RESEARCH-BASED POSITION PAPER ON A SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUEENGL1133Spring 2020 Johnson, GPrewriting:
After you decide on a topic, you may want to start by asking a questionand then answer that question and explain why in three reasons.
•For example:
oQuestion:
Does racism affect how a police officer responds to people of color?
oAnswer:Yes.oWhy:§
(1) Statistics show that since 2016, the Boondock Police Department has had more allegations of excessive force used on peopleof color when compared to other races.§
(2) TheBoondock Police Department has been successfully sued for racial discrimination againstpeople of color 6 times in 2017 where the alleged suspect claimed the responding officer used racial epithets when talking to them. §
(3) In 2019, the City of Boondockfired 25 police officers who were found guilty of profiling alleged suspects based on their race. **Doing this exercise first, basically writes the thesis sentence for you while givingyouthe framework youneed to write youressay’s body paragraphs.**Paper Structure: The paper should follow a simple-to-complex pattern of development (see textbook Ch. 17: Academic Arguments, “Argumentative Essay Structure and Content”). Additionally, use your textbook for guidelines on how to properly cite sources within a paper in MLA format, how to properlyhead your paper, and how to properly structureyourWorks Cited page. Stay away from quotes thatare longer than 2 sentences, as this paper is only1,000 wordsat minimum. Use the following guidelines to structure your paper:
I.Title of the paper:The title of your paper should be unique to what it is you are researching and writingabout,anditCANNOTbe question. II.Introduction: Your introductionshould consist of one substantial paragraphwhichadequately definesthe issue, establishesthe importance of the issue, and the thesis statement. The thesis statement should give your reader a clear sense of what your argument will be and your position on that issue and your claims to supportyourposition.
III.Body: Following the intro paragraph, yourbody paragraphs should develop your supporting claims and build off of each other in ways that contribute to the development of the paper’s larger argument. Within the body of the paper, you should demonstrate the ability to use sources effectively, respond to opposing viewpoints, and use relevant evidence to support your arguments.
IV.Conclusion: Your conclusion shouldbea substantial paragraphwhich reflects on the implications of the paper’s fully developed argument for your audience, and it should NOTintroduce any new ideas, but it should restate yourthesis sentence. Also,do NOT begin yourconclusion with “In conclusion”, “In closing”, “Like I said”, “As stated in this paper/my paperearlier”, etc., and the paper should avoid a “call to action”, as this is NOT a persuasive piece.Doing so will result in an automatic deduction of 20 points from your paper—NO EXCEPTIONS.
