Criteria for Research Paper Resources

ALL SOURCES MUST BE

Credible:  Justify the qualifications of your source. 
*What is their connection to the issue?
*What about their experience, profession, or knowledge clearly makes this source an authority on the issue?
*What interests, priorities, or beliefs could color their understanding of or approach to the issue?
*What about their assessment of the issue might indicate bias or an attempt to “spin” information?

Recent:  Make sure the information has not been rendered inaccurate by intervening developments

*Historical developments
*Political or legal changes
*Technological developments
*New Research

Valid:  The information you use must faithfully convey the meaning of the source.

*Do not use minor excerpts from articles, books, websites, or programs that primarily address other issues
*Do not “cherry pick” unrepresentative information from discussions of other issues.

Typical:  Make sure the views you include are representative of general contemporary understanding of the issue

*Avoid using controversial or minority scientific opinions unless clearly identified and addressed
*Critically assess controversial historical, political, or social commentaries.    

Humans Rights Topics P.4

Kayla Chambers - Gender discrimination - Mid East
Kyle Caristi - Violence against reporters / limitations on free press
Lyndsie Bell - Mentally disabled rights - U.S.
Wyatt Rollman - International drug trafficking
Madalyn Frampton - International religious rights
Anna Justice - Arms' control
Nick Hall - Human trafficking -- India
Julia Wojnar - Human trafficking - U.S.
Audrie Hendricks - Women's rights - South Asia
Josh Forster - War on drugs 
Shea Bolton - Homelessness - U.S.
Matthew Jones - Human trafficking - Africa
Danial Noll - Weapons of mass destruction
Ellie Masters - Disappearances
Sarah Halstead - Racial discrimination in education - U.S.
Ian Streeter- Fair elections Africa
Finn Stupakoff - Killer robots
Scott Benshoof - Responses to/mistreatment of victims of violence
Jacob Beck - Police brutality - U.S.
Collin Sturdevant - Corporate violations and accountability
Thomas Clewes - Homeless children - Uganda
Samantha Worth - Second Amendment Violations
Miriah Smetak - Poverty in North Africa
Garrett Glenn - Child Soldiers -- Africa
Adam Kover - Death squads and paramilitary
Ernie Posados - Torture - U.S.
Nathaniel Noll -- NSA violations of privacy

Period One Human Rights Topics

Cici Panella: Rights for Prisoners in the United States
Mayana Ng: Women's Rights in North Africa
Katie Long: Refugees Seeking Asylum
Chante Williams: Poverty / Income Distribution Africa
Kolby Miller: Torture During Interrogation
Ramey Kemery: Transgender rights, U.S.
Clayton Lince: WMD
Quinn Hinman: Disability Rights in U.S.
Alex Bogacz: International Religious Freedom
Bella Brown: Child Labor in Mexico
Grace Gibbs: Death Penalty in U.S.
Sam Mincy: Human Trafficking in the US
Caleb Evans: Terrorism in Syria, perhaps others
Molly Akers: Child Soldiers in Developing Countries
Joshua Kukas: Pay discrimination
Kylie Michel: Disappearances
Esther Kang: Gender-Based Violence in South Korea
Kalen Epping: Education in Developing Countries
Emily Larson: Freedom of Opinion: North Korea
Deven Nieves-Noel: Freedom of Expression: U.S.
Jarod Torres: Government Control of Media
Colby Dragon: Human rights connection to environment
Elle Hirotaka: Polic Brutality: U.S.
Rylee Flahaut: Domestic Violence: U.S.
emily feek: Child Marriage in Developing Countries
Chantal Won: International Drug Trafficking
Algela Pratt: Education Rights for Women in Developing Countries
Olivia Steele: Child Slavery in Developing Nations
Tyler Gibbs: Rights of the Elderly -- Elder Abuse

Selecting Your Human Rights Research Paper Topic

Today and tomorrow, we will be working on identifying human rights topics for our research papers.

Here are some requirements:

1. Select a contemporary or recent (last 10 years) issue that deals with the rights of human beings (not non-human animals) from birth to death.

2. Make sure this is an issue you can approach without personal, political, or religious bias. The intent of the essay is to provide information, not to present an argument.

3. Do some preliminary research to clarify your understanding of the nature of the issue and make sure there are research resources available on the topic.

