Research Paper based on Orange is the New Black

Essay 3: At a Glance
In Essay #3, we are taking a theme or topic from a book and developing that into a research-based argument paper. The paper should quote from the book at least twice and should incorporate 5-7 secondary sources to help provide background information and factual evidence to support the essay’s main assertion.
Main Goals for Essay 3
Write a thesis statement that makes a claim about an idea or theme found in Orange Is the New Black
Support a thesis using textual evidence from primary and secondary sourcesand logical inferences about those sources
Demonstrate improved usage of MLA citation methods
Critically analyze the issue using your research about the topic, and explainthis analysis to readers.
Create organized paragraphs that focus on one main point and divide your argument into manageable chunks for your readers.
Texts for Essay
Piper Kerman – Orange Is the New Black
At least five secondary sources related to your topic. Most of these sources should come from the library databases. (No more than seven secondary sources are allowed.)
Suggested Prompts
The following is a list of possible topics. This list is not exhaustive. In other words, feel free to develop your own topic as long as it connects with some idea or theme found in Orange Is the New Black:
To what extent do today’s prisons help to rehabilitate criminals and prepare them for their lives beyond their incarceration?
What effect has mandatory minimum sentencing in drug offenses had on the prison population?
What effect has the opioid crisis in the Midwest and other parts of the country had on the prison population?
How can prisons become reformed to result in more positive outcomes for inmates and for society?
What effect does incarceration have on the family (especially children) and friends of inmates?
To what extent does privilege (racial, socioeconomic, heteronormative) affect rates of conviction and incarceration?
What are some ways that prison is dehumanizing or humiliating to inmates? Is this humiliation warranted?
Do the inmates ever create a sense of community while incarcerated? If so, how? If not, why not?
How are correctional officers impacted by working in U.S. prisons?
In what ways are the U.S. criminal justice/prison system racist?
If none of these prompts sound interesting or engaging, please invent your own topic, but be sure to discuss it with me before you do too much research.
*Click here for some additional topics that my classes this last fall brainstormed.
A few things to remember:
Write for someone who is not in this class, and, therefore, not familiar with the texts.
Include at least two quotations from the book and quote from or paraphrase from at least five secondary sources to develop and support your argument.
Talk about complexities of the book and the problem you are researching, and avoid oversimplifying them.
Use your critical voice to argue about a topic connected to the book.
This assignment must be a minimum of 6 FULL pages, not including the works cited page, and follow MLA formatting and guidelines for citations.
Address the opposition and work on refuting opposing claims.
Use your critical voice to explain WHYyou take the position.
You must also complete at least one tutorial at the Writing Center. Please see the attached form for specific directions for your tutorial.

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