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FYS 199-15 Good News - Clark - Fall 2025: Home

How this guide can help you in your assignments for this class

Your assignments:

  • SWA #11 (November 7th): This short writing assignment seeks to hold students accountable for beginning their research early and outlining where they think their argument is headed. To that end, you are required to have placed at least one interlibrary loan order by this date and to have examined at least two other essays/articles that appear useful in supporting your claims. With the understanding that you’re still in the early stages of this research, this assignment also asks you to briefly sketch out your argument in one or two paragraphs. What do you think you’re going to be attempting to prove?
  • SWA #12 (November 25th): This assignment is your research report in which you will be summarizing the evidence you have mined from your research. By this point, you should have gathered at least five quality sources (including your interlibrary loan) and you should have reviewed them thoroughly, identifying the specific evidence you plan to use in support of your argument. Note, at least one of these sources should represent the opinions (and evidence) or your opponents. You need to know exactly what the other side says in order to prove them wrong.

Choosing Your Topic

For both the Short Writing Assignment #3 and Major Essay #2, you need to choose a, "...topic that is debatable or that invites more than one perspective...".

Choosing a topic can be the hardest part of the research process. Make sure you give yourself enough time to think about ideas you have for a topic and then do some preliminary searching to get a feel for what is available. Watch this video for a good example on how searching can help you move from a general idea to a more refined research topic. 

Personal Librarian

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Ronalee Ciocco
she/her
Contact:
Library Director
Clark Family Library
724-503-1001, ext. 3039
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