Josh Parker

College Writing II

3/30/14

Research Paper Design Plan

            Throughout the semester I have kept my theme for the most part on nutrition.  I plan on continuing the same theme for my research paper.  Nutrition is a very broad topic and I am still unsure of what to focus on.  I hope that by writing this design plan I will be able to narrow my topic down into a more specific focus.  My past assignments have been centered on juicing.  I have enjoyed writing about juicing in the past, however I think that I would like to write my paper on a different topic within the theme of nutrition.  Even though I will not be writing my paper on juicing, I do like the idea of plant-based diets.  When I say ‘diet’ I am referring to the food we consume on a regular basis, not a food plan to loose weight.  My paper will likely have something to do with plant-based diets and will argue the benefits of that kind of a diet. 

            My purpose for this paper will be to inform my audience that the traditional American diet is not an optimal diet and has very many negative consequences.  I will discuss the drawbacks of the traditional diet to yourself as well as the environment.  I would like my paper to be informative for the audience and shed light on a healthier diet based on plant-based foods. 

            Ethos:  I want my paper to come across as well researched.  I want my sources to be credible and informative so that I am presenting the most accurate information.  I do not want to have a condemning tone when I write about the faults of the traditional American diet.  I want to have a tone that invites the audience to continue reading and be excited about finding ways to improve their diets.

            Pathos:  I want my audience to agree with my paper.  I would like to keep them interested all throughout the whole paper, and excited about the new information presented to them.  I want them to think about their every day diets and consider my points on how to improve their diets.  I do not want my audience to feel like they are being told that they are doing something wrong.  Instead, I want to introduce them to a new way of thinking about how they eat.  Changing eating habits is not an easy process unless you have strong reasons to change.  I would like my paper to present those strong reasons in order to motivate my audience to eat healthier.

            Logos:  My argument will be based on logical facts.  I believe that my topic is a well-documented field that will provide multiple factual arguments.  My task is to present the facts and comment on those facts in an order that makes a clear and logical argument that is easy for my audience to comprehend.

            Choice of Medium: My medium will be a paper.  My argument is going to have a lot of information.  A paper is the best form of Medium for my purpose because it is the best medium for presenting a lot of information.

            Arrangement:  I will present the problems with the traditional American diet first.  In my intro I will present shocking facts about the traditional diet that capture the audience’s attention without upsetting them.  I will then present my argument on better food options and how we can improve our diets.

            I believe that my audience will agree with my argument because it will be based on facts that are well studied and have proven benefits.  There are many people who believe that eating meat is a part of our diets as humans.  They believe that since it is something we have been eating for hundreds of years it is good for us.   My purpose is to counter that argument and provide research to back up my argument. 

            Nutrition is a huge topic.  I would say I know more about nutrition than the average person, however I am in no way an expert in nutrition.  Nutrition is always changing, new foods are discovered, and new research continues to surface.  I have scratched the surface on nutrition through light reading and documentaries based on research.  I hope that through this research paper I will learn a lot more about my topic and become more knowledgeable in the overall field of nutrition.  I will research my topic through the required source contexts.  My research will be composed mainly on books.  One book that I plan to use as a source will be “The China Study,” a book written based on 20 years of research on plant-based diets.  I have not read this book yet, however I have heard from multiple sources that it is a very comprehensive study.  I may also use a source related to Joe Cross that I analyzed during my rhetorical analysis.  I will use his website, “rebootwithjoe.com” or his documentary, “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.”  I will have a better idea of sources to use when I narrow my topic down into a more focused topic.

            After I finish my paper I hope that I will know better what types of foods to eat and what purpose each food group serves.  I hope to know which foods are dense in certain nutrients in order to improve my current diet.  I would like to know more about nutrition so that I can take a more active role in my diet and instead of eating what is presented or available, I can actively choose what my body needs to eat in order to be healthy.