RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT SHEET

The research paper is different from the essays you’ve completed in ENG101 in a few ways:
 You will craft your own “research questions” to help develop your own topic
 The essay will require more sources and will be longer
 This is a project that involves multiple steps and drafts; Essay 1 is the first draft of this paper, and Essay
2 is the second draft, and Essay 3 is your final draft.

Please choose one of the broad topics that follow. (If you’d rather choose a topic not on this list, email me to ask for my permission—but it has to relate to the theme of “happiness” in some way.) Optionally, you might consider combining any of these broad topics together. Remember, you will have to narrow down your focus
by coming up with research questions and eventually an argument. Keep in mind: the word “happiness” below could also be substituted with synonyms like “mental health, “wellness,” or “joy,” or even antonyms like “unhappiness. ” Part of your job in this paper will also be defining what you mean by “happiness.”

 Happiness & technology, social media, etc.
 Happiness and social class (wealth, poverty, etc.)
 Happiness and aspects of identity (culture, gender, race, religion, disability, LGBTQ, etc.)
 The “happiness”/wellness industry
 Happiness vs. Toxic positivity
 Happiness and nature, the environment, green space, climate change, etc.
 Happiness and animals
 Happiness and parental / familial relationships
 Happiness and friendships
 Happiness and “love” or romantic relationships, marriage, sex, divorce, etc.
 Happiness and spirituality
 Happiness and education
 Happiness and mental illness/mental health problems
 Happiness and physical health/physical illness
 Happiness and trauma
 Happiness and the arts
 Happiness/mental health problems during COVID
 Happiness/unhappiness and grieving or death
 Happiness and consumerism, materialism, etc.

THE SPECIFICS:
 The first draft (Essay 1): due 2/25
 About 3 pages minimum (not including the works cited page).
 Works Cited page included at the end
 In this draft, you should have a thesis question. You do not necessarily need the answer—or
statement—yet.
 The body paragraphs should begin to define your own definition of what happiness is, and begin to explore your question.
 This draft should use a minimum of 3 sources overall. This should include:

•  One of the articles from the Pursuing Happiness textbook.
•  Two researched sources found using the MCCC library database. (These can be scholarly sources or reliable sources that are from more popular outlets like news magazines, etc.)

 In addition to refining your definition of happiness from the first draft, you should begin to support or prove your argument with your researched sources.
 This draft should use a minimum of 5 sources overall. This should include:
 One of the articles from the Pursuing Happiness textbook (same as above)
 Three researched articles, at least one of which must be a peer-reviewed, scholarly article. (You can use the same two used above, and just add one more).
 Your “field research” (survey you conducted or interview you conducted), which should be cited and counts as a source.

 The final draft (Essay 3): Due 5/06
 10 pages minimum (not including the works cited page).
 In this draft, you will have a clear, finalized thesis statement that states your argument, as well as body paragraphs that explore your theme and support your argument. These body paragraphs
should be well-organized, and can be broken up into sections with headings (optional, but
encouraged).
 In one of the paragraphs, make a connection to a personal experience. (You can use it in the introduction as a “hook” or in body paragraph as support). Don’t spend too much time on it, though, and make sure to connect it back to the argument and other sources.
 For this final draft, you are required to use and cite a minimum of 8 sources overall, including:
A. One Pursuing Happiness article that you used in your earlier drafts.
B. Klara and the Sun (It does not have to be a main source, and your paper is not about the book; however, you will use it as one of your sources)
C. Your “field research” (survey or interview) used above
D. At least 5 researched sources. Out of all your researched sources, at least two sources MUST be scholarly peer-reviewed articles, and at least one MUST be a book (physical or E-book; you don’t have to use the whole thing; you can just use a chapter and it will count.) For the non-scholarly sources, they must be reliable, but you are also free to use things other than printed texts—for example, you may use documentaries, Ted Talks, film, podcasts, newscasts, art, etc. Of course, you can use the researched sources you have for the above two drafts, and you are allowed to use more sources than just the minimum. All of your sources must be used extensively in the paper to support your argument.
DUE DATES:
 2/04: Post which topics you’re thinking about on the discussion forum
 2/11: Topic worksheet and Preliminary Research Guide due
 2/14: Research questions due
 2/18: Central question worksheet due
 2/21: Research Proposal/Oral Report due
 2/25: Essay 1 (first draft of research paper) due.
 3/10: Field Research survey or interview questions due
 3/17: Note-taking Research Log due
 4/07: Essay 2 (second draft of research paper) due.
 4/11: Peer review due.
 4/14: Outline due
 4/17: Annotated Bibliography due
 4/21: Synthesis worksheet due
 5/06: Essay 3--Final draft of research paper due!

•  Absolutely no late papers can be accepted for this final paper.
•  All of the above assignments, including the smaller ones leading up to the paper, must be completed in order to get a passing grade on the paper.