FRANKENSTEIN+RESEARCH+PAPER

= RESEARCHED ESSAY RELEVANT TO //BRAVE NEW WORLD// (75 pts.) =

http://www.d214.org/academics/district-library-resources/
===**__Length__: 3-1/2 to 5 pages (No more, no less! I will stop reading at the end of page 6.)**===

**__Point Value__: 75**
===**__Number of sources__: 5-6 credible sources, of at least 2 different types (online or paper newspapers and magazines, plus CREDIBLE and specialized websites) plus the text of //Brave New World//**===

===**__Use of sources__: Internal citations plus Works Cited page that lists, ALPHABETICALLY, all sources cited**===

===**__Types of citations__: Must incorporate a combination of quotes, paraphrases, and facts/statistics/data. Cite any information one couldn't find in a number of sources, and be sure to identify the speaker or writer of a quote as a lead-in to the quote. Use the MLA Style of citing -- see handout or any online links.**===

===**__Number of citations__: Between 10-12 refs. to outside sources//.// (You may or may not use an actual citation to //Brave New World.// If you do, this will __not__ be included in the minimum of 10 count.)**===

===**__TOPICS__: See //Brave New World// page for topics related to science, nature, or human perfection.**===

===**__THESIS/ARGUMENT/CLAIM__: You must state clearly, and then discuss throughout the paper, exactly what __issue__ you are focusing on. Explain what is at stake for us as individuals, as a culture, or as a human family on the planet as we move forward with the issue. By the end of your paper, we should know what you are arguing about this topic -- which will be your thesis/claim. You might state it clearly in the introduction or wait until the conclusion to make your stance clear, but the evidence in the paper should clearly lead to your claim.**===

**4. NEGATIVE, BUT WITH EXCEPTIONS (No, we should not go forward, except for a certain aspect or in certain cases.)**
===**__FORMAT__: Controversial issue exploration. First, prove the controversy exists and explain its history. When did this topic become an "issue"? Who is supporting the issue, and why? Who is opposed and why? Who is being either helped or harmed by this issue, and to what degree? Then offer proof of the issue's scope, causes, and effects,** **using facts, statistics, expert opinions, and specific examples. Maintain a balance of //logos// and //pathos//. Numbers and rationales build //logos//, while specific examples build //pathos//. ("Put a face" on the issue!)**=== ===**Explore both or all sides of this issue, not just the one you agree with. (Argument, counter-argument) Then offer your stance regarding what we should do moving forward on this issue, backing up your claim with credible sources. (We = the world's leaders, our nation, our state, our community, or us as individuals.)**===

===**__SPECIFICATIONS__: Double space, using 1" margins and size-12 font. Your name should appear in upper-right corner on page 1, followed by the title, centered and underlined. Your title should suggest your thesis, not just state your topic. (See below for examples of strong titles.) Following the essay, include a Works Cited page, where you include an alphabetized list of your sources, including //Brave New World// if you used a QUOTE from it. USE PROPER BIBLIOGRAPHIC FORMAT. Page numbers should be formatted in the upper-right corner, beginning with page 2 and ending with the Works Cited page. (See links to Works Cited pages for examples.)**===

===**__TAKING NOTES__: Use the 2-column note-taking system on paper OR the Gale-linked electronic system to gather your sources and notes. Choose a method that will allow you to be accurate, organized, thoughtful, and confident when you begin writing. DO NOT simply tag websites or cut and paste from them. Keep your OWN set of notes on what you believe will be useful in your paper. REMEMBER: The more you respond to the articles as you read them and take notes, the easier your paper will be to write!! __Your right-hand side comments and notations are what will become the meat of your COMMENTARY.__**===

===**THE MOST CAREFUL NOTES INCLUDE: the full source bibliographical information, page numbers (if any), and __quotes around any statements taken word-for-word__. If you can't find all this information, you can't use the source! If you stick with the LIBRARY RESEARCH SOURCES, you know they are credible. If you go onto the "Wild West" terrain of Google searches, BE SURE TO RUN EACH POTENTIAL SOURCE THROUGH THE CREDIBILITY TEST. Check for its reliability and bias. You compromise your own ethos by relying on a source that is invalid or overly biased. If you use a biased source, such as a blog, a dot-com, or a dot-org, __acknowledge the bias in your commentary.__ (EX: The Organic Consumers Association, an organization that promotes all-natural substances and is openly opposed to GMOs and GMFs, states.....)**===

