Please see the LibGuide for this assignment: https://libguides.mjc.edu/bento

Students have had instruction on 1. accessing databases and 2. evaluating sources using CRAAP Test and lateral reading strategies.

Encourage students to meet with Bento. He should approve topics that aren't on the list, but, more importantly, he loves to talk about this stuff and students come away from those meetings with pretty complete outlines. He invites them frequently, but it is helpful to hear it repeated. MEET WITH BENTO AND PICK HIS BRAIN. He'll help them find common themes between old and new heroes, and once those themes are identified we can swoop in and be heroes ourselves.

Prompt seems complex, but is devoid of subtext and linked below. You'll see that students have a list of things to address. Namely, they must take into account all three mythical frameworks discussed in class. It's perfectly fine if the conclude that one or more of the frameworks don't fit their modern-day heroes journey, but they should do this explicitly within the paper by explaining why it doesn't fit. They can even use one of their required seven source to do this!  Then, of course, they should FOCUS on the framework that best fits their hero.  

Bento has a LOT of cool articles in his shell (under Resources module, then choose Other articls) that students can use as part of their 7-source requirement. They can also use ONE of his class powerpoints/videos, and of course any of the primary texts (e.g. Hero with 1000 Faces) I encourage students to use at least of few of Bento's linked articles because I think that will make him happy. Plus, they are really cool and, hey, why invent the wheel.

Finally, I probably don't have to tell you this, but it's easier and often more fruitful for students to find sources on the BIG IDEAS from the class (myth, heroism, archetypes) or BIG IDEAS from their works (stoicism, rugged individual, moral code, female heroes, rebellion). And use these big ideas to do their comparing and contrasting. They often come to us wanting "An article comparing and contrasting these two characters" and I have to tell them that's their job.

JSTOR rocks for this assignment in a major way. I often just search hero names: "Hermione Granger" "Paul Atreides" "Catness Everdeen"  EBSCOhost is fine, too, but I can totally see now why the SLAE people love JSTOR. I notice when I find and access and article, there are more suggested articles on the left that I didn't even get in my initial retrieval results. Sort of weird, but once you know, you know.

Argumentative Essay (final assignment)

There are four (8) required sources for this essay:

• Two (2) Overview articles from one of these databases Issues & Controversies, CQ Researcher, or Gale eBooks Due on 

  11/13/24 (Updated Deadline)

• Two (2) Book chapters (I recommend the Gale eBooks database; however, do not cite an encyclopedia; use a book that solely focuses on your topic such as nutrition education.)

Due on 11/13/24 (Updated Deadline)

• Three (3) Academic/Scholarly Journal Article 11/13/24 (Updated Deadline)

• Like Water for Chocolate: make a connection to Esquivel's book in the introduction of the essay (if possible, make more than one connection to the book throughout your essay). 

Here are the instructions for the entire assignment:

These are the steps and deadlines for Essay 2. Each one of these steps will be a separate assignment. As you complete them, you will be gathering all the pieces that will result in the final draft of Essay 2 (of course, you'll revise and re-draft the essay along the way).  

Step 1 Topic Proposal: 200-300 words, MLA format due on 10/24/24. Please refer to the page on the modules to view the video with more information and details on how to complete this step.

Step 2 Annotated Bibliography:

11/13/24 (Updated Deadline for all the sources of the Annotated Bibliography)

Provide an annotation paragraph for each source; this paragraph must include the summary of the source, your evaluation, and how you plan on using the source in your essay.

There are four (8) required sources for this essay:

• Two (2) Overview articles from one of these databases Issues & Controversies, CQ Researcher, or Gale eBooks Due on 

  11/13/24 (Updated Deadline)

• Two (2) Book chapters (I recommend the Gale eBooks database; however, do not cite an encyclopedia; use a book that solely focuses on your topic such as nutrition education.)

Due on 11/13/24 (Updated Deadline)

• Three (3) Academic/Scholarly Journal Article 11/13/24 (Updated Deadline)

• Like Water for Chocolate: make a connection to Esquivel's book in the introduction of the essay (if possible, make more than one connection to the book throughout your essay). 

Step 3 First Draft: Provide a minimum of 1200 words for peer review in class. Use MLA format and style. Include a Works Cited page with the sources you have used thus far. Due on 11/19/24

Step 4 Outline & Counter Argument: 

Provide a numerical list (Roman Numerals) of the topic sentence for each paragraph in your essay. The first item on this list will be your thesis statement/argument. The second to the last paragraph should be dedicated to the counter-argument; this is where you'll acknowledge the opposition and provide your rebuttal to defend your argument. This is due on 11/26/24 (Updated Deadline).