4. Avoid selecting topic that are too complex to grasp and discuss withing the context of a single research essay. You may want to narrow your discussion to help with this. For example, nobody can deal with the entire issue of hunger around the world in a single paper. However, you could look at hunger or malnutrition in a specific region or based on a specific cause.

5. Do not duplicate topics. Everyone will have their own topic of research.

Here are some suggestions for inquiry:

Access to clean, safe water

Access to Education – especially by income or gender

Access to legal representation

Adequate Housing

Arbitrary Detention

Asylum

Border conflicts/Marginal populations

Child Labor /

Child Marriage

Child Slavery/Prostitution

Child Soldiers/Orphans of war/Lost children

Civil War

Civilian Casualties in Wartime

Death Squads/Paramilitaries

Detainee Status/Prisoners of War

Disarmament

Domestic Violence

Drug trafficking

Due Process

Employment Discrimination

Environmental Pollution

Fair elections

Feeding programs/Malnutrition

Freedom of Association

Freedom of Expression,

Freedom of Religion

Gangs

Genocide/War Crimes

Government control of media

Health Care: Drug Prices/Intellectual property

Health Care: Health care access for women

Health Care: Tropical diseases/research priorities

Homeless rights

Honor killings

Housing Discrimination

Human Trafficking

Immigrants’ Rights

Indigenous People’s rights

Internally displaced persons

Landmines

Microcredit  - Access to capital

Peacekeeping Programs/Conflict resolution

Police Brutality

Prisoners’ Rights / minors /mentally disabled

Right to national identity

Rights of the mentally ill

Rights of the Physically Disabled

Self-Determination

Street children

Terrorism

Torture

War profiteering

Weapons of mass destruction/Nuclear proliferation

Nonfiction Reading Questions for “The Riches of the Poor”

For each of the following items,

1. List and describe as completely as possible
2. Use complete sentences when describing each item, making sure to incorporate text from the chapter.

List and describe, as completely as possible, the violations of human rights described in the piece.

Identify the different actors involved in the human rights violation. In what way is each involved in the violations described by the author?

Explain the short-term and long-term impacts of this problem.

Describe the causes of the human rights violation and the apparent obstacles to change.

Introductory Material for Human Rights Assignment

Today, we will introduce a human rights research essay that we will be working on over the next two quarters. We will examine the assignment itself, view some preliminary resources to help guide your initial work, and read an example document that addresses some of the types of information you will address as you learn about your topic.

Please go to your Hapara workspace at www.mystudentdashboard.com and follow along as I introduce these initial sources.

Then, read "The Riches of the Poor" by E. Benjamin Skinner. We will be working with this document tomorrow.

Today and tomorrow, consider what kind of human rights issue you plan to address. we will be researching this on Wednesday and selecting topics.

Plan of Improvement for Antigone Essay

Plan of Improvement:
1.Thesis and supporting claims

• Does the thesis provide a clear claim?
• Do topic sentences make supporting claims about how the play communicates this belief/perspective?

2. Abundant evidence from throughout the play and supporting details

• Use blended sentences that smoothly incorporate evidence into a discussion of the context and significance of the passage

3. Effective two-part analysis

• Discuss meaning and relevance of the evidence in the context of the play
• Analyze and discuss the ideas developed about the broad issue raised by the thesis

4. Voice/Language

• Awkward sentences
• 1st/2nd person POV
• Vague wording

For each part of the plan...

A. Broadly explain what you need to focus on and why - BE CLEAR. Identify the issue and provide insight into what seems to be challenging

B. Provide a specific, quoted example

C. Explain how you plan to fix this area of focus. What will this look like when it's better?
D. Fix B

Evaluation Criteria for Peer Editing Assignment

All four parts of the peer editing assignment must have the following:
*A characterization of the strengths and weaknesses of the writing with regard to this criterion
*Specific, quoted examples supporting/illustrating your conclusions about the strengths or weaknesses
*Constructive commentary about how to address the writing weaknesses -- Provide specific, helpful suggestions :  "Try it like this"

Here is the rubric I will use to evaluate your peer edit. The assignment will be a summative category score (90% category)

