Bibliographic Essay
Is higher education worth the price?
• Is pop culture actually good for you?
• Is fast food the new tobacco?
• Why does it matter who wins the big game?
• What’s up with the American Dream?
Try to present as many different sides of the issue as is feasible. In other words, your essay should answer the question, “What are the issues relevant to the question at issue?” If you must take a side, do so only in the conclusion. Be sure to watch and listen to the PowerPoint Presentation “Hammering Out the Bibliographic Essay,” which will prepare you to succeed in achieving the main objectives of the assignment.
Your job is to gather information from 8-12 credible sources and synthesize them into your paper. This means the bulk of the information in your paper MUST come from CMU Library resources, not Google. (We’ll cover source credibility in depth as we progress through this assignment.) You may also use the articles related to your topic in TSIS. No more than two of your sources may be exclusively web sites (online magazine or journal articles don’t count toward this) and at least one source must be a scholarly journal. You should show how the information from your sources is similar and different, and your paper should be written objectively. (i.e. Your reader shouldn’t be able to discern your position on the issue until your conclusion, which is when you may use subjective language to tell your audience where you stand.) For more information, refer to the “Help with the Bibliographic Essay” packet posted on BB.
Your essay should be 7 – 10 pages, double-spaced with 1” margins all around, using a 12-point serif font, such as Bookman, Cambria, New York, or Times Roman. In the upper left-hand corner, type your name, the date, and our class identification. Because this is a research-based assignment, please note: any paper turned in without in-text citations or a works cited page will not earn a passing grade on this assignment. Tip: Do not underestimate the amount of time this assignment will take you, which is why I’ve allotted so much time for you to complete it. Get started right away, and use your time wisely. Also know that gathering sources, reading them and finding relevant pieces of information in them will take you just as much time as actually writing this essay, so plan accordingly.
