project for this course is the creation of a final research essay. Research writing is commonly required in college courses for well-established reasons. It helps you develop specific skills and abilities that are essential in college, the workplace, and life. Regardless of your major and the career you choose, you will need to be able to demonstrate the critical thinking that research writing requires. Why are critical thinking skills so important? They are what allow us to comprehend difficult concepts and to engage with complex ideas, including ideas with which we may disagree. Writing research papers helps us develop critical thinking skills because we have to use critical thinking throughout each step of the writing process. We use critical thinking when we determine how to find information, when we comprehend information new to us, analyze information, evaluate sources, reach conclusions, make rational decisions, and solve problems. Moreover, we usually engage in research writing with the goal of persuading, and the ability to persuade effectively is also essential in life. Much of what we do in school, the workplace, and even our personal lives depends on the ability to persuade. You will need to know how to write research papers for your college courses, but research writing is not restricted to the academic setting. In both personal and professional contexts, the development of your research paper is a concrete demonstration of your mastery of the topic, enhancing your credibility and deepening your own understanding. Prompt Your Mission: In the project milestones, you will select a topic and identify a research question based upon this topic. Your research paper should allow you to explore some aspect of your interest from an objective perspective. Remember that you are making an arguable claim in this paper and supporting your argument through the use of credible resources. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:  Produce research writing whose form, organization, syntax, diction, style, and tone are appropriate for a given audience, subject, and purpose  Conduct effective research to qualify appropriate evidence for purposeful integration in one’s own work  Write informative introductions, coherent theses, well-developed, organized, and supported body paragraphs, and conclusions that are persuasive and supported by effective research  Construct a well-supported argument based on a coherent topic relevant to one’s professional context and goals or personal interests Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed: 1. The introduction identifies a clear thesis that articulates a logical argument about your chosen topic. 2. The essay utilizes an informed, logical counterargument with sufficient detail that supports the argument by presenting a rebuttal. 3. Utilize at least three credible sources that are effective in supporting the thesis argument. 4. Integrate sources within the essay at appropriate points in the structure of the argument. For example, if you are using a quote, make sure there is a lead in to the quote and that afterwards you break down how the quote supports your argument. 5. There is a clear pattern of organization around the thesis statement. This means that there is an obvious connection between your supporting points and the thesis statement. Your paragraphs should be focused, clearly state their intent, and move logically from one to the other, building the thesis argument as the essay progresses.