Please read over this handout (see additional files.)on various examples of proper quotations and citations. (THIS HANDOUT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO PAY ATTENTION TO! READ IT CAREFULLY WHEN APPLYING TO YOUR OWN ESSAYS!)
I want you to think about a specific interest in regards to food. Produce at least 5 critical questions that will lead to compelling and interesting answers. Remember that at the heart of your paper are your own conclusions and analysis. The research is meant to back up your claims but they themselves do not make up your paper. From this question, you will construct a thesis statement.
Prior to starting your paper, you must submit your thesis statement for approval and your critical questions for approval. Locate the appropriate module to submit your thesis.
A good thesis is an argument not a statement of fact.
I’ll give you an example.
factual statement: Food industry does a bad job labeling their products.
Argument and thesis: If the food industry educated people on how to properly read and understand nutrition labels then consumers can make smarter decisions about what to buy and therefore improve their health.
Do you see the difference?
Your final paper must be 5-7 pages MLA format. It must include a works cited page, which will contain your sources in MLA format. The citation page does not count towards your final page count.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You may use the topic you were working with from your previous homework assignment on American and Food or you may come up with a completely new topic.
In order to complete this assignment, you need to locate the module “Paper # 1 Prompt” down below.
Read the directions in that module and submit under appropriate modules as directed.
Please post your 5 critical questions and your thesis below. Remember that a thesis is a single sentence.
I want you to think of a research paper as a conversation.
The research is the existing conversation. These are things people are saying. Your paper and thesis argument should be JOINING that conversation and saying something new. You’re responding to what people are saying.
The research is meant to back up your claims but they themselves are not your claims.
Imagine that you’re sitting down with all your friends in a group. Your friends are talking and you decide to join that conversation and all you do is just repeat everything that they say. Chances are your friends will just be like “yeah, I/we just said that. What’s your point?”
Do not simply give me a statement of fact and what the research already confirms. Do not also give me simple solutions. For example: “People should stop eating fast food because it’s bad for their health” This is far too simplistic.
This is like saying “If people stopped texting and driving we could reduce car accidents.” We know this and yet people do it anyway. Chances are YOU do it even though you know risks and consequences. You aren’t thinking about the complexity of the issue.
Let’s revisit that simplistic statement: “People should stop eating fast food because it’s bad for their health”
How do we help people reduce fast food consumption? Why do people continue to eat fast food even though everyone knows it’s bad for health? What is the larger social problem and what solutions do you propose? Can we really just tell people to stop eating fast food and they’ll do it? Probably not. Why?
Do you see the value of the critical questions? This is what I want you to do when you sit down to form your thesis statement and questions. Use questions to help guide your critical analysis and argument.
5 Critical Questions: (my own answer)
1. Are that true people love fast food because of the huge pressure on their lives? Just like the person loves to eat sweet food who has more pressure than others.
Fast food sometimes can relieve people’s pressure, at least there is one thing I can do whatever I want. This makes people feel relax and comfortable.
2. People keep saying smoking can cause cancer, but no one proves it. Do you truly believe fast food bad for our health? what kind proves can you provide?
Fast food usually is high in sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, eating too much over a long period of time can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.
3. Do you believe people can stay away from fast food and eat healthily?
People can’t stay away from fast food suddenly or completely. We need to find a balance between them. We can do one “cheating day” a week, you can eat some fast food on the “cheating day”.
4. Why we can’t turn down the fast food?
There are several reasons for us can’t turn down the fast food. The reasons can be the key to help people get away from fast food.
5. Why fast food can’t be healthy?
It is hard to make people stop eating fast food, but we can put more efforts to make fast food more healthy
