Write a research paper that answers a questionrelated to the legacies of slavery and/or segregation that are still seen in the worldtoday. The paper’s thesis statement should be supported by reasons, which should besupported by researched evidence from credible sources. You may also include othertypes of evidence to appeal to your audience, and you should establish credibility byshowing knowledge of the topic and acknowledging its complexity.Your audience: A neutral academic audience not specialized in the topic you’re writingabout. The reader does not have a firm position or answer to your research question inmind.• Should race be a factor in college admissions?• Should there be reparations for slavery?• Should more be done to desegregate schools?Reminder: All writing for this assignment must be new to this semester and to thisclass. Work from another class you are currently taking or have taken in the past cannotbe submitted for this assignment. Submissions that contain any work submitted inanother class will receive zero points. Some things to keep in mind:• Your thesis will likely be some form of answer to your guiding research question. Ihighly recommend starting with a question that you are truly curious aboutanswering. You may investigate a prescriptive question (“should” type of question) ordescriptive question (“what/why/when/how” type of question).• Prescriptive (“should”) questions tend to more easily lead to debatable answers, butdescriptive questions can as well. Whichever type of question you choose toinvestigate in your research, it needs to lead to an answer (thesis) that is contestableand needs proving, not an obvious one.• Consider avoiding issues in which you have already formed a solid position. Yourresearch might suffer from confirmation bias, a selection of evidence that justconfirms your position. Use this project to learn something, not just reinforce whatyou already believe.• Anything that is taken word-for-word from a source must be in quotation marksand cited properly. Any specific ideas or figures taken from an author or sourceindirectly (paraphrased or summarized), even it is not exactly word-for-word,must be attributed to that source and cited correctly.• Acknowledge alternative viewpoints or challenges to your thesis and respond tothem. By addressing all perspectives, you show the reader that you have thoughtabout the topic at length and considered all views. 1. Does the author convince the reader that the author is knowledgeable about the topic orissue?2. Does the author address alternative claims, viewpoints, or hypotheses fairly and accurately?3. Does evidence used to support the thesis come from knowledgeable, reliable sources?4. Does the author show professionalism by following MLA’s formatting and grammarguidelines? Are sources cited correctly (in-text citations and Works Cited page)?Reason, Support, and Clarity:5. Is the supporting evidence and reasoning clear and convincing?6. Is the thesis statement original, clear, and direct? Is it a contestable statement?7. Is the paper’s message presented clearly with consistency? (topic sentences, transitions,unity, coherence)8. Does the author respond to alternative or opposing claims or viewpoints through concessionand/or refutation?Audience Consideration:9. Are the introduction and conclusion effective considering the neutral audience’s familiaritywith the topic?10. Does the author show consideration of the audience through appropriate emotionalappeals (e.g., anecdotes, visual aids) and stylistic choices?11. Is the tone appropriate for a non-specialized academic audience (e.g., word choice,formality)?
