In Week 1, you will select a problem-based topic that will sustain your interest for the next ten weeks. Once that first step is complete, it is time to begin learning all that you can through the research process. In this first essay, you will inform your readers by providing a thorough examination of the issue you have selected.

Your Goal: The purpose of an informative essay is to inform and explain. Your essay is going to help your readers understand the issue you have chosen. Your job is to analyze various perspectives on your topic and to present them to readers, along with background on the topic.

You are not offering your opinion on the issue you have selected; your objective for this first essay is to inform and explain that issue. You will have opportunities to express your views on your topic later in the class, but, for now, your paper should be informative, not persuasive. This means that, as a writer, you need to remain neutral on your topic at this point. Part of the goal of research is to allow ourselves to be open to discovering new points of view on a topic, even if we start the process by thinking our minds are decided.