Note, this assignment was given to a first year composition class in the summer of 1994. It asks students to write a print-based paper, but makes extensive use of Internet resources. Doing this exercise again, we would probably make it into a Web site project that answered the same set of questions. We've left the dates on the assignment to give a sense of how long we allotted for each stage, but remember that summer courses meet everyday and are more intensive than long-session courses so additional time may be needed. The assignment could be shortened or expanded, to a fit the needs of a course, but you're probably looking at a minimum of 2-3 weeks.
Your assignment is to write a 5-8 page argumentative essay about the position of the "first world" in relation to the "third world." Your essay can examine a particular aspect of U.S. or European foreign policy (military intervention, foreign ownership, economic aid for particular projects or regimes, etc.), or it can look more generally at issues that face the "third world" as an imaginary whole (environmental concerns, health, population control, debt, development, etc.). In either case, you'll need to focus on a single country so that you will be able to use research effectively to ground your argument in the specific local conditions of a particular geographical site.
Ethical arguments, perhaps more than any other, force writers to interrogate the assumptions that validate their explicit claims and reasons. Creating an argument about topics such as the ones above will require you to make tough choices and compromises. Remember that your assignment is not to simply present information about a given situation, but also to make an ethical evaluation of the situation and present a course of action.
This paper will involve a significant amount of research which will be conducted both through computer-based sources and in the library. You will have the opportunity of working in "research pairs" in order to give your project as much research coverage as possible (each pair, obviously, will need to be focusing on the same country or the same basic issue). Here's a rough outline of how various forms of research will be integrated into the project:
1) FINDING A TOPIC: Start by browsing through newsgroups that might provide you with an interesting topic. You might start with alt.activism, misc.activism.progressive, and any of the clarinet groups that you find interesting. When you find something that looks like a possible topic, follow the threads of discussion about that issue or location, and try to find any other postings that deal with that subject. Save any important information to your disk so that you can easily retrieve it later. Once you have some good leads about the country and issue that you plan to focus on, perform a series of keyword searches on the Web to locate additional materials. Again, be sure to save or bookmark any sites that may be useful to your final project.
2) RESEARCH PARTNERS: (find partner by Thurs., July 28). Post to the class newsgroup and read others' posts to find someone else who is interested in the same geographical area. Your interests regarding the country you'd like to research may differ widely; in fact, they should differ at least to some degree, since you'll be writing different papers. As long as you can decide on one country to research, that's fine.
3) PRELIMINARY RESEARCH: With your partner, begin to research the historical and/or political contexts of the country that you've chosen to focus on. The reference room can get you started with some ideas. Then try searching for a few good articles or book chapters that can give you some basic information about the country you're researching and its relationship with the U.S.
4) FOCUSING RESEARCH toward a more specific topic:
5) EVALUATING SOURCES: As you collect information, evaluate each source according to its credibility, accuracy and analytical weight. Discuss sources with your partner to make sure that you're interpreting sources accurately. This goes for library materials as well as Internet sources.
6) WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY (due Tues., Aug. 2): After collecting books, articles, and newsgroup information with your research partner, group at least ten sources into these three general categories: background, specific/informational, and specific/analytical. Try to select sources that reflect the tentative direction you plan to take in your paper. Then list your selected sources alphabetically, in MLA bibliographical format, within each category. Use Harnack and Kleppinger's citation guide for Internet sources.
7) ISSUE OVERVIEW (due Thurs., Aug. 4): It is important to demonstrate that the problem which you are writing about has a number of possible solutions, none of which can provide a simple, clear-cut answer. In order to demonstrate this complexity you should present research which comments on a number of divergent opinions and perspectives. In your issue overview, outline at least three positions on the issue you have chosen. Each "outline" should be written in sentence/paragraph form, and should be a summary of each position rather than an evaluation of it.
8) ROUGH DRAFT (due Mon., Aug. 8): Weigh various positions, trying to find ways to effectively refute positions you disagree with (you might try to do so within a posting to a discussion group). Determine which approach seems most viable and construct your argument around one main claim and several distinct but related reasons.
9) REVISION: Revise rough draft based on suggestions from your peer group and from me regarding style, argumentation, and research. Conduct more research or reread articles if necessary. Keep up on newsgroups for the most recent information, particularly if your topic has to do with a currently volatile situation.
10) PRESENTATION: You'll be signing up for time slots during the last few days of class to present your argument to the class. Your presentation should be ten to fifteen minutes long, and may incorporate audio-visual aids and/or handouts.
11) FINAL DRAFT: due by noon, Mon., Aug. 15