Sugar Addiction
English 306 Research Essay (Three)
Your assignment for this essay is to write an eight- to ten-page research essay on a food /food politics-related issue, focusing on a specific issue, argument, or controversy that you can provide some perspective on, using your research to assist you. Though I encourage you to incorporate Michael Moss’ Salt Sugar Fat: How The Food Giants Hooked Us in your project, this is not a requirement (and his book does not need to be a key focus of your analysis.) Since this assignment is open topic, these requirements are basic guidelines, as each topic will likely require a unique approach.
The overall firm requirements for this essay is that you write a research essay, not research report. If you are at all unclear about this concept, talk to me—I will not pass an essay that simply summarizes a bunch of sources. In short, your perspective should be clear from the beginning, and throughout.
As a part of preparing your research, you will hand in an annotated bibliography containing short summaries and analyses of each source, using MLA-style citations. An average annotation should be approximately four sentences, of which approximately half should be summary and half analysis (see the annotated bibliography handout for details). Research presented in your annotated bibliography should present a diversity of sources (opinion, type, etc.), and you should include a decent number of peer- reviewed sources in your final essay (and likely more in your annotated bibliography). This can vary, depending on your topic, but remember that the power of your point does depend a good deal on the quality of your support (sources). Do not include more than two general interest sources in your final essay, unless you clear it with me. Your annotated bibliography should include at least ten sources, representing as much as possible the gamut of the conversation on your chosen topic.
Your final essay should incorporate approximately six to eight sources, and you should take special care to make sure that each source is appropriately incorporated and cited. Use the “They Say/I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing as a resource in this regard. As always, let me know if you have questions, and I look forward to reading your essays!
