(A single long paragraph “Introduction” for a research paper needed)

The Topic is About : In June 2017, the USA began the process of withdrawing from the “Paris Agreement” on

climate change; we had previously been a party to this agreement, but President Trump is

opposed to our continued participation. Do you recommend that we remain a party to

this agreement, or withdraw? Explain and justify your answer with evidence and

reasoning.

Create a creative title

The main criteria for evaluating your assignment will be:

o Does it appear that the group is addressing the assignment?

o Is it clear which of the questions the group is answering?

o Is the topic introduced appropriately so that the reader can understand why this is an issue worth addressing?

o Is the main idea or main thesis of the paper apparent from the paper’s opening?

o Is the opening written well?

• I will offer some advice on crafting a good opening paragraph. Of course, writing is an art, not a science, so there is no one “correct formula” for a good opening paragraph; but here is a structure that is generally quite effective. First, give a general introduction to the problem you are addressing (in this case, global climate change). Then, establish more specifically what question you are trying to answer, and why it is important to answer that question. If you are picking a side in a debate, then establish what the debate is about, and why it is important to resolve it. Finally, end the paragraph with a clear statement of your paper’s main thesis (which you will then prove throughout the remainder of the paper).

• Here are some tips based on what groups often do poorly on this assignment
• 1. Don’t lead off with your thesis as your very first sentence. If you do that, you have nowhere to go for the rest of the paragraph. Instead, start by establishing the question or debate, then finish the paragraph with a clear statement of your thesis. Your last sentence or maybe your second-to-last sentence should be your thesis statement.
  2. Make sure that it is clear from your paragraph which of the questions you are answering. If it is not clear to the reader, that often indicates that your group has some confusion that needs clearing up.
  3. Be sure to establish the debate. By this, I mean make sure that it is clear what question you are answering, and make a compelling case that the question is worth answering. Historically, this is where groups fail most often. Most groups do not make it clear why their question is worth addressing, and/or what the opposing points are in the debate. There is no single right way to establish the debate, but a couple effective ways are to use quotes from prominent public figures (important person #1 said “_____,” but important person #2 said “_____”) or to use figures like survey results (xx% of Americans think that ____, but yy% think that ____).
  4. Don’t spend a lot of time foreshadowing the rest of your paper. It is not necessary and often it just wastes space. If you want to *briefly* give a preview of what lines of argument you will use, that is fine. However, there is no need to spend several sentences previewing your lines of argument. If your paper is written clearly, your lines of argument will be obvious and apparent when I read the whole paper – you don’t need to spend much space (if any) previewing it in the opening.