Throughout this course, we have discussed the idea of identity and how our three different thematic elements—place, education/language, and media/culture—have impacted identity. This paper will proceed thematically from one of the papers written previously. In other words, you will choose one of the themes from one of the papers to expand upon, to see again, to rewrite. The Critical Research Essay is not be an “add-on” project where you will simply write more pages onto a previous topic paper. Rather, this project requires a complete overhaul approach that may use a basic thematic element of a previous paper, but develops an entirely different direction and structure. As you’re thinking about your direction for this paper, consider an interesting idea you mentioned in a previous paper but did not have a chance to develop more completely or take a major idea that you want to explore in an entirely new way.
The Critical Research Paper will require many of the skills that we have developed throughout the course, such as composing a thesis, developing a complex argument, creating a clear sense of direction within the papers, limiting the focus of the paper, and integrating outside sources
