ENGL 01A Truesdale

Welcome to the Merced College Library!

This library research guide has information and tools useful for your research-based essay for Professor Truesdale. It is used by both the in-person and online class sections, so you will find the library class slides and handout used by the in-person sections, as well as a reference to the online sections' online library module.

Use the tabs on the left to:

• learn what databases are and how to find them on the library website
• learn about the information cycle and various types of sources, including
  • reference sources
  • popular, trade, and scholarly articles
  • scholarly book/eBook chapters
• learn strategies for evaluating sources
• find recommended databases
• find database video tutorials
• learn strategies for searching in databases
• find resources for citing in MLA 9
• get in contact with faculty librarians for additional research and learning support

Cause and Effect 

• Use three to four additional outside sources to cite for this essay.
• You can use our class readings to get ideas for what to do research on, but do not use any of these student written articles for your essay or Annotated Bibliography.
• You need to find sources from outside the provided class materials to quote from.
• For each of the 3 – 4 body paragraphs, you will need to quote at least once. Plan to use a different outside source for each point or body paragraph. Every point (“body paragraph”) needs at least one outside source to back it up.

Prompt 1

• Write an essay exploring three to four causes and effects that poverty has on society in the United States.
  • Possible areas to explore: Some possible points to consider about the causes of poverty can include socioeconomic status, inherited/family poverty, tragic events, negative economic conditions, ethnicity/gender, lack of jobs, war, etc. For effects, think about the ways poverty has impacted one’s livelihood, one’s basic necessities such as food/diet and shelter, one’s education, the economy, crime rate, discrimination, the creation of more welfare services/programs, etc. The causes/effects that you will present to your reader can be positive and/or negative.

Prompt 2

• Write an essay explaining why true crime is so popular and what effects does this popularity have on society. 
  • True crime stories can be found everywhere: on podcasts, as TV programs/movies, and as books and news reports, but why is it so popular? Why do people want to hear, read, and watch true crime stories? What is it about this genre that fascinates or captures the attention of the public? How does this surge of true crime media affect the public, either negatively or positively?
  • Possible areas to explore: For causes, you can explore the relationship of fear as a moneymaker, a person’s curiosity, crime as entertainment, etc. For effects, some possible points to consider would be about whether the presence of true crime media inspires copycat crimes, or does it make people more careful and aware of their surroundings? Does it inspire a greater sense of fear or a greater sense of security?

Prompt 3

• Write an essay exploring the causes and effects of crime in the United States.
  • Possible areas to focus: For causes, you can examine the role that poverty, socioeconomic status, family background, education, mental health, race/ethnicity/gender, etc. play in terms of crime. For effects, you can examine what happens to the victims or perpetrator, what society does in response to crime, etc.)

Prompt 4

• Write an essay exploring why the news media in the U.S. focuses so much on missing white girls, and what effects does this narrow focus by the news media have on society.
  • You may want to consider the reasons why the media focuses on young white/blonde girls as opposed to missing persons of other ages, genders, and races/ethnicities. Why do these other groups not receive as much screen time in the news? How might this lack of coverage of other missing persons affect society as well as the investigation?
  • You may want to use the “Missing White Woman Syndrome” as a term when researching.
  • Possible areas to focus: Examine why cases such as Elizabeth Smart, Natalee Holloway, and Gabby Petito had such high new coverage compared to others with a different gender/ethnicity/race who went missing. Keep in mind that this is a cause/effect essay, so do NOT write a compare/contrast essay