This is a project designed to hone your argumentative skills to the most specific level possible, while also creating an understanding of what makes a good source and a poor source in your research activities. Basically, you should imagine that you have come before a committee as a university senior, Master’s student, or Ph.D. candidate with a topic for the thesis/dissertation that is required before graduation. The essay portion of this project will be like a thesis/dissertation topic, an abstract or prospectus that reveals your original and specific thesis on your subject and the research you hope to use, so the structure of this project will be different than the standard essay you’ve done earlier in the semester.
The project will consist of two parts. Part One is an Abstract; Part Two must be an Annotated Bibliography. The entire project must be double-spaced, in Times New Roman size 12 font, with one-inch margins. There is a template you MUST follow for Part I and Part II located in the Notes module.
Part One:
This will contain an Abstract between 600-800 words, no more, no less. Its purpose is to relate a theory of your own (an original thesis, or as much as it can be, on the issues raised by climate change, disasters (natural or human caused), pollution, ecology (care for, love of, study of nature), our environmental future, and the future of all life. Consider all the texts that we have read and discussed this semester. Do you have a remedy, resolution, or cure for this issue? Can you formulate a thesis that defines your therapeutic outlook? Your theory must be as original a theory as you can make it. The Abstract should have three major parts: a “History” section, a “Reason of Interest” section, and your “Theory” section. Each section can consist of a paragraph (or more than one if necessary), followed by word count, fulfilling its specific goal. Make sure to list the word count after each of the three sections in Part I; there is a template for this in the Notes section on D2L. If you actually use sources in the Abstract (i.e. in any of the sections), then a Works Cited is required and should be on the last page of the project, after the Annotated Bibliography.
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The History section must give an origin and background for your subject, rooted in facts and researched history. Sites like Dictionary.com and Wikipedia.com will not suffice. The history must come from noted historians and scholars. This is the first part of your essay. (200-265 words)
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The Reason of Interest section divulges the reasons why this topic interests you enough to create such a discourse on it. This paragraph will obviously use first person, but do not begin too many sentences with “I”; diversify your sentence structure and the beginnings of sentences. This section should be as honest, yet professional as possible. For instance, your reason of interest should not be something like, “I like this topic because it has interested me since I was a child, etc.” You should outline and explain your points of interest in a professional and convincing manner. (200-265 words)
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The Theory section is basically your thesis statement, except that it will consist of many statements, outlining the focus, details, and directions, as well as the argument of your essay. The clarity of this section of your essay needs to be at its best. Declaring your argument needs to be about a short paragraph. (200-265 words)
Part Two:
The second and final part of your project is your Annotated Bibliography. You need to find three sources (none of these sources can be ones that we read for class or that you’ve already used in other papers; they must be newly gathered just for this project) that offer scholarship or fundamental research on your topic. These sources can be hard copy sources or Internet sources or a mixture of both. Very often searching the nearby shelves that cover your topic will yield many sources that were not found in your library search on the Internet. The Internet sources that you use should be published, scholarly sources that can be found by using Galileo or some other search engine. These sources may include online books, journals, articles, etc. published by scholars and professionals in the field. Each source must be put in alphabetical order in MLA format, just like a works cited page. Do not number these sources, and you must double-space everything.
An annotation (a summary and review of the source) must accompany each source and must begin on the very next line following the last MLA documentation for each source; there is a template for this in the Notes section on D2L. In other words, if the copyright was the last entry for your first source, then hit enter and begin the annotation for this source. An annotation is a summary and critique of your source and should consist of responses to the following:
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What is the subject of this source, or what does this particular source cover?
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Does the author(s) succeed in fulfilling their purpose?
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Is this source clear and focused?
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Was it helpful and does it offer pertinent knowledge on your subject?
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Reference specific details, statistics, examples from the source
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Would you recommend this source for others doing a similar project on this subject and efficiently state why?
You do not have to read the entire book or source. Reading introductions, conclusions, skimming through chapters, etc. will suffice, as long as you get to know the book, its tone and purpose. Make sure that you answer all these questions in one fluid paragraph that is at least half a page long for each source; this will be the annotation for each source. Each annotation should be at least a half a page in length.