The research essay is the culmination of our work this semester. Just as in the first two essays of the course, you will write a thesis-driven essay in which you incorporated secondary sources to help explain/develop your position. As a research paper, the intent of the paper is of course to inform your audience about your topic. However, it is critical that you think of your rhetorical purpose as something more than summarizing a list of secondary sources. Your responsibility is to use the sources to clarify your position on your topic. As a writer, you must make the transition from “topic” to “thesis”. For example, “Bolles Sensory Learning Method” is a topic, but a thesis is “The Bolles Sensory Leaning Method can serve as an effective curricular methodology in school programs for students with disabilities by targeting the sensory-based deficits that underlie their developmental and academic delays”.

The research paper must be 8-10 pages in length and must include at least eight secondary sources. It must be APA citation and document style.