ENGWR 300 (Jacobsen)

English 300 Paper 3: Research Paper Annotated Bibliography

Overall length: 5 sources 
 

The Topic:

In this assignment, you will begin your research on your final paper. To start, you will want to pick a topic for your research paper. If you decide after you have written the annotated bibliography that you want to switch topics, that’s fine. However, changing topics will require more work.

What’s an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations of books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief description and an evaluation, the annotation. Your citations should be in MLA format.

The Process:

For this assignment you will need to do the following:

· Carefully read this assignment (paper #3) and the research paper assignment (paper #4).

· Select a topic for your research paper (see below).

· Type your research question and working (or tentative) thesis at the top of your annotated bibliography. It is fine if you change these later.

· Use the library databases to find sources. You will need five sources for this assignment. Your sources should all be strong. (Note: you are more likely to find a strong source with the library databases than with Google.) Your sources should also be recent, or less than five years old.

· You will want to have the following five sources: --One book or relevant chapter (print or ebook) --One scholarly journal --One magazine or newspaper --One credible website --One strong source that comes from any of the above or somewhere else

· Please use the heading and label each annotation. For example, books, scholarly journals, etc.

· After you have found a good source, add it to your annotated bibliography list using MLA citation format. Please include a link to your source beneath each citation.

· Below the citation, write a summary of 50 words minimum. (Please do not copy/paste abstracts or summaries that you find online. Turnitin will flag this as plagiarism, and you will receive a failing grade.) Your summaries should be in your own words.

· Below the annotation summary, describe why this source is a good one for your paper. You could explain how it is relevant to your topic, how the author is an expert in the field, or how the article is found in a respected magazine or journal, for instance. Your evaluation of the source should be 50 words minimum.

· Submit your five sources with annotations in alphabetical order. You should also use hanging indents when listing your sources.

Topics:

Pick one of the following topics:

1. Book banning occurs when the government or another authority restricts access to a book. Removing a book from a library may prevent easy access to a dangerous text (such as one about how to make a bomb). However, books that cover complex issues about race, gender, and sexuality may also be banned. (Some past banned/challenged books include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.)Write an essay in which you argue to what extent books should be banned from libraries.

2. In bilingual education, academic instruction is given in two languages, which in the U.S. is often English and Spanish. Some states, though, have eliminated bilingual education in public schools (with the exception of foreign language classes). Critics point out that bilingual education can be difficult for children and that it is expensive. Proponents note that children pick up foreign languages faster than adults and that bilingual education provides children with future opportunities. Write an essay in which you argue to what extent bilingual education should be embraced today.

3. Most students favor a college campus that allows free speech. Traditionally, college has been a place where students encounter diverse perspectives and reflect on their assumptions. Today, though, we live in a politically polarized world. What happens if a student feels uncomfortable with the language a professor uses? Or what happens if a student finds the ideas an invited speaker presents to be offensive? Do colleges have a responsibility to make students feel safe? Should professors self-censor? Write an essay in which you argue to what extent colleges should embrace free speech.

4. Recently colleges, universities, and other educational institutions have renamed buildings and removed monuments. Whereas previously many colleges felt that renaming buildings erased important history, today some institutions are taking a different view. Is a name just a name or is a name oppressive? Does a monument represent free speech? Do these names or monuments teach us things that should be remembered so that injustices are not repeated or easily ignored? Write an essay in which you argue to what extent these buildings should be renamed and/or monuments removed.