English 1302 Theme: “What We Eat” Argument Essay: Your choice of specific argument structure, provided you are following and/or applying a very particular model for argument found in either Current Issues or elsewhere. First… To discover the particular topic that you would like to write about, begin by looking up and eventually viewing at least two of the following 10 films: What the Health? Forks over Knives Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (the first one) GMO, OMG Food Inc. Food Matters Hungry for Change Ingredients A Place at the Table Second. . . The two chosen films serve as the BASIS of your argument. These are not to be treated as a second thought, but referenced constantly and throughout the essay—regardless of the specific argument structure you apply (i.e. The Toulmin Model, The Rogerian Model, the Logician’s Model, etc.) You can find these on Netflix, HULU, Amazon, or elsewhere out there on the web. Some may be free on YouTube or acquired at either the HCC library or a local library. Be resourceful! Some students have shared with me that once they considered the various ways to see films at not only their houses but also at friends’ and family members’ houses, then their possibilities to see films on the list increased significantly! Also, these are just downright interesting documentaries to watch (my biased opinion), regardless of what opinions you have about the content or whether or not you are writing a paper about them, so it should be an easy sell to ask a friend who has HULU, for example, to see it at their house. While viewing the films, be sure to take copious notes, paying special attention to meaningful ideas and direct quotes that you can write down and may use later on. What you write down will say a great deal about what you are truly interested in writing about. General Assignment: Write an argument essay of 6-7 FULL pages. Use at least 5 additional sources and the two selected films. With this assignment, I will not tell you what to write about. Some will really appreciate this, while others may want more direction. Examples: One student may argue some aspect of vegetarianism, another GMO’S, another the relationship between food and heart disease, as well as a potential solution, another overweight children, and the list goes on. Take this topic wherever it needs to go. As long as you can use the two films you have chosen as evidence in your paper and you are writing on a food issue, you are close enough to the kind of topic that I am looking for. Whichever topic you choose and whichever argument model you choose, the thesis/claim should be compelling, persuasive, convincing, and then some. The evidence should be strong to support your claim. Make sure to move beyond just the facts. Your audience should be faced with an ethical decision or have to consider a potential solution that you have laid out for them. Remember: When constructing your argument-- 1. keep in mind the three appeals throughout (ethos, logos, pathos), 2. choose strong, credible additional sources (see Essay #2 assignment for what credible is), 3. choose the best evidence for your paper from both films and the additional sources, and 4. be sure to develop and use counterarguments, since they are essentially a key element in every argument model. Quotations: 1. Use plenty of direct quotes in your paper, a minimum of 12, at least 2 per page. I am not a fan of paraphrasing. Where does the author end and the student writer begin? No one knows in a paraphrased section, which is often borderline or even outright plagiarism. I call paraphrasing “skating on the thin ice of lake plagiarism”. It is where most accidental plagiarism occurs, so unless you really know how to paraphrase effectively it is best to simply avoid it. While it is possible to get direct quotes technically incorrect, there’s no way you can accidentally plagiarize with them. 2. Choose quotes wisely for impact. Throwing a quote into a research paper because you need to is not the correct criteria. Any quote you choose should be exemplary, thoughtful, moving, highly supportive to the claim, and/or long enough to make some sort of impact. I’m not advocating numerous blocks (which, by the way, must also be cited correctly), but many believe using a quote is throwing the marks around a few words, any words, halfway through a sentence. You can do this, but there must be a great, full length quote preceding or immediately following it. 3. Use appropriate lead-ins before a direct quote. This is my preference, because the style and flow of a paper that uses adequate lead-ins is superior to all the others, at least with respect to style. A word or two about counterargument: A counterargument is an argument against your claim (thesis), or part of your claim, that expresses a view of disagreement. According to Harvard’s Writing Center, “Counterargument in an essay has two stages: You turn against your argument to challenge it, and then you turn back to re-affirm it.” It is important in a fair-minded approach to acknowledge the other side, even if that acknowledgment is brief and you immediately rebut it. Some objections are so obvious that the writer would lose credibility not to acknowledge them. They are a bit like the “elephant in the room”. So-Be sure to briefly** acknowledge the other side at some point in the essay, but not linger there too long, never beyond a single paragraph. Suppose you are writing against GMO’s. Even if you include a quote from the opposition, say from someone in the food industry like a representative from Monsanto, who claims that people would starve without GMO’s, you will quickly rebut it, based on the evidence you have gathered and the larger picture that you have presented. When you set up a counterargument, you can begin to rebut it by writing something like, “But this argument makes no sense when you consider that…” Using counterargument builds your credibility as a writer. **This paper, however, should not read as pro-con, giving equal attention to both sides. THE MLA: As always, use correct MLA format: in general, for in-text citations, and for the “Works Cited” page, which does not count toward length. *Never use the first or second person in formal writing unless directed to do so.
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