Step 4 Tutor Services: Obtain an appointment to receive tutoring services on or before 11/26/24. Make an appointment at least one week in advance. Provide a full draft of your essay to the tutors (minimum 1500 words). Include all sources cited within the body of the essay and a Works Cited page. Write a 100-word reflection.

Step 5 Final Draft: 2000-2500 word count. After you complete all the steps above and make the appropriate revisions, you'll put them all together into the final draft of the essay (all into one document). This is due on 12/3/24.

Specifics:

For your research, you will need to have at least five sources (3 substantive & 2 scholarly). Here is a valuable suggestion. If you are researching a problem in nursing, then speak to a nurse. If you are researching homelessness in Modesto, speak to the owner of a homeless shelter or an activist.

Research Essay - Project Description:

For this project you will do extensive research into one of two topics:

1. A problem that exists within your chosen career or field of study (example: Amazon and its dynamic effect consumerism that displaces traditional malls and other stores, if you are a business major)

2. A problem that exists within the community in which you live (examples: rampant homelessness, drug epidemic, high rate of stolen cars).

Once you have chosen your issue and developed it into a thesis that supports an argument with reasons and evidence, you will tell your audience how the problem exists, including the causes and effects. Next, you will detail solutions and how the community as a whole can contribute to a solution. This paper aims to widen the scope of your research abilities and will make use of many of the processes and strategies in which you have been instructed during the semester. In addition to turning in the final version on Friday, December 13, 2024, you will be presenting a research proposal, an annotated bibliography, and a detailed outline of your research project before you turn in the first draft/peer review on Wednesday, December 11,  2024

Essentially, you must:

• Choose your issue (see above—choose something that you will be able to research easily and something that you are interested in)
• Prove to your audience that there is a problem using both your own knowledge and various sources
• Formulate an argument that advances your thesis and is supported by outside research in the form of five sources (three substantive, and two scholarly)
• Tell your audience how the problem can be solved at the individual level (meaning, what you and any one person could do to contribute to a solution).
• Tell your audience how the problem can be solved on a larger scale (think bigger, like what professional organizations can do, reforming statewide and national laws, regulations, or funding changes—use sources to help with this).

Results from librarians' brainstorming on the prompt:

Kathleen: Op wants students to think about their everyday lives in a bigger, more profound context. Like, what does gaming teach you about life? Or using IG filters, or curating your life on social media. What do you learn about love and acceptance from your dog or cat?   I'm trying to think of things our students do that they could use. I just surveyed my CMPGR263 students about what they like to do and it's a lot of gaming, social media, pets, and – for a few – fitness. If they could start with something they know well it might be easer.

Kathleen's ideas if she was writing this paper: 

1. I might consider doing something on Bikram yoga. Because there are a million lessons to be learned in that hot room that apply to the world at large. Mindfulness, developing strength through flexibility (if you come to the practice bendy) or developing flexibility through strength (if you come to the practice strong), endurance and overcoming obstacles, blah blah blah.
2. Walking my dog the same place every day and how it never gets boring because every day is different. The river is at a different level, more leaves are on the ground, or are starting to come out on the trees. The sky is different, the people I pass by are different. I might work that into an essay about routines, and finding the balance between routines and discovery and how they aren't mutually exclusive.

Note that the annotated bibliography asks for 3 scholarly articles, an article from the class readings, and one book, but the actual paper may include additional credible sources.

"You will support your argument using 5-6 credible sources. Your sources should include most of those listed in your annotated bibliography. However, you may find that you need to obtain additional credible sources. Furthermore, at least one of your sources must present a 'counterargument' to your argument."

Get the student to open Week 8 in their Canvas shells for the full instructions. They are not all on one page, but are embedded in text, slide shows, etc.

The most important thing to remember here is that Jason does not want an essay about a topic per se; instead, he wants students to reflect on why their chosen topic brings them joy and infuses them with a sense of well-being. For instance, if Student X loves their pickleball league, Jason doesn't need to know the history of pickleball and the rules of pickleball. Instead, Jason wants to hear why joining together with her neighbors fulfills this student's social needs in a cool way, how the fact that pickleball is played by people of all ages gives this student rich opportunities to interact with people of different generations, how pickleball makes them feel like a good parent because they is modeling to their daughter that life doesn't only unfold on screens, how pickleball requires focus, strength, and endurance and gives student a fun exercise outlet after a day spent working at a computer station, etc. 

