Canadian Media

Paper details:
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BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Write an essay in which you stake out your own position with respect to a current public or academic debate. You have to analyze a topic using peer-reviewed sources as support for your analysis.
Write a research argument on any one of the following topics related to one of the subject matters we have been reading about and/or discussing in class. The issue must be one which is narrow enough to manage in about four to five pages. Try to make your paper as focused as possible:
1. Examine stories in the Canadian media where the terms “refugee” and “immigrant” are used. How are these people or groups portrayed by the media? Discuss how media reflects our society’s attitudes towards these groups.
2. Write about corporatization of university education. Does the current university structure limit accessibility of education?
3. Examine the issue of global warming. Focus on one or two aspects, and develop your argument.
4. Write about gender equality or diversity. Focus on either Canadian or global situation. Pick a focus: for example, you could write about gender equality/diversity in corporate culture, or in academia, or in politics, etc.
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The essay should be double-spaced, word processed, and formatted according to MLA format guideline. Use Times New Roman, 12-point font. You will lose marks for formatting errors.
You should work with at least three (3) sources in this essay, but not more than five (5). At least two of these sources should be peer-reviewed. Your source could be a journal article, a book, a book chapter or a reliable online source.
The essay should be four to five (4 – 5) pages long, not including ‘works cited’ page. This means that the works cited list, which always begins on a new page, should be on page five or six.
A successful paper will have a persuasive thesis statement, demonstrate insight and clarity in regards to the sourcess being used (including using relevant quotations), be free of mechanical writing errors, and be well organized. Essays will be graded according to substance, thesis and argument structure (including introduction and conclusion), use of supporting material and evidence, quality of analysis, quality of writing including grammar and clarity, writing style, content, originality, organization of material, and correct use of MLA stylesheet (both in formatting and citing).

Follow the guidelines we have discussed in class, and the examples on pages 465-70 of CWR and pages
155-58 and 117-21 in The Active Reader (see the chapters on ‘Writing Argumentative Essays’ and ‘Writing Research Papers’ in AR if you need more help – or of course, come and see me). Details about assignment policies are in the course outline

Canadian Media.