Skip to Main Content
ENGWR 302 (Olsen)

ENGWR 302 (Olsen)

Home

Research Instructions

Paper Prompt: Restitution in Sacramento

For the remainder of the semester, you, along with a group of your classmates, will explore one research topic in depth. You will conduct and share research and then write your own, individual research essay.

The three topics you may choose from relate to the idea of atoning for historic injustices, and all will be explored on the local level, looking specifically at how they relate to Sacramento:

    • Topic 1: De-Suttering Sacramento
    • Topic 2: Housing Discrimination in Sacramento
    • Topic 3: The War on Drugs (in Sacramento)

You'll need to find the following:

    • Who was hurt and how were they hurt?
    • What can be done to make this right?

Your goal for this research project is to find sources that help you to make a case for how we should make repairs for past wrongs with respect to your chosen topic. To do this well, your sources  will likely include the following:

    • historical background of this issue in a larger context (within the country or California)
    • historical background of this issue specifically here in Sacramento 
    • information about how the wrongs of the past have an ongoing impact on people
    • statistical data on the group or topic
    • discussions on possible ways of making repairs
    • counter-argument against the harm done OR against making restitution for this group or this topic

The Basics

  • Minimum of 8 pages
  • MLA formatted heading, in-text citations, and Works Cited list
  • Cite at least 6 sources, at least one of which must be scholarly/academic
  • Written for a general academic audience
  • Edited to eliminate spelling, grammatical, and syntactic errors