Paper Three: MLA Synthesis Research Paper

Introduction:
For paper three you will write a research paper using sources weve read this semester about universal basic income. By the time you begin drafting paper three, you should have a thoughtful understanding of the conversation occurring about a universal basic income. Your goal in the paper is to join that conversation by writing a thesis driven synthesis paper. The position you take is entirely up to you. You can agree, disagree, or some combination of both. Your paper will not be graded based on what position you take but on how well you make a reasoned case through a synthesis of the sources. 

As you read the sources, pay close attention to how each source overlaps and differs. Again, although sources may examine the same topic, they differ in focus. Your goal in this paper will be to move beyond reporting on what the sources say to a synthesis of the sources.

What Is Synthesis
Synthesis is an opportunity to create new knowledge out of already existing knowledge, i.e., other sources. You combine, synthesize, the information in your sources to develop an argument or a unique perspective on a topic. The main purpose of a synthesis essay is to make insightful connections. Those connections can show the relationship(s) between parts of a work or between two or more works. In order to write a successful synthesis essay, you must discover meaningful connections among the sources. For further explanation and an example of a synthesis research paper, please review the sample paper and synthesis handout on Blackboard. Both items are located in the Readings for Paper Three Section.

Although the sample papers differ in subject matter, they should give you an idea of how you might organize your paper and make connections among the sources. Subtopics can be a useful way to organize your paper. For instance, you might have a paragraph that looks at historical examples, a paragraph that identifies proposed models, a paragraph that discusses problems a universal basic income attempts to solve, a paragraph that presents counterarguments etc. There are other possible subtopics. As you will see by carefully reading the sample papers, body paragraphs in synthesis papers should contain a paraphrase or direct quote from two different sources. Think of each body paragraph as a mini conversation that you are having with the sources. If your body paragraphs contain only one source per paragraph, its a good indication that youre reporting and not synthesizing. Again, this should become clearer when reviewing the sample paper(s).

Audience: Your ENGL 1301 Class Length: A minimum of 1200 words in 12pt, Times New Roman font, single-spaced with 1 margins. Format: MLA format for header, in-text citation, and works cited.

Sources: You must use at least four of the sources listed below; You can select one additional source not included below (for a total of 5 sources) but it needs to be an article authored by a named, authoritative source. An authoritative source is a source authored by someone with expertise in the subject matter, not a journalist.

Universal Basic Income: A Universally Bad Idea by Marco Annunziata
The Solution to Nearly Everything: Working Less by Rutger Bregman
Why a Universal Income Is a Terrible Idea by Oren Cass
Who Really Stands to Win from Universal Basic Income by Nathan Heller
Why Americans Need a Guaranteed Income by Chris Hughes
Trump Should Just Give People Money by Annie Lowery
A Basic Income Could End Poverty Forever by Dylan Matthews