Gender and Representation

Writing Assignment #2 Research Report Length: 1200—1500 words 12 pt font double-spaced MLA Works-Cited Page required 3 sources minimum Objective: The writer of a research essay must make a claim (the thesis statement) and back it up with source material. You will design and research an argument of your own about your topic. You will be entering the conversation and field of discourse about your topic in order to craft a solid research report. Begin by reading “Entering a Controversy: Analyzing the Issues” (Chapter 3 The Call to Write), which explains why research is a necessary prerequisite to making your own argument. This paper moves beyond analyzing a single text, toward surveying a field of discussion. This assignment is intended to build on our previous work–namely, rhetorical analysis. Remember, this is not about summarizing and explaining your topic; it’s about engaging in writing and supporting your argument about that topic and the discussions, led by experts, around it. This project seems deceptively simple: to report on a variety of viewpoints, or arguments, on a given topic. However, this is no ordinary research report. This assignment differs because you’re not simply assembling sources. Rhetorical analysis enables you to present not just what everyone’s saying about a particular topic, but how various arguments are being made. Examining this “rhetorical field” should deepen your understanding of your topic, which will help you (in your next assignment) to make a more effective, sophisticated case for your own position. Again, this paper is not so much about summarizing your research topic: it is about engaging in writing and presenting an argument of your own. Choose any research topic that is related to the field of humanities