See also LibGuide for assignment: https://libguides.mjc.edu/selfawareness

Essay 3: Personal-Interest Research Paper 

This essay is due at the end of week 11, and the smaller assignments we do along the way in weeks 7-11 are designed to help get you where you want to be by then. You'll find the essay submission spot, along with the essay rubric, in our Week 11 module. The rubric there will mirror the content, approach, and writing goals detailed below.

General Instructions:

• Using the feedback from your proposal paper as well as required class materials and research sources, create an engaging essay that explains why your personal interest topic matters (especially to you).

In your essay, you want to show that you care, showcasing your connections to your topic and making readers feel connected with it. You'll show you care by discussing and demonstrating the following:

• engaging writing strategies,
• appealing to common interests,
• the importance of personal background,
• and the value of not only sharing main (often familiar) ideas but also going beyond what audiences already know.

To help go beyond what audiences already know, share relevant details about yourself as well as interesting information you found in your research about how your topic contributes to your well-being.

In short, in Essay 3, keep in mind the main goals above and concentrate on answering the question below:

Why does your topic matter (especially to you), and how does it relate to your well-being?

Sources: 10 (6 from research (including 2 from library databases) and 2 very recent--2021 or later--from the web), 2 from class readings, 2 from class videos

Chandra says:

I've assigned the annotated bibliography for my ENGL 101, as usual, and so hopefully​ students will start coming to talk it over with tutors and librarians. 

I'm attaching the prompt here for your files and the share with others, but also thought I would include a video I made for Canvas that hopefully​ students watch: https://youtu.be/AuIrxtRGE-0?feature=shared

Research Papers:

Chandra has different prompts for each of her ENGL 101 sections this term. The online one is doing protest art. LibGuide with prompt included is here: https://libguides.mjc.edu/ProtestArt

Her 101-3089 is choosing a topic related to the film Pleasantville. LibGuide and Prompt are below:

https://libguides.mjc.edu/Pleasantville

Her 101-2343 is researching topics related to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. LibGuide and Prompt are below:

https://libguides.mjc.edu/PartTimeIndian

Three assignments:

Annotated bib with one non-scholarly article and three scholarly.

Rhetorical Analysis essay on the non-scholarly article (see box below)

Synthesize and Inform essay on the topic students chose the previous two assignments. Here's the brief prompt for that:

Part Three: Synthesize & Inform Essay This assignment is your opportunity for you to synthesize the information you gathered for your annotated bibliography to inform your audience. You are not limited to the sources from your annotated bibliography. Your essay should include a clear thesis/research question, a brief history of the topic, summary of the current research, and the future direction of research in this area. Requirements: Narrow your topic to a specific research question/thesis A informational essay and next steps for research purposes Audience clarity - It should be clear in your tone and the information you provide if your audience is the general public or an informed person in your field. A reference list which includes all your sources in alphabetical order that informed you as you conducted research on your topic Your essay should be typed, double-spaced, 12 point font and minimum of 2,500 words RubricLinks to an external site. Due: 11/20/22

Additionally, they need to writeup their chat with a librarian using the IL framwork: 

The MJC library has a great "Ask a Librarian" feature. After you have chatted with a librarian, write 5-6 reflective sentences about your experience. How did you apply the IL Framework lens Research as Inquiry and Searching as Strategic Exploration? What did you learn? How did connecting with a librarian help with your research? Research as Inquiry - Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field. Learners who are developing their information literate abilities: Formulate questions for research based on information gaps or on reexamination of existing, possibly conflicting, information; determine an appropriate scope of investigation; deal with complex research by breaking complex questions into simple ones, limiting the scope of investigations; use various research methods, based on need, circumstance, and type of inquiry; monitor gathered information and assess for gaps or weaknesses; organize information in meaningful ways; synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources; draw reasonable conclusions based on the analysis and interpretation of information. Searching as Strategic Exploration Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops. Learners who are developing their information literate abilities: determine the initial scope of the task required to meet their information needs; identify interested parties, such as scholars, organizations, governments, and industries, who might produce information about a topic and then determine how to access that information; utilize divergent (e.g., brainstorming) and convergent (e.g., selecting the best source) thinking when searching; match information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools; design and refine needs and search strategies as necessary, based on search results; understand how information systems (i.e., collections of recorded information) are organized in order to access relevant information; use different types of searching language (e.g., controlled vocabulary, keywords, natural language) appropriately; manage searching processes and results effectively.

