Prof. Norbury - English 101 - Fall 2023: Conspiracy Theories

Research Assignment Overview

Conspiracy Theory Assignment

The Legal definition of Conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to commit a crime. The Conspiracy doesn't have to be an overly elaborate plot or threaten the entire world, but it can. In recent years conspiracy theories have become more extreme, from plausible to absurd. As people in power escape prosecution for their crimes, they have become more transparent with their conspiracies and people are more likely to believe that we don't know the worst of it. Hunter S. Thompson once said that “there's no such thing as paranoia. It's always worse than you think.” This means that when you have the feeling there are forces working against you, your hunch is not only correct but probably still an underestimation. With this in mind, I'd like for you to present to me a conspiracy theory in a way that would convince me it's the truth.

Requirements :

• Four Pages minimum; double spaced, standard 1in margins, and 12 font size Ariel or TimesNewRoman.
• You will need to quote or paraphrase at minimum, one of our recent reading assignments as well as two sources you found in the school library.
• Using the MLA format, you will need to cite your sources in the body with parenthesis (Author) as well as list your resources in a Works Cited page at the end of your paper.
• You need to begin the essay with an introductory paragraph that clearly states your topic, topic focus, and thesis.
• You need to maintain paragraph focus and have proper paragraph organization
• You need to end with a concluding paragraph that summarizes the points you've made in your paper and/or explains what comes next.

To get an A on this paper you will want to : follow the instructions above, be detailed in your description, connect the dots for me your reader the way Gary Webb [the week's reading is the article explaining the CIA-Crack connection by Webb] does in his article, make sure that I can not only understand the conspiracy but believe it as well, avoid vague language, use a thesaurus when you're repeating words, avoid typos, avoid improper grammar, and check your spelling, especially after spell check has "corrected" it for you. You get an extra bump in your grade if you make up a whole new conspiracy theory that I've never heard of.