letter from a Birmingham jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For the research paper assignment, you will choose one or two selections of literature from our reading list as the stimulus for your writing. Choose as your topic one of the issues introduced or discussed by the piece(s) you have chosen. This should be an issue of significance to you personally and relevant to society as a whole. It may be a topic we have discussed in class. You may also choose a topic you have written about already. It may be a new topic stimulated by your readings in class.

Begin your paper by explaining how the literature stimulated or influenced your thinking. Then, create an extended essay based on the structure of the Rogerian argument that we discussed in class. This means presenting the key arguments against your position. You may refute them, but then try to find compromise or common ground. If none is possible, fine, but be sure to present key points from the opposition and explain why thy are untenable. Explanations can be found in your textbooks, Reading Literature and Writing Argument, pp. 66-71 and The Prentice Hall Reference Guide, pp. 76-78.

1500-word scope