A composition course was redesigned so that the research paper assignment might be better integrated with the rest of the course and provide a source for inquiry throughout the course. Students read a report speculating on the ecological and industrial problems the world is likely to face in the year 2000. Values clarification exercises were used to help illustrate the problems' relationships, stimulate class discussion, and identify the students' prejudices about the problems. The students began immediately to explore the issues in the report through library reading and class discussion, and each decided tentatively upon the area he or she wished to research. After writing a series of essays to define the problems, analyze causes and effects, and argue proposed solutions, each student joined two or three others with similar research interests and collaborated to complete the assignment. The group members held different political views and functioned as small, somewhat heterogeneous communities that debated, haggled, and by necessity compromised for the sake of common goals. The groups then shared their findings with the rest of the class in a half-hour symposium. Each individual section and the collaborative effort were evaluated. The research paper assignment should be designed not only to help students improve their writing skills, but also to help them develop broad analytical abilities applicable to a variety of disciplines. (HTH)