IRE Research Paper Section 1
Research Exercise 1.1: Essay “hook” or opener
Locate a recent example of your conflict surfacing in public discussion and describe what happened / tell the story. If there are any terms / concepts that might be unfamiliar to readers, provide an explanation / definition. Remember to include a citation for where you got the information. Good places to look for information: print or online news reports, TV broadcasts, social media postings or library databases such as US Newsstream.
Research Exercise 1.2: Explain the conflict
Write a paragraph explaining the conflict you are writing about. Consider including statistics to give readers a sense of the scope or seriousness of the topic and/or the number of people it affects. Good places to look for a concise description: Library databases such as Points of View Reference Center, Very Short Introductions, ProCon.org, or Independent Voices.
Research Exercise 1.3: Provide Timeline of major milestones or developments
From your sources / research, identify 4-5 milestones in the history of your conflict. When was your topic the subject of public debate / discussion, and why? Was it the catalyst for legislation and/or court cases? Follow its history.
Write several paragraphs detailing several of the major milestones / historical developments related to your conflict. Each paragraph should have at least 1 in-text (parenthetical) citation to indicate which source provided the information.
Research Exercise 1.4: Name the sides
From your sources / research, identify the two major sides of the conflict and summarize their position. You should also discuss exactly who (people, groups, etc.) is part of each side — does it break down by political party, age, geography, socio-economic group, religious affiliation, etc.?
For example, if you’re exploring the conflict around the Affordable Care Act, it was proposed by a Democratic president and supported by Democratic legislators. Who else supported it? Were there professional groups (e.g. medical providers, American citizens) that also supported it?
Note: you are looking for the most significant people or groups that comprise a side. You don’t need to provide an exhaustive list of everyone on a side, just the major players who are most involved in the debate.
Write a paragraph or two identifying each side and summarizing its major position (just the facts — you’ll look at why in the next section). Each paragraph should have at least 1 in-text (parenthetical) citation to indicate where you got the information.
At the end of your paragraphs, do a Works Cited entry for each source listed in your discussion.