Students are assigned to analyze their chosen article according to the Information Literacy framwork. Note in the prompt that the teacher asks a series of questions. If students answer those questions, they have basically analyzed their article according to the IL framework.

Here is a link to the Chat I had with the student who provided the assignment: https://libanswers.mjc.edu/admin/chat/thread/8326207

Here is the link to the framework:  https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

Here is the link to RSR Visualized, which organizes the framework into graphics: https://libguides.mjc.edu/visualized

--Susan

Essay #3 is on a Social Movement, due Nov. 4. Research Assignment is linked below. For a Research Guide, she is using the Solutions to Oppression page from the ELIC 140 guide: https://libguides.mjc.edu/c.php?g=905597&p=7769248

Essay #4 is on an Unjust Law.Due Dec. 2. Prompt is below, and here is the Research Guide: https://libguides.mjc.edu/craane

~Susan

Essay 4

To prepare for writing Essay 4, you have read about unjust laws from famous civil disobedience activists, Martin Luther King Jr., and researched an unjust law in 2021.

For this assignment, in a 6-page essay, you will synthesize the ideas from the readings, your own ideas and experiences, and researched sources (finally, research is allowed!) to answer the following prompt:

What is an example of unjust law in 2021? Why is it unjust? Why should the law be changed and/or annulled?

Create a specific and well-articulated thesis statement that answers the prompt. Support that thesis with arguments and evidence (personal experience, general examples and facts, and specific examples and textual citations from at least 3 researched outside sources and any of the course readings from units 1 through 4.

For more details on essay requirements, submission, and grading see the below instructions AND the assignment rubric.

Email from teacher:

"This Annotated Biblio assignment is due for Engl 101-8382 on Sunday 3/28.  My 20 students have been strongly encouraged to enlist your support for completion.  Thank you so much for guiding them!  

Student topics and focus for the upcoming expose/report have all been preapproved, and they will stick with the topic they have.

I prefer they use their textbook for citation info.  They all have an eBook.  They have been working with this skill nearly every week for the past 7 weeks. 

They know I would like them to at least try Gale AcademicOneFile, and they have had video instructions about how to do that. 

All of them have completed the 901-903 LIBR series."

"Yes, evaluative.  This is part of the instructional material in the module.  The links have to be live, and they've had instruction and practice about how to download, save as a pdf, then upload the document in case it's in a database."

According to Mike's quick glance at a students Canvas, students need one "academic" source from the databases.  Searching for the term "cultural legacy" is not helpful, but  there are articles about proverbs and what they reflect about cultural norms or values is in EBSCOhost.  Susan has contacted Clanton for clarification.

What we have of the prompt:

Inquiry Question: How do you think a cultural legacy can impact the degree of a person’s success?

Background:

Proverbs are popular sayings which contain advice or state a generally accepted truth. Proverbs function as “folk wisdom,” general advice about how to act and live. And because they are folk wisdom, they often strongly reflect the cultural values and physical environment from which they arise. For instance, island cultures such as Hawaii have proverbs about the sea; Eastern cultures have proverbs about elephants, and American proverbs, many collected and published by Benjamin Franklin, are about hard work bringing success. Proverbs are used to support arguments, to provide lessons and instruction, and to stress shared values.  

In chapter 9 nine of Outliers, “Rice Paddies and Math Tests”, Gladwell provides some examples of proverbs that Chinese rice farmers would often recite such as “Farmers are busy; farmers are busy; if farmers weren’t busy, where would grain to get through winter come from?” and “In winter, the lazy man freezes to death” (238).

Prompt:

Gladwell uses these examples of proverbs from Chapter 9 to help explain the concept of cultural legacy. In Chapters 6, 7, and 8 Gladwell argues that understanding cultural legacy can impact a person’s success. Write a well-developed essay in which you define the term ‘cultural legacy’, discuss its impact, and discuss the role that proverbs play in keeping a cultural legacy alive. In this essay, you can either support Gladwell’s notion that cultural legacy has a profound impact on success or argue against itIn the essay’s introduction, give some background to Outliers. Then come to terms with Gladwell by explaining what he means by ‘cultural legacy.’ In your thesis, answer this question: What kind of impact does cultural legacy have on a person’s life? Can the impact be positive, negative, or both?

Students are assigned to meet with a librarian (appointment, chat, email) during the week of October 25-31). Here are the instructions she posted for students:

Preparing for Next Week's Consultation with a Research Librarian 

Hello!
I'm writing to provide you with information that will be helpful to you as you are scheduling time next week to consult with a research librarian about your research project.

