Argument
Length: 5 pages
Due Sunday, December11, by 11:59 PM
Working thesis and annotated bibliography (15% of final grade)
Due Wednesday, November 30, by 12 PM
Assignment:
Write an argumentative essay that uses research to support your claims.
Support your argument with facts, experience, expert testimony, statistics, logic, and/or other types of evidence are appropriate for your essay. Remember to read numerous sources and to take into account any opposition to your argument. Study all sides of the issue, so you can argue your proposition effectively and appeal to a particular audience.
Some General Approaches to the Essay:
Define a “problem” that you feel needs to be addressed. Convince the reader that the situation is indeed a problem and that your method of correcting the issue is the most effective.
Discuss a controversial belief or attitude. Through research, establish whether you agree or disagree with this way of thinking. Write an essay that attempts to convince your reader to agree with you.
Explore a topic with which you are not familiar. For instance, you might look into a controversial new medical procedure or product. Come to some sort of conclusion based on your research, and demonstrate your way of thinking to the reader.
Take a viewpoint you hold with which many people disagree. Establish some sort of moral common ground with your reader. From this starting point, explain why your belief falls in line with the reader’s own values.
A Caution:
We will be working on this essay for a few weeks. However, do not plan on waiting until the last minute to research and write your paper.
General requirements
Length: 5 or more pages, not including the Works Cited page. If your paper is 5 pages long, when you add your works cited page, you have 6 pages total.
Provide accurate in-text citations and a Works Cited page that includes all of your sources and is correctly formatted in MLA style.
Use at least 7 different sources for your paper, at least 4 of them from peer-reviewed, academic journals.
Use a title that is at least somewhat creative and that reflects what your paper is about.
Satisfy the below description of excellent work
Annotated Bibliography
For this assignment, you will put together an annotated bibliography of no less than ten sources (seven peer-reviewed) to be submitted on Wednesday, November 30. This task counts 15% of the overall grade for the essay.
An annotated bibliography is similar to a Works Cited page in MLA style. In addition to your citations, include a brief paragraph summarizing the work and explaining why the source is relevant to your topic. For more help, consult The Little Seagull Reader.
Excellent Work
Addresses all parts of the assignment.
Follows all directions.
Maintains focus on the topic throughout.
Provides accurate, relevant details and discussion to support the thesis.
Incorporates and documents required sources material effectively using required style (MLA).
Presents information in a logical order that fits the format and topic.
Is easy to understand because all parts of the essay are logically connected.
Uses technical/subject appropriate terminology correctly.
Contains no errors in word choice, word use, and sentence structure.
Contains no errors in spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
When Reviewing Your Work, Ask Yourself:
Have I chosen an appropriate, controversial topic that reasonable people can debate?
Does my evidence support my conclusions? Have I used enough strong information to appeal to my reader rationally?
Have I used sound strategies in convincing my reader (induction, deduction, etc.)?
Is my work organized in a logical fashion?
Have I acknowledged both sides of my argument?
Is my argument free of fallacies?
Have I thoroughly proofread my essay for clarity and correct grammar?
Are my sources appropriate and documented properly?