The research project is the most important assignment of the semester, combining research, persuasive writing, documentation and original thought into one product. It offers each student the opportunity to choose to explore a topic within his/her field and to offer to others the knowledge gained as well as insights especially developed by the writer.

The research project may cover any topic approved by the instructor which is related to the student's major and/or career choice. All papers must observe the ethical standards supported by the University and the English Department on plagiarism and on dual submission of papers.

GOALS

• To explore current developments in each student's career field
• To apply techniques of film criticism to explicate ethical issues
• To make an independent contribution to the current state of knowledge on your topic
• To develop an original thesis supported by solid research incorporating the three previous goals 
• To incorporate a variety of sources, found both in and out of academia
• To practice online as well as library research techniques
• To employ appropriate tone and vocabulary for an academic audience
• To demonstrate mastery of APA or MLA format as appropriate

TASK 1

Each student will identify an ethical issue within his/her major or career field, which is now or will be in the future an unresolved issue for a significant section of the professional population. The task of the student is to present researched information explaining::

• the background of history which led up to this dilemma
• the nature of the problem at present and in the future
• the existing controls or lack thereof which impact the issue, especially established Codes of Ethics or state and/or US laws
• the impact of the issue on professionals and on students or trainees
• (most important) concrete and practicable proposal(s) for both ethical codes, industry standards, and student instruction to control/correct this difficulty

TASK 2

Each student will also locate and view a full length film (documentary, feature, art film, animation) which addresses this ethical issue in a meaningful way.  (For instance, the 2003 film Girl with a Peal Earring addresses the personal and commercial exploitation of artists' models.) The student will research information explaining:

• cinematic techniques used to portray the issue within the film.  (See Di Yanni, ch. 7, as well as the help file for guides to film interpretation.) 
• dialogue or plot elements in the film that emphasize the issue
• any interviews, published statements, critiques or news articles surrounding the issue in this particular film

TASK 3

The student will

• develop a personal interpretation of the way that the content and techniques used in the film help to illuminate and emphasize the ethical issue (s)he has selected. This will be expressed in a clear thesis paragraph.  
• assemble evidence to support this interpretation which includes a variety of direct quotations, paraphrases and summaries of both film and professional research materials
• come to one or more conclusions as to possiblities for overcoming or correcting the current difficulties; these may be independentm, researched, or a combination of the two
• Blend researched material and film criticism smoothly into an integrated argument. (DO NOT write the paper in two separate sections, one for ethics and one for film.)

COMPOSITION AND FORMATTING

LENGTH

The paper should contain 5 to 7 pages of text, double spaced. If using APA format, assemble final product in this order:

1. text
2. endnotes if used
3. bibliography (This section is called Works Cited in MLA; References in APA.)
4. any graphics or appendices

If using MLA format, place the bibliography last.

FORMAT--APA OR MLA

MLA is appropriate for topics in English language or literature, history, foreign languages, the arts, government, business, or any topic with unusual nontraditional sources

APA is appropriate for topics in economics, psychology, mathematics, the sciences, medicine, or any area of research where recency of data is crucial.

Engineers may use engineering format and biologists may use biology format if cleared with the instructor IN ADVANCE. Turabian (also known as Chicago) format is not recommended.

REQUIRED ELEMENTS

1. a clear thesis, arguing or persuading in favor of one particular point of view
2. some original contribution to the topic (New procedure, comparison or combination or elements not joined by others, analysis of strengths and/or weaknesses of a plan or position, etc.)
3. a minimum of ten authoritative and appropriate sources
4. clear attribution of sources used for text, concepts, numbers, statistics, or graphics, either by traditional endnotes/footnotes, or by mentioning the source in the text

GRADING
Most important to know is that--as it says on the syllabus--you cannot pass English 302 without completing this assignment. A late paper will be penalized one letter grade for every day that it is late, unless by special PRIOR arrangement with the instructor.

In order of importance, papers will be evaluated on

• clear thesis
• original thought supported by evidence
• inclusion of both general principles and specific, concrete support for same
• selection of current, authoritative sources directly related to the topic
• documentation of sources in correct format for your major
• powerful use of source materials, whether as quotes, statistics, graphics or whatever
• ability to smoothly blend film criticism with ethical analysis
• a strong, convincing conclusion which brings closure to the paper's argument
• varied sentence structure and vocabulary
• correct English spelling, punctuation and grammar

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