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In this unit,

 

you will analyze an individual’s role in a current American event, trend, or conversation, and you will relay this information to a specific audience. To start, you will choose a person who is currently having an impact on some aspect of American culture. It could be an actor, an athlete, a politician, a singer, perhaps even someone you know personally. You will use something this individual has said or done, or a trend they have been a part of, to create context for your researched discussion. After grounding your essay in a specific moment, you will use a balance of mainstream and academic sources to analyze the issue or problem your individual is in conversation with.

 

You might begin by thinking about the genres you wrote about in Project 1, further considering the conversations you’ve been personally invested in. You can either start with a person you admire and work to explore the conversations they’re a part of, or start with a conversation you want to join and work to find an individual who’s a part of that conversation. (Forbes and Time’s lists of influential people may help on that front.) As you brainstorm topics, keep in mind that you need to start the paper with a specific moment, that you need to direct your paper to a specific audience, and that your ultimate goal is to motivate individuals to do/think/say something specific about the conversation you’re joining. Check out some sample topics in the column to your right.

 

Regardless of the individual and conversation you choose, the key to enjoying the research and writing is deciding on a topic you can engage with. If you truly care about your subject, you will be much more likely to compose a strong essay. Finally, keep in mind that in the next unit, you are going to be asked to continue the conversation you start here. You will translate your research into three more genres.

 

The Researched Genre: An Individual's Role in American Culture

Preparatory Assignment #1: Research Proposal  

(min. 300 words)

 

You will need to write a research proposal designed to help you organize your ideas and intentions. This proposal will be based on your exploration of your topic and your initial research. You should include the individual you’ve chosen to focus on, how you became interested in your topic, why you think this individual and conversation are important, and how you plan to explore the topic through your research. You might include a preliminary thesis, and some helpful sources and ideas you’ve found already.

You might choose Nicki Minaj, using her tweets about VMA nominations that started a “feud” with Taylor Swift. You might use the controversy as a backdrop to a discussion about the problems with “white feminism,” or with the music industry’s biases towards and against certain groups of people. In the end, you would want to prep your audience for some upcoming awards show—urging them to think about your conclusions before voting, or to pay extra attention to both the nominations and the acceptance speeches.

You might choose Bennet Omalu, the Nigerian forensic pathologist Will Smith portrays in Concussion. You could use the movie to prove your topic’s current relevance, as a starting point to discuss problematic policies in the NFL and what you think an everyday football fan should think/do/say about those problems.

You might choose Donald Trump, using his most recent controversial comment to discuss both the issue he was talking about and the American people’s responses to the kind of political environment he creates. Ultimately, you would want to speak to the American voters heading into the 2016 election—encouraging them to think/do/say something specific about the candidates and the election.

You might choose a Florida State professor in a field you’re interested in joining. You might interview them about their research, using that to discuss the current relevance of both their research and the field. In the end, you would want to encourage your audience to keep tabs on the field, or to apply the research in some capacity, or to join the field themselves.

Preparatory Assignment #2: Annotated Bibliography

(min. 1000 words)

 

You will need to annotate ten potential sources, four of which must be academic and/or peer-reviewed sources. Each entry should examine a source’s credibility, relevance, and potential incorporation into your paper. You should write annotations for each of the ten sources, and each annotation should—

 

  1. Briefly summarize the source and its main ideas.

  2. Tell how the source relates to your research topic and/or to the individual you’ve selected.

  3. Tell how the source relates/does not relate to the other sources you have found.

  4. Tell how you plan to use this source in your paper.

  5. A tweet (max. 140 characters) through which you communicate some aspect of the source to your informal Twitter audience.

 

Your sources should represent different voices in the conversation you’re exploring. (i.e. You should have a balance of academic and mainstream/everyday sources.) You might describe what new/different information each source provides, explain weaknesses/strengths of the source, and tell what about the source you find especially interesting. If a source doesn’t touch on some idea you think will be important to your paper, you can mention that shortcoming as well.

Sample Annotated Bibliography:

Sample Projects (*Different Prompt*):

All successful projects...

 

  • Produce a vivid picture of the author's encounter with at least three genres.

  • Write in a ‘voice’ that is appropriate for each genre.

  • Organize the snapshots in a meaningful way, both within and between each snapshot.

  • Balance each snapshot with detailed reflection that demonstrates engagement with the material learned through readings and in class.

  • Demonstrate mastery over fundamental elements of writing, such as structure, grammar, punctuation, word choice, and proper use of any sources (e.g. Bedford Book of Genres).

  • Make significant progress from draft to draft.

Dates to Remember:

 

 

February 11: Research Proposal Due

February 25: Annotated Bibliography Due

February 29-March 4: Conferences on Draft 1

March 17: Peer Review on Draft 2

March 22: Final Draft Due (Bb)

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