african american culture

Research Paper ( 6 double spaced pages-excluding title/citation pages)

This will be in an area of your interest. Your research topic should be on a specific area of African American history and culture. The research paper will be done in four (4) steps:
1. Step one: Research Proposal (Thesis statement) is due in D2L Dropbox by Sept. 13
Write a one page proposal for your research paper. The proposal must include the selected/working title and a clear definition of its objective (s) and scope. This proposal must be approved by the instructor before you start the paper.
The research proposal is worth 10 points.

2. Step two ( 1st draft )
You will write and submit a six page (excluding title/citation pages) draft of your research paper on the importance of your chosen topic. Your research paper should explore a historical theme of the oppression of Africana people such as racism, neo-colonialism, sexism, classism, capitalism, educational indoctrination and ideology, culture and identity, philosophy and morality. You are expected to consult in addition to the text three (3) additional secondary sources ( use only one website as a research source; the other two or more sources should be academic print journals/books from the main library or elsewhere). Use MLA citation.

1) Useful hints or organization: a) Have a one or two paragraph introduction which should provide a clear explanation/ analysis of your chosen topic leading to your thesis statement. b) The thesis statement should be underlined. It must be an
assertion that reflects your understanding or stance on the subject of your essay.

2) In general, the body of your essay should be organized around assertions to be explained and supported by evidence in the rest of the paragraph. These assertions in well stated topic sentences should serve as guidelines to help your reader follow the development of your essay. For this reason, topic sentences should be placed at the beginning of each paragraph. The content of each paragraph should clarify and define the substance of the topic sentence in support of the essay’s overall purpose.

3) The concluding paragraph should not be a mirror image of the introduction nor should it be a mere summary of the supporting points in the essay. Your conclusion should draw persuasive inferences strengthening the truth and validity of your thesis assertion and why these deepen and broaden your reader’s understanding of the significance and importance of your topic.

3. Step three – Critique of Draft Research Paper by Instructor:
The instructor will critique the student submitted Research Paper

4. Step four – Final Revised Draft of Student Research Paper

Overall weight of the Research Paper ( 100 points) will be allocated as follows:
a. Structure: 15 %
b. Cogency of argument: 50%
c. Writing style: 15%
d. Grammatical construction: 10%
e. Citations: 10%