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Research papers have to meet many requirements. All you told us was your topic and view point. Did you go in unbiased? Include all view points? Was it supposed to be analytical or argumentative? A research paper is not an opinion piece. Did you have reputable sources? Was it in proper format? Proper grammar and spelling? All those things could EASILY make your grade drop. I have a hard time thinking it was just your "stance" that earned you the grade. I'm sure many of my professors haven't "agreed" with my stances on things, but I always do extremely well on papers.
Just simply ask for more information. Don't go in with the "you just don't agree with me" attitude. Ask what you could have done better, what was wrong and what you need to improve on for the next paper. Find out what their expectations are. You do not need to change you mind, but you need to go through the proper process, which included researching the whole topic, not one side.
Doesn't sound like the paper has been written yet, rather the teacher had an issue with "what" he was going to write about before the OP had a chance to.
Her opinion is what is bothersome. As someone who is going to hand out a grade.
She should have said, "Can't wait to see what you come up with, I'm looking forward to it".
That's what good teachers/professors do. They leave the emotion out of their comments and grading. They grade on content, especially when asking for a "research" paper be written on a topic where there is no hard core/proven research to pull from and one size does NOT fit all.
The teacher obviously has a bias, which is the OP's concern.
Doesn't sound like the paper has been written yet, rather the teacher had an issue with "what" he was going to write about before the OP had a chance to.
This was my understanding as well. From the way the OP was written, it sounded as though the class was required to turn in their topic/these proposals for feedback before embarking upon the writing) of the paper. I've never experienced this at the undergrad or grad levels (although I was always welcome to bounce my thesis off a prof ahead of time if I wanted to), but there's a lot more handholding these days, since writing (and definitely researching) skills are in such decline.
Some instructors are doing a favor by alerting students to potential red flags with their proposed topics before they sink a bunch of time into something. It sounds like that's what is happening here.
There was nothing in the OP's post that made me think the paper had been written yet; rather that he got a B for his topic proposal, with feedback from the instructor that much research runs counter to his thesis, so to be aware of that. Nothing about that sounds sketchy, at all.
Doesn't sound like the paper has been written yet, rather the teacher had an issue with "what" he was going to write about before the OP had a chance to.
Her opinion is what is bothersome. As someone who is going to hand out a grade.
She should have said, "Can't wait to see what you come up with, I'm looking forward to it".
That's what good teachers/professors do. They leave the emotion out of their comments and grading. They grade on content, especially when asking for a "research" paper be written on a topic where there is no hard core/proven research to pull from and one size does NOT fit all.
The teacher obviously has a bias, which is the OP's concern.
The paper has not yet been written, which is what was troublesome to me. I feel that I was not given a chance to support my thesis with research before it was dismissed. While the value of the topic choice assignment is rather minute in the overall scope of the course, I am afraid that the score I received is a warning that my paper will be met with an identical bias.
The book describes how a minimum wage higher than the equilibrium wage creates job shortages for low-skill workers, and the increased price of labor causes an increase in the price of goods. I proposed that because the middle class consumes a large amount of goods produced by minimum wage workers their cost of living would increase. Their wages would likely become stagnant or decrease as more of a company's labor budget would be dedicated to those performing minimum wage tasks. The combination of wage stagnancy and increased cost of living would serve to further shrink the middle class and expand the wage difference between the remaining middle class and the upper 5% of income earners.
When I began the assignment I had no real opinion on minimum wage. I arrived at my topic choice as a result of what I read in the text. However, I do not claim to be unbiased. After further consideration on the topic I will acknowledge that I would likely resent unskilled workers being handed something that I had to work for. Despite this bias, I feel that if I were in the instructor's position I would be able to set my ideologies aside in the confines of the course.
