You will base the topic of your I-Search essay on a question that you genuinely want to answer, for personal or professional reasons but which is also non-trivial. The essay will be a variation upon the typical research paper that many courses require because this assignment includes a description of your research process and both primary research –talking to people who can help you to answer your question–;and secondary research –;deriving information from books, periodicals, etc. It also includes an argument of some sort.

Note: In Due dates, the first date is for the MWF class and the second for the TTh class*

 1. Part one: The Question. This section will not require any research since it depends on what's already in your head. Write a clear statement of a) what you want to know, b) why you want to know it, c) what you already know about it, d) any assumptions you already have about what the answer might be, and e) how you intend to find an answer or answers to your question. Use the present tense and an informal style. While I will not grade this brief essay, it is a requirement, and when I read it, I may make suggestions as to possible sources, narrowing of topic, or other things to help you. Consider carefully. Any change of a topic accepted will result in a lowering of the paper grade.
Length: 250-300 words.
Due date*: 3/27;3/26

 2. Part two:
A. 10% ("Essay" 4) The Bibliography: You will create a working bibliography, in the correct format, that will list, in alphabetical order by author, the sources located. This will not be your final bibliography because you need not check the information at this point to see if it is pertinent for your topic. 15-20 sources is a reasonable number since not all of these will be usable for the paper. Reference works like encyclopedias and dictionaries do not count in the bibliography.
Due date*: Bibliography/List of Sources 4/3;4/2
B. The Search.
1. As you collect data in the form of interviews, informal conversations, magazine articles, books, the Career Placement and Planning Center, your classes, television documentaries and news shows, you will take notes and document your search in your journal. Keep your journal with you at all times now so that you can record whatever information you find. (Remember to keep scrupulous track of your written sources–;author, title, publisher, date, page #s and call #–;as well as recording essential information about your primary sources.)
As you become further involved in your search, your focus may change somewhat; you may find that the topic is too big or that you really can't find enough information on it, or perhaps that a particular area in it actually interests you the most. Everyone encounters some dead-end sources; start early to compensate for these.
2. When you have collected a full array of useful information, you can begin writing your Search Narrative/Process Analysis 15% (Essay 5). This records the processes you went through to gather your data and what you found out from each resource. To maintain your reader's interest, you will highlight the particularly useful parts of the search and minimize the dead ends. You will look at the process as a whole, clearly identifying the steps that led you to your goal (your answered question).
Remember that you probably have a much deeper understanding of your subject that most of your readers, so your audience may be unfamiliar with key terms or concepts that seem perfectly simple to you. Make sure your reader can follow with ease.
Length: minimum 550 wds. (2-3 pp)
Due dates*: Rough draft + 3 copies    4/8 ;4/7
                    Essay #5 due             4/10 ;4/9

 3. Part Three: 25% The Research Paper. Now that you have completed and reported on your search, you should be ready to write up the results in a more formal manner. As the final part of this assignment, you will write a research paper which incorporates, in a coherent, well-organized fashion, the various bits of information that you have gathered. Somewhere within the paper, an argument of at least 2 pages should occur. If your topic does not lend itself to argument, then broaden it to do so.
Your paper should have a clear and carefully conceived thesis--the answer to the question you originally posed. Compare what you assumed with what you actually discovered (your brief essay on your question will be useful here). Perhaps you have found a specific career opportunity or a major that seems right for you; maybe you have discovered a valid "truth" about some controversial issue that you investigated. In some cases, you may want to urge a particular course of action.
Whatever form the essay takes, it must include extensive analysis; a regurgitation of facts will be unacceptable. You have used the research to help you form your own perspective on a question; now expand and illustrate that perspective. Keep in mind that in a research paper one is expected to address an academic audience in a serious tone--sarcasm and high comedy are out of place (but academic jargon and stilted prose will not win readers either). Directness, objectivity and clarity will strengthen your paper.

 Note on sources: As noted above, you will use both primary and secondary sources for this paper. I will require at least one primary source--an interview with a knowledgeable person--and three secondary sources for a C grade. However, an adequate paper (B to A) will require at least two primary and six-eight secondary sources. If your paper does not allow for both types, you must revise your topic. Your sources can range widely over various disciplines (the sciences, humanities, medicine, sports, etc.), but should not include pop-media fare--Readers' Digest, People, and USA Today are too lightweight. Choose sources that provide more than basic facts and that offer various points of view. Your topic must allow for using at least two scholarly sources.
In Documenting these sources you will follow the guidelines in your text, using MLA style or APA style. Use endnotes rather than footnotes and include your revised bibliography.

 Length: 2000-2500 wds.( 8-10 pp.)
Due dates*: Thesis and Outline   4/13 ;4/14
                    Draft + 3 copies   4/22;4/21
                    Essay #6            4/24 ;4/23
All assignments (except the rough drafts) must be typed and proofread. Each will be considered in your grade, and no extension will be possible this late in the semester.