First, here's what you'll need to do to prepare for the consultation:
1. You'll need to know what topic you have chosen for your research so you can discuss it. You'll need to be able to say why you've chosen this topic and what interests you most about it. 
2. You will need to have some "research questions" ready to discuss and get help refining. The questions you develop for Discussion Activity #3 will be helpful here, so make sure you have them handy when you have your consultation. Also, your classmates' will be adding research questions in their responses to your original post, so you might want to add those to your list as well.

And here's what you will get from the research librarian:
1. You will be taught how to search one database for an article on your topic (you'll actually come away from your consultation with an article to read and annotate).
2. You will learn how to generate a correct MLA citation for any articles you find in the library databases (this is ENORMOUSLY helpful!).

--------------------------------------------------

Also, here is her prompt (more info including source requirements is on the attached pdf):

For your research paper, you will need to choose some aspect of SOCIAL JUSTICE to learn about through your research. In order to maintain your focus on SOCIAL JUSTICE, though, think of the term meaning FAIRNESS for all members of society. There are many ways to approach this paper, but the bottom line to consider regardless of your topic is this: Who benefits? Who loses?

You may choose from any of the following topics:  

§  How have federal, state, or local government policies made it nearly impossible for some groups in our society to achieve homeownership and through it, economic mobility?

§  Why do we have unequal funding for public schools?

§  What are the inequalities present in our criminal justice system?

§  In what ways does our society systematically deny equal opportunities to some groups in our society?

§  What is the "achievement gap" in our public education system?

§  What is the "school-to-prison pipeline"?

§  What is the “wealth gap” in our society?

§  In what ways does our healthcare structure systematically deny equal access to quality healthcare to some groups in our society?

§  In what ways is racism alive and well in this country?

§  In what ways has the COVID-19 pandemic unfairly impacted certain groups, and what are the causes of this disproportionate impact?

Class was directed to the Art Research LibGuide

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE APRIL 28

Before the paper is due, students must complete an annotated bibliography. The sources they put in their AB MUST be the sources they ultimately use in their paper. So students really need to be sure they have a good outline and that the sources they find help them communicate the points they will make in the paper. 

RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINE ALSO DUE APRIL 28

04/15/20: Adrienne has replaced the research paper with a Researched Essay Outline. The outline Adrienne is using is attached above box.
 

For this paper, you will choose some aspect of SOCIAL JUSTICE to learn about through your research. In order to maintain your focus on SOCIAL JUSTICE, though, think of the term meaning FAIRNESS for all members of society. There are many ways to approach this paper, but the bottom line to consider regardless of your topic is this: Who benefits? Who loses?

You may choose from any of the following topics:

• How have federal, state, or local government policies made it nearly impossible for some groups in our society to achieve home ownership and through it, economic mobility?
• Why do we have unequal funding for public schools?
• What are the inequalities present in our criminal justice system?
• In what ways does our society systematically deny equal opportunities to some groups in our society?
• What is the "achievement gap" in our public education system?
• What is the "school-to-prison pipeline"?
• What is the “wealth gap” in our society?
• In what ways does our healthcare structure systematically deny equal access to quality healthcare to some groups in our society?
• In what ways is racism alive and well in this country?
• In what ways has (will) the recent spread of the COVID-19  unfairly impacted certain groups?
• Pandemics: Medical aspects
• Pandemics: Social/Psychological aspects
• Pandemics: Political Aspects

Requirements for a grade of “Complete:"

• You’ll want to make sure your essay meets the minimum length requirement of 2,000 words (not including the Works Cited page);

• You’ll want to make sure you have used a minimum of SIX substantive and/or scholarly sources in your paper.
  • At least ONE of your sources must be a scholarly source (peer-reviewed journal article).
  • All six of these required sources must be sources YOU found on your own or with the help of a research librarian.
  • You are allowed to use other sources, but they don't count in the SIX REQUIRED sources described above. 

• You’ll want to make sure you have followed MLA rules for formatting your paper;
• You’ll want to make sure you have followed MLA rules for integrating quotations and providing parenthetical citations for all source material (whether summarized, paraphrased, or quoted directly);
• You’ll want to make sure you have followed MLA rules for formatting your Works Cited page;
• You’ll want to make sure you have followed MLA rules for formatting each entry on the Works Cited page; and
• You’ll want to make sure each of your body paragraphs follows the “quotation sandwich” format from "They Say / I Say." 