This was my understanding as well. From the way the OP was written, it sounded as though the class was required to turn in their topic/these proposals for feedback before embarking upon the writing) of the paper. I've never experienced this at the undergrad or grad levels (although I was always welcome to bounce my thesis off a prof ahead of time if I wanted to), but there's a lot more handholding these days, since writing (and definitely researching) skills are in such decline. .
Just a note that it was common where I went (some 40 years ago) and was definitely not "handholding". We were often required to turn in the topic, which would be graded. As well as the outline, footnote cards, bibliography cards, usually two drafts, and the final. Each item had a turn in schedule and had to be graded before we could move to the next item on the list Which could be a real bear when the professor had your footnote cards and didn't get them graded quickly and you had a deadline approaching for the next turn in.
And just to add more fun in the mix, a couple of the professors had a rule that more than two CORRECTED typos (they would hold a page up the light to see the correction tape or whiteout) resulted in dropping a letter grade. The bulletin boards used to be full of announcements of ladies all over town who would type term papers with different page rates for draft and final. Computers and word processing killed a lot of home businesses in the college towns.
I've been out of the college scene for quite a while. I had to enroll in some online courses to complete some education requirements for work. I am taking an Economics Class, and we have to write a research paper related to the shrinking middle class and growing income gap between the top 5% and the rest of the population.
I chose to write about how an increasing minimum wage would be detrimental to the middle class. I was rewarded with an 80% grade on my topic choice, and a lengthy bit of commentary about how studies have shown that increased minimum wage is better for the middle class, and that the $15 minimum wage will be what saves the middle class in our country.
I am concerned that her political bias will also influence the grade on my research paper. The paper is a large portion of my final grade, much more so than the 25 points possible on the topic choice. What is the best course of action in this situation? I have no desire to modify my paper to fit her political agenda.
If something is supported by research from economists, and you decide to right about the opposite of course it should effect your grade.
If someone in biology class decided to write about how evolution isn't real, because of their "beliefs" than they don't understand biology. The grade would and should reflect that.
I wasn't saying the OP should cite the blog. He should READ the blog, click the links, read the cited articles and papers, continue to drill down into them, get to original source material.
That is called doing research, which is a question the OP was asked but hasn't come back to answer.
No. That is not research.
Research or more correctly called reviewing the literature STARTS with primary sources, aka peer reviewed lit. Not by starting its blogs.
Just a note that it was common where I went (some 40 years ago) and was definitely not "handholding". We were often required to turn in the topic, which would be graded. As well as the outline, footnote cards, bibliography cards, usually two drafts, and the final. Each item had a turn in schedule and had to be graded before we could move to the next item on the list Which could be a real bear when the professor had your footnote cards and didn't get them graded quickly and you had a deadline approaching for the next turn in.
I definitely had this in high school, but not undergrad (20 years ago), and definitely not at the graduate level (currently). Mileage clearly varies.
What I find odd is getting a grade for just choosing a topic? 80% for just making a choice doesn't seem that bad.
Also do you know if others got higher or lower grades for their topic choice?
Also if the topic was more specific you might have received a higher grade. Something like, "Why raising the minimum wage would be detrimental to minorities, children and the middle class." Might have raised an eyebrow. Or even presenting an alternative: "An alternative to raising the minimum wage."
As it stands it just seems like a standard topic.
If one were open minded, one would take what the professor stated not as a wholly political view, but rather an academic challenge. If you gather enough evidence, devoid of your own bias, you might be able to put up a good paper. Start using sources like the Blaze and Breitbart, and then you're at square one.
Like another poster stated, maybe you can't fully support your thesis, maybe you need to pivot. Not just with this topic, but in future topics as well. Usually you see a whole bunch of evidence and research until you find a pattern. Sometimes that pattern needs to be nudged.
Of course all of this depends on great sources, sound logic and good writing. There are a lot of factors that go into writing a paper that seem to disappear when agendas and biases are being challenged.
Also, relying solely on information from a single source (and a textbook, at that) is not likely to be sufficient in terms of supporting a thesis.
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