Argument

For this project you will either investigate a controversial issue connected to your theme for the course in order to take a position or identify a problem in order to propose a solution. This essay will be linked to another assignment, a photo essay that will enrich the argument by providing supplementary information that may explain or expand or connect in some other way to the arguable issue. You may write the two essays in whichever order you prefer.

BRAINSTORM: Spend some time to find an issue that you are truly curious about. Consider your various “spheres” of your life (school work, family, community) to find issues about which people disagree. What are the problems you see in these areas of your life (and what might you propose as solutions)? Or think about your own interests, and locate the open questions in those fields. Browse through the Opposing Viewpoints database, or the New York Times Room for Debate section, or a site like Arts and Letters Daily, which gives links to interesting online content, or the Sunday newspaper, or magazines in your fields of interest. I encourage you to look for an open question for which you do not already have an answer. Decide on a question that is truly arguable, for which different, reasonable people might take different positions. Make sure your issue is narrow enough that it can be treated in a short essay.

FIND SOME SOURCES: Look for information about your research question, remembering to rely not just on search engines but also the library’s databases and book collection. You will need at least four credible sources; at least two of these must either be in print or have originally appeared in print. (You cannot use four websites, no matter how credible they appear. Note that Wikipedia is not an acceptable source for college-level research.)

COMPILE A TENTATIVE WORKS CITED PAGE: List your sources in MLA format. Be sure to consider the credibility of the sources you choose to use. How can you tell it’s reliable info? Look at where and when the source was published, the credentials of the author, the objectivity of the organization involved. Look for sources that are “meaty,” with lots of useful information.

ORGANIZE YOUR ARGUMENT: The core of this project will be your argumentative essay. Once you’ve digested the information in your sources, decide on your position on the issue. Free-write or bullet point the reasons you hold this position. What details could you use to support or develop or explain those reasons? Write a tentative thesis statement that gives your claim along with the strongest several reasons you have come up with. (For example, “The invention of the microwave oven has damaged civilization by weakening the institution of the family dinner table, encouraging us to expect instant gratification, and loosening the ties to our ethnic heritages.”)

DRAFT: The target length of your essay should be about three pages (or 1000 words). Focus on a clear structure, and make sure your reasons are supported by evidence from your sources, cited according to MLA guidelines.

CRITERIA FOR GRADING:

• a strong thesis statement makes an arguable claim
• focused, unified, and coherent paragraphs that give a logical framework for your argument
• quality of your sources
• use of specific details to provide evidence for your reasons
• proper MLA documentation