TOPIC FOCUS: Arguing for an American popular culture icon who has Influenced the cultural landscape of Americans over several generations. Please limit your selection to an actual person: no historical landmarks, vacation destinations, events, films, symbols, or imaginary characters etc. Icons come from all walks of our cultural panorama. What are the characteristics of such an individual? What values do they represent? How have they continued to evolve over time so that an individual who appealed to your grandparents also appeals to your parents and to you? Build your case. And remember: This research paper is a persuasive paper. It’s not a report of information or a biography. Students must have a thesis to defend. First person POV used sparingly is acceptable in this paper but avoiding announcing phrases such as I selected, I am going to write about, I believe, or in my opinion.”Papers should have a robust introductory paragraph with a thesis, followed by fully developed body paragraphs to present evidence. Counter arguments should be addressed, if appropriate, in 1 or 2 sentences. Topic sentences and transitions help the argument flow and engage the reader. Attention should be given to grammar, structure, spelling and general presentation. Remember the traits of effective writing. PAPERS MUST BE SUBMITTED ON TIME. Three (3) to (6) properly integrated in-text citations are required. MLA Format is required in all the elements of the formatting of this paper. Sources must be reliable. The variety of credible sources annotated in a student’s annotated bibliography should suffice, but should a student’s research take a different tack, then other sources may be used, but they must be credible. No WIKIPEDIA. No Blogs. No Study Mode websites as listed in the syllabus. All sources must be cited properly.
Assessment Criteria RESEARCH PAPER RUBRIC POINTS EARNED Criterion (TOTAL VALUE 200 points) Maximum Value 1. There is a clear structure in this work: including introductory (with thesis), body and concluding paragraphs. There must be evidence of a counterargument to the thesis clearly addressed early on in the paper. One or two sentences will suffice. 100 2. Critical thinking and engaging in academic discourse is evident. The paper is a persuasive stand on a clearly defined popular culture icon AND not an informational project. 40 3. The AUTHOR has made a clear attempt to meet the MLA requirements of this paper including in text citations, work cited page, proper integration of sources in his or her own prose, and paper formatting. there must be at least 3 in-text citations; any source in your works cited page MUST be cited in your paper. 30 4. THE AUTHOR has presented a work that is mostly free of grammatical, structural, punctuation, has consistency in point of view, and a minimum of spelling.
Sources: 3 sources required Language: English (US
Citation Style: MLA
9 pages / 2500 words (Double spacing)