SPRING 2020 update from Nancy:

All topics must be approved by instructor.

Sources expected:

• Substantive and/or Scholarly Articles and documents from most MJC databases except CQ Researcher, Opposing Viewpoints, and Pro/Con. Do not use these databases for sources.
• Thoroughly evaluated substantive and/or scholarly electronic articles from Google Scholar or other Internet sources  (it's okay to ask me)
• Appropriate books by experts in the field
• Must use a minimum of 4 appropriate sources in the essay

Fall 2019: Susan emailed Nancy and got this response in relation to acceptable topics.

Hi Nancy,

We’ve seen a lot of your students today who are struggling to come up with a topic that meets your approval, and we are working to understand what you are looking for. When we look over your list of suggested topics, we are confused about how one could form an argument about some of them using the sources in our databases alone (and one student told us news sources were not allowed—is that true?).

I know that the date for topic approval has passed, but I also know not all your students have approved topics yet as I was just working with one of them. I’m also the only librarian on duty tomorrow, and I’d love some guidance that I could pass on.

If you could send me a specific topic for each of your broader categories, that would be a big help. For example, can you give me an idea that would fall under International Travel Issues and Complexities? Also, I’m not sure what “Social Movements like calls for reform (not media)” means. I’m sure you’ve gone over all this in class, but we need a bit more information in order to best help your students.

Thanks so much,

Susan

Hi Susan,

Yes, they all know and have seen examples, but some of them want you to think for them because they didn't do the week of research on the suggested topics that I assigned.

I appreciate the position you are in.  Some of the topics approved so far are:

Militarization of police is necessary/unnecessary

Drone surveillance should not be part of public peace keeping

Hipster culture

Underground Radio

Hydrogen cars

Deaf culture is ruined by cochlear implants (!)

Jamaica should hols the Olympics

Cows milk is the best for babies

Central valley farms replace by almond orchards

Water allocation

Fracking

Fine arts in schools

Technology not needed in education

Cameras create public safety

All students should do military service

Don't impeach the president

Kids need better phys ed in schools & more

AI is out of control

US should ban same food additives as the EU does

Marriage culture

Keto diet is good long term

Common core is bad

Female mutilation should be banned in Africa

Insanity defense should never be allowed

Raise the age of majority

There are more, too, but you get the idea

Does this help, rather than explaining the thinking behind each broad topic suggestion?  I hope so.

And no, they do not have to use databases at all.  

I have asked them to use substantive sources and said that if they already know how to use a database, then they can, but that won't be taught or required until the next essay.

They are right about no news.

There are a lot of students this term who are uninformed about the world.  Getting the concrete thinking to expand at this age is pretty difficult.  Thank you for helping them and me, too.

Nancy Wandell

Jacob Eckrich has had this prompt for a few semesters. I don't think we get a lot of his students in, but those we do get will be confused. Here's the LibGuide: http://libguides.mjc.edu/satire

In the BI I emphasized that they could approach this two ways--from the facts about the issue>satire  or satire on the issue>facts. I showed them how to find opinion pieces in the databases and how to evaluate web sources. The guide has lots of links to political satire, so hopefully finding the satire itself won't be too hard (assuming they stick to current controversial issues)!

Prompt: Writing Project #3: Satire and American Culture

For this writing project assignment, you will research an issue that explores humor and its use/effect in modern society. Being an educated member of society also brings with it a responsibility for civic community participation, and one element of this is knowing what the current issues are, knowing where you stand on those issues, and being willing to participate in the conversation about these issues. So, first of all, you need understand what you will be responding to. For this research paper, you will be addressing the question: “What effect(s) is/are political satire having on American society?”

Then you need to write a researched argument about this issue. This means that you will need to

1.            Define the issue from a primary source (this means the piece of satire--SC)

2.            Describe the conversation about this issue: What are people saying? How does the issue affect different groups in different ways? 

3.            Analyze the language that people are using to talk about the issue so you can understand the bias that is brought to discussions about this issue.

4.            Take a stand on this issue

Specifications: 8-9 pages double spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, MLA

5-6 sources: You cannot count dictionaries or encyclopedias as any of the five sources (you can certainly use these in your paper if you need to, but they will be in addition to the five sources required). Sources may be texts from the RoH anthology, texts I’ve made available online, academic/scholarly texts you find in databases, or sources written by comedians/humorists (such as interviews or essays where they discuss the nature or use of humor/satire) or other scholars. *At least 3 sources must be researched*