Work attached
INSTRUCTIONS
Paper #1 (Exposition)
Paper #1 is an exposition. Exposition is a form of writing where the main goal is explanation. It will be your job to find and narrow a topic sufficiently so that an in-depth discussion of it is possible in 5 – 8 pages, research that topic and document your research, write a carefully planned expository paper, and revise that paper to the proper academic standard
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The topic you chose for this paper will be used for your second paper (argument) and the final paper (argument +). I sometimes allow students to change topics for the second paper (but you should check with me) because the first paper is primarily providing context for the arguments to come. What is transferred to paper #2 is usually introductory, and the paper provides you with a substantive understanding of the topic and the common knowledge involved.
Thesis statements obviously vary, but for the first paper, you will want something that allows you to explain as much as argue. This is sometimes called a
soft argument. For example, if I had chosen octopi as my broad topic, I might narrow things down to the unusual evolutionary development of octopi to allow for deeper exploration in the space allowed. The thesis statement might look something like this
: “Octopuses and some squid have followed a substantially different evolutionary path than most animals seeming to have left their evolutionary forebears far behind them in several adaptations, particularly in their neurological development.”
There will be several steps to this, and particularly with this first paper, I will try to help you stay on track, but the resulting paper will need to do the following:
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Be 5 – 8 pages long not including the appropriate style’s end list of sources
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Include appropriate in-text academic citation style and source list
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Include at least three scholarly sources that go beyond foundational knowledge
These sources will be appropriately cited within the text, and all sources (cited or consulted) will be included in appropriate end list.
· Address the topic with a depth appropriate for an academic work
· Supply what background is needed, and only what is needed, for an academic reader
· Include a thesis statement that properly directs the paper and answers a focused research question
· Leave no obvious gaps or lingering questions for the reader
· Follow a clear and logical train of thought at both the local and global levels without straying from the thesis
· Carefully adhere to the conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics as well as the formats required for the class and style type used.
