WORLD CIVILIZATIONS II THESIS PAPER
Your Task:
You will write a 3-4 page thesis paper that is intended to argue your particular viewpoint about a world issue. Your position must be supported with in-depth research, not just your own opinions, and you must include a list of works cited that contain at least four sources. A list of questions that your paper may answer is provided with this handout.
Process:
1. CHOOSE A RESEARCH QUESTION
Read through the research questions provided at the end of this handout based on the stimulus source about the Middle East. Choose 1-2 that are most interesting to you. Conduct your preliminary research with these questions in mind, and make a final decision about which you would prefer to answer.
2. CONDUCT RESEARCH
Once you have identified your research question, you will begin to conduct research to better understand the issues related to the question that you have chosen. You will have class time for research. You may need to devote time to research at home.
We will provide you with 4-6 sources that can be used to answer your research question. You will also select ONE source of your own from your research. You will NOT be using the general internet for research. Please select a source from one of the databases listed.
When performing your research, several resources may be helpful to you. Go to the SHS Library
Media Center Homepage to access Databases SHS. Suggested databases are…
· World History in Context
· Opposing Viewpoints in Context
· SIRS Researcher
3. USE YOUR RESEARCH TO WRITE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT
This paper is not a report, but a thesis paper. You are not just listing facts or describing an issue. The goal of your paper is to provide evidence to persuade others to support an argument that you have formed based on your research. In order to choose a position, you need to consider multiple answers to your research question. For example:
RESEARCH QUESTION: To what degree does the U.S. healthcare system provide for the various needs of citizens?
POSSIBLE ANSWERS: The U.S. healthcare system adequately provides for all citizens.
The U.S. healthcare system adequately provides for upper class citizens, but leaves many citizens without healthcare.
The U.S. healthcare system provides for many of the needs of the upper class, but none of the healthcare needs for the lower classes.
The answer to your research question is your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should appear at the end of the introduction to your research paper. To be complete, however, your thesis statement should be expanded so that it previews the reasons for your thesis and provides organization for your paper. For example:
THESIS (ANSWER): The U.S. healthcare system provides for many of the needs of the upper class, but none of the healthcare needs for the lower classes.
EXPANDED THESIS: The U.S. healthcare system adequately provides for citizens who can afford health insurance or who receive good coverage from employers. Citizens who are (1) unemployed, (2) self-employed, or (3) cannot afford health insurance often go without healthcare.
*So, argument 1 would address unemployed citizens, argument 2 would address the self-employed, and argument 3 would address those who cannot afford health care.
4. CREATE AN OUTLINE BASED ON YOUR EXPANDED THESIS
Using your research, create an outline that your paper will be based upon. This packet contains formatting/content instructions for the outline and a model outline.
5. WRITE YOUR PERSUASIVE RESEARCH PAPER BASED ON YOUR OUTLINE
Your final paper should…
· Demonstrate deep understanding of the issue you have chosen.
· Be clearly organized according to the outline you created.
· Contain no spelling, grammatical, or formatting errors.
· Be 3-4 pages in length, double-spaced, typed in 12 point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins.
· Incorporate a minimum of FOUR sources (3 from the Guide, 1 of your own), all of which are parenthetically cited in the paper.
· One source must be used as a COUNTERCLAIM.
· Contain a Works Cited page in MLA format.