Peer Editing Evaluation

	0 This type of comment is frequently missing	1 Comments are generally unclear or incomplete	2 Comments are complete, but clarity and specificity is limited	3 Comments are clear, but more detail or specificity would make them useful	4 Detailed, specific  comments provide valuable insight and actionable feedback
Provides clear, effective description of both strengths and weaknesses
Provides specific, directly relevant examples of strengths and weaknesses quoted from the text
Provides detailed suggestions for improvement with specific suggestions that can be directly applied to the text: “Try it like this”

Peer Editing Assignment for Literary Analysis Essay

1. The response should be a well-developed essay with a strong thesis, well-developed supporting claims, and an effective conclusion.

a. In what ways is this argument effectively developed? Provide specific examples and explain how these elements or arguments are effective in supporting the author’s thesis

b. In what ways should this be improved? Provide examples and provide specific suggestions that can help the writer develop insight, detail, or coherence in their argument

2. The essay needs to provide abundant evidence from throughout the play.

a. What accurate, reasonable evidence is presented? Where is it effectively incorporated into the text? Provide specific examples and explain

b. Identify evidence that may be inaccurate, vague, or limited and provide specific suggestions to help

3. The essay needs to provide accurate, detailed, two-part analysis of each piece of evidence used.

a. What analysis is especially effective, insightful, or clearly expressed? Provide specific examples and explain

b. Fins an example of analysis that requires clarification or development. What specifically needs to be changed or added to this discussion? Provide specific suggestions to help.

4. The writing needs to be clear, effective, and concise; use blended sentences, effective organization, and logical transitions between ideas.

a. Find an example of effective writing or organization things being done well.  Explain why it is effective.

b. Find a place where this could be developed, clarified, or improved. Provide specific suggestions to help

Format / Organization Notes for Antigone Essay

Intro paragraph

Hook: raise broad issue of enduring relevance

Transition: narrow focus to the play and its connection to the issue

Thesis: Present a clear strong specific claim. Tell the reader what the play communicates regarding the enduring issue

Limiters: specify which elements of the tragic drama establish and develop this conclusion

Body Paragraphs

Topic sentence:

• Starts with the transition
• Makes a claim about how an element of the play help communicate or establish the theme

Concrete detail

• Blended sentence establishes the context and significance of text
• Make sure to include a transition

Commentary one

• Address what this shows about the events characters or conflicts in the play
• Make sure to include a transition

Commentary two

• Explain what this shows about the theme not just play
• Make sure to include a transition

Conclusion sentence

• What generally does a reader learn / understand / conclude based on the use of this literary element

Concluding paragraph

• Reiterate the most significant conclusions / examples discussed new line 
• Give a compelling sense that the thesis is reasonable and well-supported  
• Establsih a sense of completion - discuss the implications of this point of view

Drafting Body Paragraphs for Antigone Analysis Essay

Here are some tips that will help you create an effective essay:

Claims:

• Provide a clear thesis that presents a specific conclusion about a theme developed in the play.
• Make sure all claims, evidence, and analysis presented in body paragraphs are directly relevant to your thesis.
• Topic sentences need to make a clear connection between the thesis and the specific literary element to be discussed in the paragraph.

Organization:

• Your essay as a whole should follow a clear, logical pattern of development that aids reader understanding of the claims you make.
• Provide effective intro, body, and conclusion paragraphs
• Body paragraphs must provide a clear topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and a concluding statement.
• Provide effective transitions between ideas. Logical connections must be used at all times.

Evidence: 

• Provide abundant evidence from throughout the text to support all claims. 
• Incorporate all evidence into blended sentences to establish transition and clarify context and significance
• Make intentional decisions about which quotes you will pull from what parts of the text.

Analysis:

• Provide a two sentence analysis of each evidence selection, explaining the meaning or insight developed by the quote in the context of the play and then analyzing how this meaning develops the abstract theme you are discussing.
• Make sure to include transitions between ideas & sentences

Voice:

• Use clear, precise, effective word choice at all times, avoiding vague wording and broad generalization
• Use active diction  -- avoid "to be" verbs and past tense at all times.
• Maintain formal diction at all times -- avoid first and second person (I, you , we, us) and slang, cliche, or colloquialism
• Write clear, fluent sentences and avoid wordy, awkward, or grammatically incorrect constructions.

Conventions:

• Check spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and format.
• Use MLA citation and formatting.