about this issue. Your conclusion should not simply restate your
intro paragraph. If your conclusion says almost the exact same thing as your
introduction, it may indicate that you have not done enough critical thinking
during your research (since you ended up right where you started). Your
conclusion should tell us why we should care about your paper. What is the
significance of your claim? Why is it important to you as the writer or to me as
the reader? What information should you or I take away from this? Your
conclusion should create a sense of movement to a more complex
understanding of the subject of your paper. Make sure you restate your
research question and position followed by your summary if your research has
supported your position or not. By the end of your essay, you should have
worked through your ideas enough so that your reader understands what you
have argued and whether your research has supported your position or not and