Discussion Topic: For this week's discussion, concentrate on what your final essay's topic will be. Think about what you have learned during the last couple of months and decide which topic you feel comfortable discussing. It must be argumentative and, at the very least, controversial because controversial topics provide plenty of research and content to use as support. When you feel passionate about a particular topic, it is usually easier to write about it. Do remember that you must keep your personal opinions out of the argument. You cannot say "I believe," "I think," etc. in your essay, so plan accordingly.

Keep personal pronouns out of the essay itself. 1. What are you doing to prepare for your Final Research Essay? 2. Which topic will you choose? Why? 3. Explain why you feel you need to write about this particular topic. 4. Tell us all how your personal perspective will assist you in the discussion of your topic with keeping in mind that you cannot use personal pronouns in the essay itself.

Here are possible topics for your Final Research Essay, in addition to the designated prompt and a conversation you have already had with me about your final paper: 1. Technology made us lazy. 2. Laws 3. Should tipping for service be abolished? 4. Should students work while going to school? 5. What is the most underappreciated profession? 6. College education should be free. 7. Social media supports cyberbullying. 8. Student internships at the high school and college level should be required. 9. Technology addiction 10. The United States Constitution

Structure Lecture Notes:

The introduction should be structured like you are funneling the information into the thesis statement. It should follow the below format. Hook/lead in. The hook is meant to grab the reader's attention and must be relevant to the topic. A hook may consist of a quotation, surprising or provocative statement (appropriate to the topic), a question, or a very brief story. List some of the supporting information you plan to use in the rest of your essay. List the main points of your essay. Your own thesis statement should be stated very clearly. This is your controlling idea and must be the last sentence of your introduction. Different ways of writing the introduction General or historical background information: Sometimes it is easiest to provide a brief history leading up to the thesis statement. This may not work for all introductions. The brief, interesting story: Introduce a story as your hook which is relevant and leads the reader into the thesis statement. A vivid description: Provide an example of how someone might feel about the topic that you will present in your thesis statement. An opposing position: Hook the reader with a contradictory comment that is well known. This may be something that is obviously wrong, or misleading, and then you can explain why that common misconception is wrong and then lead the reader into the rest of the introduction and then your thesis statement. For example/ you could list the positive aspects of technology in the workplace and then have your thesis statement express the concerns of dependency upon technology in the workplace. Provide a definition: Define a term and briefly explain how understanding what this definition is helps to understand a particular topic. For example/ define the term "fear," or "happiness," or "love." Conclusion Paragraph

The conclusion is the final paragraph in the essay. It restates and rephrases the thesis statement and summarizes the main points in the essay. The conclusion is meant to have your reader further think about the topic. They should be in the mindset of thinking about your topic even after they have finished reading your essay. Furthering their thinking process on the topic. In many ways, it is similar to the introduction. However, there are a few small adjustments that may be made for an effective conclusion. Different ways of writing the conclusion A prediction: You may write a prediction concerning your topic. For example/ You may explain that if we continue to misuse our natural resources, we will be in trouble in the future because the nonrenewable resources will be depleted. A suggestion: You may suggest that we pay closer attention to the topic and think about it further. For example/ You may suggest a singer hire a coach in order to further their singing career. A call to action: You may use a positive way of thinking to encourage your readers to act on something. Example/ Call your readers to action by asking them to stop texting while driving. A strong quotation: You may provide a quotation to close out your essay to have your readers continue thinking about your topic. Make sure you use a quotation you have not already used in the essay. Example/ You may use a quotation from a well-known speaker to further push the reader to continue thinking about your topic.