Research Paper
Choose a major and/or a field of study.
Identify the problems or debates circulating in that major or field of study, doing research to gather information, talking to librarians, and/or discussing current debates with professors and upperclassmen in your department.
Choose a specific topic that is not in the above list. In this essay, you will take a scholarly, intellectual, or even philosophical approach. Your audience will be members of academia.
Gather secondary sources about your topic.
Situate yourself within that debate; take a position. Remember, however, that you might not “take a side.” In other words, your position might be somewhere between the different arguments.
Write a tentative argument statement that will help you draft your essay.
