Writing Homework Help

The Purpose: The research paper is the culmination of English 102. In this essay, you will use the writing and critical thinking tools gained over the course of the semester in order to insert your voice into an important discussion about freedom of speech (obscenity and/or hate speech) and comedy, or cancel culture and comedy. In writing an effective research paper, you will have an opportunity to showcase the skills you have honed throughout the semester—particularly your ability to summarize, analyze, and synthesize arguments. These tools will allow you to effectively convey your perspective on freedom of speech or cancel culture, participate in a larger conversation, and bring to light avenues of thought which might have been previously overlooked.

The Task: In this essay, you must present a unique and well-crafted argument that attempts to elucidate the topic at hand: how freedom of speech or cancel culture function within American culture. Although your argument is the locus of your paper, you will enter into a meaningful exchange with the sources you have found throughout the course of this semester (including, where relevant, those we read together as a class). In order to prove that you are a legitimate participant in this conversation, you must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the existing conversation, as well as a critical and unique way of addressing freedom of speech or cancel culture. Ultimately, you will illustrate a distinct position that is both interesting and cogent.

Ultimately, you will approach the essay in the following way:

1. You will choose a comedian, celebrity, or platform to focus on. The comedian, celebrity, or platform must be involved in or impacted by issues related to either freedom of speech or cancel culture. Relevant comedians might include: Bill Cosby, Woody Allen. Or you could focus on someone like Michael Jackson. Another way to focus the essay would be to talk about freedom of speech related to a platform like Facebook (which deems things like photos of breastfeeding women as obscenity) or YouTube (which controls the videos that are released for public consumption).
2. Then you need to investigate the circumstances and/or scandal regarding that comedian, celebrity, or platform. This is the research portion of your essay.
3. Next, you will place that particular comedian, celebrity, or platform in conversation with the ideas discussed in our class throughout the semester (i.e. the ideas detailed in either the first or second essay).
4. You will also look into other issues related to either freedom of speech or cancel culture — related to the topic at hand. Perhaps there are terrific arguments about these topics that we didn’t read together as a class. This involves more research.
5. Finally, you will make an argument as to what you think should be done regarding the comedian or platform, in particular, as well as the issue of freedom of speech or cancel culture, in general.

Resources: If you have questions about the assignment (and I’m sure you will), please contact me. But if you have questions about how best to approach the research or if you’re struggling to find resources, please talk to a librarian. Finally, I strongly suggest stopping by the Writing Center at least twice throughout this process.

Length: 10-12 pages typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font

Required: 8 resources. Half of these resources (4) must be from a scholarly source (i.e. peer-reviewed journals or books). All your sources must be reliable. Please avoid sources such as: wikipedia, yahoo answers, webmd, and others wherein the authors are not named and cannot be verified as experts in the field.

Evaluation Criteria: The “A” paper will illustrate a resolute understanding the necessary structure of an articulate and well-designed research paper, containing a well-developed thesis statement and topic sentences, and effectively utilizing summary, analysis, and synthesis. Most importantly, a coherent argument will evidence the meticulous attention you have given to the development of a NEW and UNIQUE position within an existing conversation. All essays should be free of grammatical and spelling errors. Finally, the “A” paper will include at least 8 secondary sources in a meaningful way that aims to clarify and strengthen the argument, following the prescribed MLA format faultlessly.