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PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Many great research projects begin with a single problem or question. For your second assignment in the sequence, I will ask you to begin with the conflict, problem, or realization you discovered in the Multilingualism Narrative and briefly (~1000 words) develop that problem or question, drawing in some way on the readings we have done in class. You are not proposing a solution to the problem you have identified, nor http://www.ukassignment.org/mgzydx/ are you arguing for or against the question. You are simply introducing it to your reader and convincing them that it is worthy of investigation by demonstrating what you already know about it and by anticipating what more you need to learn.
ISSUE SELECTION
Our textbook describes an issue as “a subject that can be explored and debated” (FIAW p. 6), an idea that is dissonant or unresolved, and an occasion to demonstrate empathy and move beyond binary thinking (p. 9). An issue is not the same thing as a topic, nor does it involve simply locating a problem that needs to be solved. Issues can be discovered in questions we have about what we read or what we have experienced, and in the patterns, relationships, or gaps we note between these readings and these experiences. Your issue will evolve over time, but it should meet the following criteria and gain my final approval:
1. It should be more critical and more focused than simply a phenomenon or a trend
2. It should demonstrate intellectual curiosity and result from a genuine question
3. It should not have an obvious answer or solution
4. It should be unique to your own perspective, i.e., no one else could ask the question the way that you do
5. It should cause you to deeply examine a narrow idea, rather than to superficially examine a broad idea
6. It should be oriented toward or motivated by a specific text or situation.
Here are some examples of issues that students identified based on their realizations from the first unit. In class, we will discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and possibilities of each issue:
Social and linguistic challenges of re-enrolling at IU after temporarily withdrawing from school in order to fulfill required military service – I think they are different from what Bosch describes as “linguistic challenge.”
The ancient practice of dictating thoughts for government scribes may cause some anti-religious discourse because the role of writing is to deliver authoritative thoughts, not to create new or scientific thoughts.
It is challenging and also limited to live in a “24-hour” culture on large university campuses – especially because of how it impacts social discourse.
How does electronic communication define “power” for readers and writers in a multilingual setting? How does it give power or take power away? Maybe “power” is not universal in this sense.
INCORPORATING SOURCES INTO THE EXPLANATION
Be sure to incorporate at least 2 published sources to help you discuss your issue. One of these sources must come from our readings (Ehrenreich, Rodriguez, hooks, or any essay in Part Two of FIAW); the other source should come from published research. Here are some ways you might incorporate your published sources:
• to discuss key terms or concepts related to your issue
• to provide historical information on your issue
• to establish that your issue is shared by others
• to explain how your issue is motivated by factors related in your own identity formation
• to illustrate the gap between what you read and what you have experienced
COMMON “MOVES” IN AN ISSUE EXPLANATION
Your issue explanation should accomplish the following major “moves”
• introduce the issue or main question you want to develop
• provide a more detailed discussion of the text or situation that motivated this issue (i.e., demonstrate how it has grown from your realizations in the first unit, or from patterns or gaps you have noticed between your own experiences and what we have read in class)
• provide a more detailed discussion of your experience and/or knowledge of this issue (i.e., your unique perspective)
• explain (or show evidence of) why the issue is interesting and important to you or to others
• discuss how smaller research questions can help you to investigate this issue.
ORGANIZATION AND AUDIENCE
You have two options for organizing the issue explanation. You may organize it in order of the major “moves”; or you may organize it “question by question.” Your discussion of the issue must be interesting and balanced, providing enough details for the reader to understand why it is important to you and what knowledge you will gain from it. Your audience includes other students taking a writing-intensive course at IU. This means that you cannot assume they have any familiarity with your specific issue.
ABOUT THE GENRE
This assignment emphasizes important aspects of writing issue explanations, such as creating an introduction that supplies a main question or conflict statement, and writing a conclusion that synthesizes to a new point or idea. It also allows you to practice developing your issue with supporting points and examples, incorporating published sources, achieving paragraph focus, and using cohesion devices.
This assignment also emphasizes specific conventions of writing issue explanations, such as creating a title that reflects the question you are investigating, employing the “academic I,” explaining unfamiliar terms to an audience who does not share your knowledge of the issue, and citing and referencing published sources. If you quote or paraphrase from a published source, please cite the source using MLA style documentation (see p. 467 in Rules for Writers).
FORMATTING
MLA formatting required (see p. 467 of Rules for Writers for formatting guidelines)
EVALUATION CRITERIA
This assignment is worth 150 points. It will be http://www.ukassignment.org/mgzydx/ evaluated based on the following:
• Appropriateness or Effectiveness of Content (30 points)
• Development of Ideas (30 points)
• Organization and Formatting (30 points)
• Language and Style (30 points)
• Completeness and Coherence (30 points)
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