Differences and Similarities: Chinese and American Education System

Argumentative Research Paper
I want to choose what the differences and similarities between Chinese and American education system as my topic

Summary: Essentially, you will be writing a research-based argument, according to the specifications you find on any real-world writing entry submission that is academic/intellectual in nature. That could be a contest, a scholarship entry, an academic journal submission, or any writing entry that specifies submission guidelines and shares general academic principles. You do not have to actually submit your paper to the real-world writing entry, but if you would like to, I greatly encourage it.

Subject: This paper must be newly composed for this class and original (in authorship as well as uniqueness of content, meaning your paper should offer something more/different than other widely available writings on the same or similar topics). It would likely be advantageous to write about some problem or opportunity in your field, but that is a suggestion not a requirement. You should be able to clearly answer the question, “Readers should read my paper over other papers on this subject because ______.” If you can’t clearly answer that, you probably haven’t narrowed your thesis down yet, and the paper will likely be unfocused or contextually redundant. Originality, research-based, argumentative, and “meets basic scholarly standards” are the only hard requirements I have as to what subject you write about, which means you have an overwhelming, if not infinite, amount of potential subjects to choose from. Beyond these general restrictions, your subject is yours to choose.

The specifics of the essay will vary depending on the guidelines of the writing entry you choose, but a few general parameters (listed below) must be met to satisfy the objectives for this course.
*See notes below for a word of advice on picking a subject

General Parameters:
• Should be argumentative, not purely informative, analytical, or narrative.
• Must be appropriate for academia, by your own reasoning.
• Argument should be logically sound, or at least logically strong, without glaring logical fallacies, inaccurate information, ungrounded speculation, a lack of evidence, etc.
• Should be directed to a specific audience, which should be somewhat clear in your essay. ***See below for a word of advice on directing your essay to a specific audience
• Research
• Must include research-based evidence with citations in an academically acceptable style (typically MLA or APA). No additional requirements are given as far as how many citations you need, or what type of sources to use—that all depends on what specific evidence you need to validate your thesis. I will say that ample evidence, including outside sources, is a hallmark of academic writing, and not many academic journals or contests will take your work seriously without a wealth of credible citations to back up your original points. I will be evaluating your paper based on whether or not you have ample evidence* that is aptly delivered and properly documented according to the academic standard you are using (MLA, APA, or other).
o Ample Evidence is not evaluated by a specific number but rather a subjective evaluation based on how well research informs and evidences the paper.
• Style must be intelligently designed to suit the content, genre, and audience. **See below for a word of advice on style.
• A clear thesis must be present (thesis statement should be identifiable for academic essays). The paper must be effectively organized and structured. For academic essays, your original points must be distinguishable from outside evidence you present, and each paragraph should develop and evidence a specific point. Overall, the ideas presented in your paper should progress in a fluent and coherent manner.
• Your thesis should be: 1. Narrow enough to be validated within a few to several pages; 2. Non-speculative (non-biased); and 3. Academically/Intellectually stimulating—must be challenging/engaging to an academic audience. ***See below for a word of advice on directing your essay to a specific audience

Finding a Writing Entry and Submission Guidelines:
As stated above, a writing entry could be a contest, an academic journal submission, or any writing entry that specifies submission guidelines and shares general academic principles. Journals that publish undergraduate writing are good places to look for these writing entries. There are many writing entries that will not work for this project. Find a writing entry that allow room for a substantial, persuasive, researched-based essay that is apt to your topic.

Here is a list of such magazines, to get you started (note: not all of these will work for this class):http://www(dot)cur(dot)org/resources/students/undergraduate_journals/.

Also, check out some writing contests and scholarship application essays. They can be a bit more exciting because there are potential prizes, but sometimes at a slight cost, so watch out for entry fees if you plan on submitting. You can simply google “undergraduate writing contests,” or “undergraduate ‘call for papers.’” They may not use those words, exactly, so read carefully to ensure that it is definitely asking for essays that are argumentative.

Notes:

*A word of advice on subject: Be specific. You may need to pick an overall subject first. Typically, the more widespread and common the subject, the less original you can be. Original arguments can be made concerning widespread issues, but you are up against mass competition and often what you have to say has already been widely established. Success writing about widespread subjects is largely dependent on originality: meaning you should have an original point, or original reasoning, or better evidence, or something new to add to the often multi-million-person conversation.

Rather than compete with millions of writers, I encourage you greatly to think of a subject that is less talked about, even if it’s something very small and local, or a pet peeve or small gripe or something that excites you about the way things are in our world today. Often those tiny gripes are battlegrounds for larger issues: such as the need for a handicapped-accessible walkway in an old building (small business owners’ rights vs. disabled persons’ rights), or whether or not it should be allowable for an adult to buy food off the kid’s menu (customer satisfaction vs. budget concerns; or perhaps something about corporate law).

Not to belabor the point, but this stuff is important to consider: Readers want new ideas, or to be shown something in a new way, or told something in a new way that makes sense. Freshness is key. You could
• argue something new, or in a better way;
• criticize something that undeservingly escapes scrutiny;
• propose an original solution to a problem;
• expose an unseen problem;
• argue that something is better than something else;
• foretell the future using plausible logic;
• nerd out in academic detail arguing something about a niche interest
And on and on. Do not limit your subject to my suggestions. Try not to think, “What does the professor want,” except in the most general sense (he wants an academic paper). Instead, try to think: “What am I writing? Who needs/wants to read it? Why am I writing it to them? and, “How do I need to say it to them to get through?”

**A word of advice on style:
Follow the general style advice given in class (which is industry standard) wherever possible: be concise, be explicit, be relatable, be objective as much as possible (for academic essays--for allegories, style is much more open) and handle subjectivity in a way that does not impair the logic of the paper. If the submission guidelines include stylistic requirements or suggestions that differ from mine, then adjust accordingly. That said, your individual style and voice is important, so try to adapt your style to these industry standards for academic writing, rather than forgoing your style altogether and attempting to sound like someone else. That is very hard to do, but it is the great challenge of any writer adapting their style to the conventions of any given genre. Be you, but writing in your academic persona. If you’ve never met your academic voice, it’s time to get acquainted. Much of that can be worked out in the rewrite process, so it may be easier for you to write naturally at first to get the content out and then go back and edit for style. Just make sure if you do to allow for time to edit for style before turning your paper in.

***A word of advice on directing your essay to a specific audience:
It is not typical to literally identify your audience in the essay, unless you need to for some reason—for example, you want to speak differently to different groups and need to address each of them: e.g. “Liberal-minded people should do _____, but conservative-minded people should do _____). Your intended audience should be fairly evident by analyzing the information you give and the method of your appeals. Generally speaking, your writing should appeal consistently to an ideal audience. Hint: what you leave to inference versus what you state explicitly will often give away who you are writing to, or the lack of understanding of who you are writing to. If in talking about a new concept in physics, such as the “lightsaber molecule,” you first explain that “Light-matter existed previously only in theory, but now, for the first time, it has been observed in reality,” as this article does, then we know it is written to a lay audience, because the author wouldn’t need to explain this to a seasoned physicist. At the same time, it is intellectually stimulating and demands a fairly intellectual mind to comprehend, so we can infer it is written to an intellectual lay audience with scientific interests. You may choose your audience, but be consistent. Appealing to a layman in the intro of the essay but appealing to a professional at the end tells me you’re not clear who you are writing to.