For the final essay of the semester, you will address an original research question, which you will formulate based on your interests and on our course content, namely, Pop Culture & Mass Media. Support for this project will include intermediate deadlines for an outline, drafts, and annotated bibliography. Your paper should be 6 to 7 pages in length and utilize at least 4 academic sources, such as peer-reviewed journals, to effectively support your argument. The best research questions will be those which could lead to implications beyond your paper and in which you have a personal interest. Consider the many facets of the course themes we have explored and also think about the different types of questions you could ask. As mentioned in class, you may develop the topic you chose for your exploratory essay; however, on this one, rather than exploring the possibilities without committing to any one side, the goal is to address your research question, eventually taking a position, supporting your position with academic sources by addressing other researchers’ claims and evidence.
Be sure
- address the background of the issue and include a strong thesis with a clear argument.
- incorporate academic research into your argument by summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting, using MLA in-text citations (multiple citations in every body paragraph).
- end with a strong conclusion.
- adhere to the six-to-seven-page requirement.
- use an academic register throughout.
- include a Works Cited page (MLA 8 format).
- revise and edit the paper thoroughly.
In order to complete your final essay, you will need to do academic research, and one of the more useful tools for completing research is an annotated bibliography, which is a list of your sources (similar to a Works Cited) with commentary. To create one, you should include the working title of your paper with the words Annotated Bibliography in the subtitle. On this assignment, you should use a minimum of 4 academic (peer-reviewed) journal articles. Bibliographic entries should follow MLA conventions. Underneath each entry, you should include 6-10 sentences that summarize, assess, and reflect on the articles. Throughout, you should maintain an objective, academic register.
find a minimum of 4 academic journal articles that are relevant to your particular research question.
list the bibliographic information using MLA conventions as you would on a typical Works Cited page.
write a 6-10 sentence paragraph after each entry that summarizes, assesses, and reflects on each article.
Topic:
In my last exploratory essay, I discussed the positive and negative impacts of social media on children. In the research paper, the topic will be similar to the previous essay, but I will focus on discussing the negative psychological impact of excessive use of social media by children and teenagers. Unlike the previous essay, I will not neutral about this question, but more about the negative psychological effects. The topic is about: are kids and teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?