English II

 

 

 

For the Topics Inventory, you will construct a list of topics from which you may choose one to develop into a Research

 

Paper for this course. This exercise is based on the models on p. 318 of Strategies for Writing Successful Research

 

Papers, so you will want to refer back to this page for examples. (NOTE: The book does not always provide three possible

 

topics per category, but you will be required to do so. Please see the Unit I Example.)

 

Purpose:

 

The purpose of this assignment is to help you formulate an inventory of topics that you are interested in so that you may

 

choose one to research in Unit II and develop into a Research Proposal. Be sure to choose a topic that you are invested in,

 

as you are more likely to be motivated and excited about a subject that interests you. You will want to choose a topic that is

 

academically viable, for as Lester et al (2011) state, “You can’t write a personal essay and call it a research paper, yet you

 

can choose topics close to your life” (p. 318).

 

Description:

 

You will supply three (3) possible topics in each of the following four (4) categories:

 

1. Academic subject

 

2. Social issue

 

EH 1020, English Composition II 3

 

3. Scientific subject

 

4. Cultural background

 

Within each of these four (4) categories, you will supply three (3) possible academic topics. Use the following format to

 

organize your topics inventory:

 

1. Personal interest

 

2. The category (repeated from above: academic study, social issue, scientific subject, and cultural background)

 

3. Three possible academic topics (each should be distinctive, developed, and as specific as possible)

 

After you complete Part I, you will have twelve (12) possible topics that you could choose from and develop into a research

 

project. You will choose one of these and work with the same one for Part II and Part III.

 

Example: Academic study

 

1. Personal interest: Cars

 

2. Academic subject: Eco-engineering

 

3. Possible academic topic:

 

• “The Fate of Hybrid Vehicles: The Cost Is Not Worth the Environmental Toll”

 

• “Hydrogen Cars: Are They a Safe Alternative?”

 

• “Electric Cars Are Not ‘Saving’ Environmental Resources, Only Saving

 

• Money at the Gas Pump” The Topics Inventory is worth 40 points of this assignment.

 

Part II: Controlling Idea Statement

 

Understanding your controlling idea will aid you in your research endeavor in Unit II as you launch into researching

 

materials to help you better develop your research paper.

 

Purpose:

 

The purpose of this exercise is to help you bridge between your Topics Inventory and your Short Proposal by helping you

 

to formulate a controlling idea statement.

 

Description:

 

You will formulate a controlling idea statement through one of the following: a thesis, an enthymeme, or a hypothesis. For

 

this assignment, you are required to only produce one Controlling Idea Statement. It should be a statement, not a question.

 

Further, your final Research Paper will be an argumentative, research-based, academic-style Research Paper; therefore,

 

your Controlling Idea Statement must propose an argument. In other words, your Controlling Idea Statement must be a

 

contestable statement that invites argumentation—something that you must prove or support with research.

 

Process:

 

Refer back to your Topics Inventory and Chapter 14, Section 14f, of Strategies for Writing Successful Research Papers,

 

“Developing a Thesis Statement, Enthymeme, or Hypothesis” (pp. 328-331). The Success Center has created a webinar

 

that will assist you when you are constructing your argumentative thesis statement. Click here to view this webinar.

 

Follow these steps, and draft a Controlling Idea Statement:

 

1. Choose one topic from the list of twelve possible topics that you created when you wrote your Topics Inventory.

 

Consider these questions when choosing your topic: Which of these topics is most appealing to you? Which one

 

seems as though it has the most possibility for ease of researching and for developing a research paper?

 

2. Choose one type of Controlling Idea Statement you would like to write:

 

• a thesis statement “advances a conclusion the writer will defend”;

 

• an enthymeme “uses a because clause to make a claim the writer will defend”;

 

• a hypothesis “is a theory that must be tested…to prove its validity” (Lester & Lester, 2010, p. 328).

 

3. Draft your statement; use the examples in Section 14f as examples to assist you.

 

4. Save a copy of this statement for yourself, and submit your Controlling Idea Statement with the Unit I Assignment.

 

The Controlling Idea Statement is worth 10 points of this assignment