Argumentative Essay Assignment

We're in the home stretch!

This is the last essay assignment for the semester, and it's a whopper. You'll be writing an argumentative essay.  Argumentative essays differ from narrative, expository, or analytical essays fundamentally in that you're writing to take a stand, to persuade your audience to accept a particular position, to convince your audience of a particular argument. Although in previous essay genres you're also making a point, the emphasis in argumentative essays is to make and prove an argument with convincing evidence and sound, logical reasoning. The purposes and requirements for this essay, therefore, are quite different from those for the previous essays. 

Your assignment is going to be to choose and issue and make a claim. This will be your thesis. Successful claims are supported with reasons and evidence (which tend to come from scholarly sources!). Good arguments also address (and perhaps refute) opposing viewpoints. These are the things I'll be looking for while grading your paper.

Want a more detailed list? Here's a RUBRIC.  

Feel free to choose your own topic, but be sure to choose something that is a claim (meaning that there are two sides) and that it's something specific enough that you'll be able to address in three to five pages. Start with a question. Here are a few examples of possible topics:

•  Should drug tests be mandatory for high school athletes?
• Should it be legal to burn an American flag?
• Should the FBI be able to use racial profiling in terrorist cases?
• Is the death penalty a good deterrent of crime?  
• Was the US justified in military action against Iraq?
• Should states pay for social services to illegal immigrants?
• Should homosexual couples be allowed to adopt children?

Have an idea for another topic? Feel free to ask!

Final due date April 22nd, no late work accepted!

Mini-Due Dates!
Thesis Statement: 4/3
Annotated Works Cited: 4/10
Rough Draft I 4/15 (Take to CLE/SMARTTHINKING)
Rough Draft II 4/17 -- Bring 3 copies to class for peer review
Revised Drafts 4/22 (no late work accepted!)


Logical Fallacies video

Professor/Student Conferences



Don't stand me up >:O


Folks:

On Wednesday, March 20th and Monday, March 25th we'll be having conferences. You only need to come on the day you've signed up for (yay!). Use the time off to work on your cause/effect essay.

Here's what you signed up for:

Wednesday, March 20th

5:30 -- Denise
5:40 -- Sergio
5:50 -- Kendra
6:00 -- Alfonso
6:10 -- Myra O
6:20 -- Stephanie
6:30 -- Sylvia
6:40 -- Carolina
6:50 -- Hercules
7:00 -- Jon
7:10 -- Jesse
Monday, March 25th

5:30 -- Mayra D.
5:40 -- Adolfo
5:50 -- Aimee
6:00 -- Veronica
6:10 -- Alan
6:20 -- Zayra
6:30 --  Daniel
6:40 -- Andy
6:50 -- Cesar
7:00 -- Juan

Cause and Effect Essay

Hah. Hah. Hah.

Our next essay focuses on cause and effect relationships.You'll be analyzing and explaining why events happen and have happens as a result of them.

Your cause/effect essay must include an introduction with a clear thesis statement (that lets the reader know if you're discussing cause, effect or both).
You'll also need developed body paragraphs that utilize a pattern of development. Make use of transition words, too.

MLA format is required for this assignment.

Here are a few options (more at the end of chapter 17/18):

1. Explain the causes of a bad day you recently experienced
2. Write an essay about the effects of winning a large cash prize
3.Young children frequently ask why. Chose a why question you have been asked by a child. Write an essay answering your question. Your audience is young children. (Example: Why is the sky blue?)
4. Write an essay explaining the effects of a stressful situation
5. Write a letter to the dean of academic affairs at your school about a problem. Discuss causes, effects, or both and propose a solution.

 And of course, how you'll be graded:

Cause and Effect Essay Rubric

For your rough drafts, we'll be doing conferences. Be sure to sign up for an appointment to meet with me! Your draft will be due on March 18th, and your conference will be either the 20th or the 25th.

We'll be meeting in the classroom, but you only need to come to your scheduled conference time. I'll post up the schedule here on the blog once I get it solidified.

Creating a Works Cited Page

Here's an example of a properly formatted Works Cited page! Your task for today is to create a works cited page using the sample sources provided.

The OWL  a good resource that fully explains how to create a Works Cited page. More information found under "electronic sources" might be particularly relevant to you and this assignment.

There are a few online tools that create Works Cited entries for you. Be careful, though, because sometimes when you paste them into a Word document, the formatting gets a little funky. Here are a few example cites:

Easy Bib
Noodletools

The CLE is another great resource for help with Works Cited pages.

Didn't finish your in class assignment? Here's the LINK to the sources