How Can Online Gamers Balance Their Time Between Video Games And Academics?

Paper I: Comparative Analysis
Purpose and Description 
The ability to analyze texts rhetorically will be fundamental to your success as writers and, more generally, as individuals who can engage critically with ideas and arguments. With these ends in mind, your aim in this assignment will be to 1) learn strategies for analysis and apply them toward essays related to the course theme; and 2) construct an argument that develops a rhetorical stance in relation to the essays you have analyzed. The instructions described below are designed to guide you through this process.
 
Invention & Inquiry
Consider the following as you develop the first draft of your paper:
Read and annotate two essays assigned by the course instructor;
Analyze each essay according to methods taken from Chapter 2 in IAW;
Identify each author’s central claim and how he or she supports it (e.g., by citing other authors, by narrating experience, by including evidence he or she gathered through research);
Draft a thesis statement that positions yourself (i.e., takes a rhetorical stance) in relation to the arguments you have analyzed. The general idea here is to acknowledge existing research but also to contribute something new to the conversation you are looking to join.
The Composing Process
Academic research writing takes many forms. For this assignment, however, you will adopt a common organizational structure. Specifically, you should introduce your subject and state your thesis, offer some context for your analysis, present your analysis, come to a general resolution that balances the perspectives you have analyzed and reinforces your thesis, and conclude the paper by pointing toward additional research that should or needs to be undertaken. Consider the following as you structure and draft your paper:
Introduction (designed to frame your paper)
Thematic Context (designed to build on Exercise I)
Rhetorical Analysis (designed to focus on 2 comparable sources)
Resolution of Perspectives  (designed to reinforce your thesis)
Conclusion & Directions (designed to gesture toward future action)
 
Specific Requirements
Your paper should:
Analyze two essays related to the course theme;
Develop a compelling thesis based on methodical analysis;
Have a well-defined and coherent organizational structure;
Be written in a clear, precise, and active prose style;
Cite sources correctly using appropriate citation style (MLA or APA);
Include a title that reflects the spirit and scope of your paper;
Be 4-5 pages in length (double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12 point Times New Roman or Garamond typeface);
Be uploaded to Canvas as a Word document by the deadline (consult your course syllabus and schedule for details).
The process of initiating a research project and building new knowledge requires us, first, to recognize different perspectives, and second, to offer something new to our audience based on our own research, analysis, experience, and insights. Keep these principles in mind as you undertake your analysis and develop an argument you can continue to build as we transition into Project II. Please write or stop by my office (or both) if you have questions about this assignment or anything else related to the course.