= Introduction: =

=== - Tell the reader what topic you are exploring, and explain why it is controversial. If you will be taking a strong stance either for or against the issue, you may suggest or state your stance in the introduction. If your final claim will be a "mixed" one, you may suggest or state that, too. Feel free to ask a rhetorical question or two in order to get your reader thinking. ===

=== - Set up a FRAME in the introduction that you will come back to in the conclusion, connecting your topic in some way to //Brave New World//. This might just be a general connection to Huxley's dystopian vision of the World State, or it may be a more specific reference to a detail, character, or scene from the book. You do not need to use a quote from the book. Another source for helping you create the frame is Margaret Atwood's essay, which we used at the start of the unit. ===

=== EXAMPLE: Aldous Huxley, in his dystopian novel //Brave New World//, envisioned a future full of test-tube derived clones who never age, feel pain, or suffer from loss. While this may sound ideal, Huxley suggests by the book's end that in actuality, our giving up of our true humanity -- in all its individual and imperfect glory -- would be too high a price for such "perfection." Now, nearly 100 years later, medical researchers and scientists have teamed up to create advances that Huxley could only imagine. As we push forward into a new era of bionic body parts that are stronger, faster, and more reliable than flesh and bones and blood, we must ask ourselves if this is the path humanity should be taking. Ridding humans of pain is a noble effort, no doubt, but questions of morality, equality, and longevity must be explored before countries push forward into the largely uncharted territory of blending humans with robots. ===

First Body Paragraph:
=== - When did it originate as an idea? Define any terms. Identify any key people or institutions who are responsible for the situation or who were pioneers in making it an issue. You need this to establish ETHOS. ===

The "meat" of the essay (paragraphs 3 and beyond), organized in the way that makes most sense for your topic:
=== - What is the scope of this issue? Where does it exist? Whom does it affect? To what extent? Provide key STATISTICS and results of studies. These provide your paper's LOGOS. Also, find some SPECIFIC EXAMPLES to use: names, places, details, and direct quotes from people who have been affected, in both positive and negative ways. You will need these in order to establish PATHOS. ("Put a face on" the topic.) Finally, find credible experts and sources to cite. This will maintain the ETHOS of your claims. ===

=== In general, these key body paragraphs should explore the __effects__ of this issue, including practical, financial, moral, and societal/global. Provide the main reasons why the issue came into being and the effects of the issue on our culture -- now or in the future -- and on individuals. Most likely there are positive and negative effects, so sort these out before focusing on those you believe help promote the stance you believe is best. Build PATHOS by including specific EXAMPLES or CASES where individuals have been affected. ===

== Finishing the essay: ==

=== Once you have addressed the questions above, you are ready to make your argument clear and conclude your paper. In your final paragraph(s), remind us what is at stake for ourselves, our communities, our country, our planet, in the furthering of this issue. Who is responsible for moving the culture to a new stance on the issue? What might each of us do as individuals? Help us imagine a future either with or without this idea or process, and which would be most beneficial. ===

=== - End with a memorable image or reminder, referring to your opening frame from //Brave New World//, and then also perhaps providing a new example that adds weight to your case, or using a final quote from an expert or testimonial about the seriousness of the issue and what we might face if things don't change-- either with or without the presence of your topic in our midst. ===

__Conclusion openers__:
==When considering all of the arguments surrounding ---, it becomes clear that we should....==

==After looking at both sides of the --- controversy, it's easy to see why many people have mixed feelings about it.==

== Be sure your TOPIC is clear from the title, as well as a suggestion about what you will be concluding about the topic. You may use a 1-phrase title or a main title with sub-title. Below are examples: ==

Sample Works Cited page using MLA style:
== [| http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/12/]==

District Web Page on Types of Bias in Source Materials and Websites:
http://www.d214.org/academics/district-library-identifying-bias/

GRADING RUBRIC:




**For Science/Tech-Related Topics:**
http://discovermagazine.com/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/

**For Health and Longevity-Related Topics:**
http://nih.gov/

http://mayoclinic.com

http://www.webmd.com/

**For Power and Nature-Related Topics:**
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.epa.gov/

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/