[SOLVED] Language & Society

LNG 121: Language and Society – Research Essay Assignment

Research Essay
Due to designated D2L Assignment folder by 11:59 pm on Sunday, April 10th
~1000 words (includes APA title page, essay body, and References page)

Worth 20% of your grade in the course

Essay Description
The main writing assignment for the course is a 1000-word research essay. Students are expected to extend upon the work completed for their Research Essay Proposal using the feedback provided. They must use 3 academic sources in total, cite them in their essay, and include a References page according to APA format. Two of these sources will come from the course readings, but one must come from the Ryerson University Library & Archives.

Assignment Instructions:
The Research Essay is an evaluation of the essay-writing and analytical skills that we have been practicing and honing throughout the semester. This is your chance to apply all the techniques you have learned from class lectures and by reading our course texts.

A-level work will show a clear and unique three-storey thesis statement that directs attention to a PRIMARY TEXT. Your primary text will represent the course reading you have chosen to analyze and respond to within the form of an argumentative essay. As noted in the Research Essay Proposal instructions, this text must represent one of our course readings from weeks 7-11, and you must also utilize a secondary source from the syllabus.

A-level work will consistently answer the “So what?” question – i.e., what does this quote and/or claim mean in relation to your thesis and/or argument overall – have strong topic sentences that evolve the thesis, clear examples/research, and explanations of the meaning of the textual examples (i.e., evidence) and/or research utilized in every paragraph. In short, the purpose of the assignment is to utilize the prompts provided as a starting point to develop a specific, clear, and original argument using your primary and secondary texts.

Length & Formatting:
Your paper will be 4 to 6 pages long (i.e., 1000 to 1200 words). All papers will be typed, double-spaced, and have 1 inch margins and 12 point font. Please also include an APA title and References page with the title of your submission (see examples provided via D2L).

Citation & Research:
This is very important: You must use at least three (3) resources in your essay.
Your primary text may constitute one resource, and one of your secondary texts (i.e., sources) can also come from weeks 7-11 course readings. However, your third source must come from the Ryerson University Library Archives (RULA). While we will discuss how to use the RULA in class, please also consult these video tutorials on how to use the online catalogue to find strong academic sources for this purpose.

In short, essays will require 3 sources in total; one primary and two secondary. The primary text is the text you are responding to in your argument; secondary texts will be used to support this argument, and all three texts must be cited within the essay at least once.

As this is a research paper, you will use APA referencing to cite your resources. This includes summaries, paraphrases, and direct quotations. If you are struggling with your research, please see the Ryerson Library Research Help page to help you along with this part of the assignment. We will also practice the writing skills required in class.

Evaluation:
While a more specific rubric is attached to the end of this handout, essays will be evaluated according to the following elements:

the ability to argue a three-story thesis through the careful examination of your selected primary text and in response to the essay prompt provided;

the ability to use the argumentation techniques learned throughout the semester including effective quote integration and analysis and the three-storey thesis;

the ability to express yourself clearly and persuasively in the essay-writing form.

Uploading Instructions
Visit our D2L course shell. Under Assignments, you will see the Research Essay Assignment folder. Click the links and follow the instructions to upload your file. Accepted formats are .doc, .docx, and .pdf. File types such as .pages will not open and will not be accepted. Please also include your name in file name (i.e., Lily-Research Essay.docx).

Please note that all assignments will be checked for originality using Turnitin. You may access your Turnitin Originality Report before the assignment is due, but it is your responsibility to ensure that all work submitted is original to you as per the Ryerson Student Code of Academic Conduct. On the day your assignment is due, please also print a hard copy and bring it to class. You can still submit online after the deadline, but the system will mark your submission as “late.” Late essays will be deducted 5% per working day for a maximum of seven days. After seven days, a grade of 0% will be assigned unless valid documentation has been provided within the required time (see Course Outline for details.)

 

 

A range = Excellent = 80-90
The paper is excellent in all aspects
Writer has exhibited thorough understanding of the issues represented in their selected primary text
Writer has created convincing and original argument and supported it with clear and specific source evidence
Essay’s three-storey thesis statement is clear, arguable, and is supported in the body of the essay
Essay as a whole is unified (each point is relevant and relates back to thesis)
Essay as a whole is coherent (each point develops logically from the previous point)
Writer shows a comprehensive understanding and ability to apply the conventions of academic language and writing conventions, including APA title page, in-text citations, and References page
Surface level and/or grammatical errors are minimal to none
B range = Good = 70-79
The paper is good in all aspects
Writer has exhibited understanding of the issues represented in their selected primary text
Writer has created convincing argument and has generally supported it with clear and specific source evidence
Essay’s three-storey thesis statement is clear, arguable, and is largely supported in the body of the essay
Essay as a whole is largely unified (each point is relevant and relates back to thesis)
Essay as a whole is largely coherent (each point develops logically from the previous point)
Writer shows an understanding and ability to apply the conventions of academic language and writing conventions, including APA title page, in-text citations, and References page
Surface level and/or grammatical errors do occur but do not make the essay difficult to follow or understand
C range = Satisfactory = 60-69
The paper is satisfactory in all aspects
The paper relies too heavily on generalities and does critically engage enough with the selected primary text
At times, paper demonstrates convincing and original argumentation but fails to support it with clear evidence
Thesis Statement and Coherence:
Three-storey thesis statement is missing, incomplete (i.e., is missing a story), or vague/lacks evidence
The thesis statement is not supported by the body of the essay (lack of unity)
Not all points relate back to the thesis statement (lack of coherence)
Essay attempts to make clear and compelling argument but has difficulty in communicating fully formed thesis
Essay does not include enough textual evidence (i.e., quotes or paraphrases) to support its reading of primary text
Essay is mostly quotations with little or no analysis done to show how these quotations support argument
Writer shows some understanding and ability to apply the conventions of academic language and writing conventions, including APA in-text citations and References page
Surface level and/or grammatical errors occur and make the essay difficult to follow or understand
D range = Marginal = 50-59
Writer has had difficulty following the requirements of the assignment
Writer has had difficulty developing clear and evolving argument based on primary text
Essay is comprised mostly of general observation and/or personal opinion but lacks clear and specific evidence
Writer has difficulty choosing and integrating quotations from chosen sources and using them in reading of article
Essay lacks logical organization and purpose
Missing or largely incomplete three-storey thesis statement
Body paragraphs seem random and are not unified within one consistent argument
Consistent surface level, grammatical, or referencing errors make the essay very difficult to follow or understand
F range = Unsatisfactory = 0-50
The assignment has not been completed according the above specifications and/or has been plagiarized.

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