This class is designed to provide students with the opportunity to experience the intellectual challenges and satisfactions of writing an argumentative research paper on a topic of their choice in the field of EFL or in other fields. For example, students choose a controversial issue on English education (e.g. Should English be taught at elementary schools in Japan?) or on another academic area (e.g. Should the possession of firearms be prohibited in the U.S. ? )and present/defend their point of view using the information gathered. Through this semester-long project, students become accustomed to the process of writing a research paper: reviewing the techniques/rules necessary for academic writing (e.g. paragraph/essay development), using the library and the Internet to get necessary information, conducting a questionnaire /interview to support their position on the issue, and weaving the work of others into their own research paper in the APA style. At the end of this semester, students must submit a final paper (8 or more than 8 typed pages including a cover, abstract, and reference pages). In this class, students interact a great deal with one another, so active participation in pair/group work is essential.