Essay 4 Prompt Formatting and Guidelines • MLA formatting and guidelines • Times New Roman, 12pt Font, 1 inch margins • 4 to 5 double-spaced pages • Due Tuesday May 29 for peer review—bring three copies to class and submit a draft via Canvas • Due Monday June 11 (Final Draft) submitted via Canvas by 8:00am o This is the day of the Final Exam which is from 8:00-10:00am in our usual classroom o This is also the due date/time for any late essays (essay 1, 2, or 3) o No late work is accepted for Essay 4. Our Canvas class will close Monday June 11. Assignment Goals • Practice Argument Essay writing style • Clear structure and organization; including clear introduction, topic sentences, paragraph structure and conclusion • Effective use of research, quotations, evidence and support • Avoiding assumptions and generalizations • Avoiding “reporting” on the issue and simply trying to inform your reader • Clarity of writing, comma usage and sentence structure Argument Essay Basics 1. It takes a strong and definite position 2. It gives good reasons and supporting evidence to defend the position. 3. It considers opposing views. 4. It has enthusiasm and energy from start to finish. For this paper, you will choose one of the topics listed below and write an argumentative paper where you take a stand on the issue. In order to support your ideas, you will conduct a little research, but ultimately, the paper needs to clearly and logically present your perspective. Take a stand on one of these issues: 1. The popularity and influence of “reality show” entertainers. 2. The implementation of a mandatory national military draft. 3. The mandatory higher education writing/composition requirement. 4. The implementation for a cut-off age for holding or running for higher office. Taking a stand does not mean saying that you are simply “for” or “against” something (pro/con). You need to be more specific and precise in your argument. There is no single “right” answer; you want to make sure to take a stand and clearly and logically support your ideas while avoiding assumptions. There is a slight research aspect for this assignment. You need to include 2-3 reputable academic sources (no more, no less) to help you support your ideas. We will discuss how to find and assess such sources in class. Remember, this is not a research paper or report—the focus is not on collecting and providing information—rather, the focus is on your argument and how you support it. Note: One of the most common mistake students make with their research is to find sources that merely “agree” with what they want to say or finding sources that tell them what to argue. That is not effective research. If someone else has made that argument, that argument is taken, so you are merely repeating someone else’s ideas. Evaluation • Meets basic requirements (length, structure, organization) • Clarity, specificity, and thoroughness of the response • Worth 100 points (out of 150 possible points for Essay 4) • 20% of overall class grade
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