Week 2 Objectives

• Explore the syllabus posts on my blog about our schedule and grading.
• Write a research proposal.
• Begin researching.
• Study the classical argument.

You should have a good idea of what direction your research will take you now. If you have a topic for your persuasive essay, fantastic! If you are still working on it, no problem. The more research you do, the easier it will be to find what interests you. Explain what you hope to accomplish with your research in a research proposal (Label it "Research Proposal"). Research Proposal Template

Next start your research. Where? Where ever! (Google is a good idea). Also, it is true that you cannot use Wikipedia as a source in a formal essay, but you can use it to generate ideas or find useful articles (Posted at the bottom of Wikipedia articles). For every interesting article you encounter make a Research blog post about it (Please label it, "research"). This is where I will get your research grade from. Example Research Post

Last semester we studied how to write a traditional five paragraph essay to express your thoughts and opinions. Building on that, I want you to use the classical argument structure for your essay. Please read the following resources about the classical argument.

The Classical Argument from http://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedfiles/writingcenter/centerhandoutclassicalargument.pdf

A good description of the parts of the classical argument. I am expecting you to have a general understanding of the classical argument, and a sincere attempt at including the 5 elements of the classical argument will be sufficient for full credit. 

A Sample Classical Argument from
http://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj/archives/writ102/sampleclassicalargument.htm

This should give you an idea of what a classical argument will look like when it is finished.