ENC 1101 FRESHMAN COMPOSITION 1 | ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW Essay 4 – Research Paper Topic/Focus: Documented Argument Length and Format: 1250 - 1500 words, double-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman; MLA works cited page (not included in total word count) Weight: 200 points Final Draft Due Date: See your course calendar/schedule Essay 4 Materials Due: the schedule of activity due dates for Essay 4 materials is found on pages 1 and 2 of this assignment. You are responsible for completing all assigned activities. WHAT YOU WILL DO Objectives: • • • • • use argumentative strategies to support your point of view organize an essay that has a clear thesis, well-supported body, and convincing conclusion learn to research appropriate sources of information integrate research into your writing cite those sources properly in MLA format To succeed in this assignment, you must: • • • Participate fully and submit prep work when you are asked. Complete all online reading and any activities on persuasion. Read “Part 5: Writing Effective Arguments” sections in Everything. Schedule of Due Dates • Sat. Nov. 10 Submit your topic choice to me for approval by 11:59 p.m. • Sat. Nov. 17 Submit your research question by 11:59 p.m. • Tues. Nov. 27 Submit first/rough draft (in-text citations and a Works Cited page included) to DB Research Paper Peer Review by 11:59 p.m. ENC 1101 FRESHMAN COMPOSITION 1 | ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW • Sat. Dec. 1 Submit Essay 4 Source Summaries activity • Sat. Dec. 1 Submit completed peer review for classmate • Tues. Dec. 4 Submit final draft with MLA-formatted Works Cited Page by 11:59 p.m. Topic/Prompt Your final essay in ENC 1101 is a documented argument essay. You will argue your position on an issue and develop your credibility, use emotion, logic and evidence by referencing information you find via library research. You are trying to convince your audience that your position is valid. You are taking your audience through a journey from what is (the world as it is) to what could be (the world after your big idea is put into action). Your essay, which can ask the reader to take some kind of action in the conclusion, will be supported by outside evidence. That is what makes it a documented essay. Your topic for this essay must be approved by me. Submitting a final essay based on an unapproved topic will mean an F on this essay. Guidelines • Be sure to give readers any background information they may need to fully understand the issue and your arguments. • In your introduction, to establish where your claim fits into a larger context or conversation, give a brief background or history of the topic and discuss your purpose for arguing. Then state your claim. • You must present a clear and specific thesis (Your claim/what you want to prove and why it matters/why it is important). You will have to decide on the best way/place to present your thesis, too. • You must develop a convincing argument to prove your thesis. This should include a clear explanation, claims that you back up with solid evidence (facts and opinions from qualified, reputable sources). You must also include a section devoted to discussing the opposing arguments. • For this paper you will need a minimum of four sources but no more than five. Only ONE of your sources may come from the public Internet; the remaining sources must come from the Valencia Library databases. Please note: If you use an Internet source in your essay, it must be a credible one. Do not use sources, either direct quotes or paraphrases, in excess in your essay. Remember that sources are used merely to support your ideas; they should never overwhelm the content of your essay. General encyclopedias (Wikipedia, for instance) do not count as scholarly resources, and may not be used. Other sources that I will not accept include, but are not limited to, the following: • • • • • • • • • • • 123helpme.com about.com ask.com associatedcontent.com bookrags.com buzzle. com cliffnotes.com enotes.com ezinearticles.com infoplease.com SparkNotes.com ENC 1101 FRESHMAN COMPOSITION 1 | ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW • • • someone’s blog sites such as oppapers.com that offer “free” essays and research papers videos from video sharing sites such as You Tube and Vimeo. • You must cite your sources every time you use them, whether via direct quotations, paraphrases, or summaries. You must also include a Works Cited page that clearly follows the standards of MLA format. If you do not cite sources properly and/or do not include a works cited page, you will earn a zero on this essay and will have to retake the course. • Think about the tone you use because it will help you gain the reader's confidence. You want to sound fair, informed, and credible. Find common ground between you and your audience whenever possible. Remember, your readers will "turn off" if you insult them. • While you are stating your opinion, you are not stating your opinion as fact. Avoid biased, emotional language. Also, remember that even though you are choosing a side to argue (which supports your opinion on the topic), you will not use 1st person (I, me, we, us, our) or 2nd person (you, your); the essay must be written in the formal 3 rd person point of view. • Be sure that you define unfamiliar or vague terms. • Any intentional or accidental instances of plagiarism will lead to a zero on the paper, an F in the course, and further disciplinary action. Submitting Your Work Submit a first draft of your essay and works cited page to Canvas to DB Research Paper Peer Review for peer review by the deadline. As with previous essays, your peer review partner will be assigned at that time. After peer review and editing your essay, you will submit a final draft to the Essay 4 – Research Paper assignment page. As with your previous essays, the document will go through a plagiarism engine, which will show how much outside material you referenced in your essay and whether sources were cited properly. Writing Assignment Guidelines • • • • • • • • Include your name, course and section number, assignment, and date in the upper left corner of the first page. Put your last name and the page number in the header of every page. Work must be double-spaced and use appropriate font (12-pt Times New Roman). The title should be centered on the top line of the first page. Essays must have one (1) inch margins. Include an MLA-formatted Works Cited page after your essay’s final page. The works cited page is not part of your word count. Proofread your assignment for grammatical and mechanical (spelling, capitalization, and punctuation) errors. For more help, check out the sample MLA paper from the Purdue OWL at the end of this document. ENC 1101 FRESHMAN COMPOSITION 1 | ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW Catlin 8 Works Cited An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore, Billy West. Paramount, 2006. DVD. Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis Guggenheim. rogerebert.com. Sun-Times News Group, 2 June 2006. Web. 24 May 2009. Milken, Michael, Gary Becker, Myron Scholes, and Daniel Kahneman. "On Global Warming and Financial Imbalances." New Perspectives Quarterly 23.4 (2006): 63. Print.