Essay # 1: Critique Assignment Adapted from Cheryl Hoy

Task/Objective: This essay is important because it allows you to critically read and analyze a text with the

purpose of providing yourself and your reader with an understanding of the article being

critiqued, its intended meaning, and its merits and faults. Passing critique essays make a fair

evaluation, represent the article accurately, summarize the article efficiently, evaluate the article

thoroughly and sensibly, use clear standards (criteria) for evaluation, include all the elements of

an evaluative essay, and read clearly, logically, smoothly, and coherently.

Preparation: Read Chapter 1 “Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation” and Chapter 2 “Critical

Reading and Critique” in WARAC.

Issue Choices: For your first essay, you will be systematically evaluating an academic article. You may select

one of article from Chapter 12: “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

Due Dates:

Proposal: Friday 1/17

Rough Draft Due: Tuesday 1/23

Final Draft Due: Tuesday 2/4

Structure or Organization: Elements required in your critique include an introduction, thesis statement, brief summary,

criteria-based analysis/evaluation, counterargument, response, and conclusion.

introduction identifies the author, article title, date of publication, the original publication

medium (magazine, journal, etc), the author's thesis, purpose, intended audience, and your thesis

statement.

thesis statement states your position and the three or four merits and/or faults you discuss

in the rest of the essay.

summary contains only the essential information needed to relay to the reader the author's

thesis and the article's main points and sub-points.

analysis/evaluation states the criteria used to evaluate the article and uses specific

examples to support your interpretation of its merits and faults.

response states your position and your approval/disapproval of the argument or of any of

the argumentative points.

conclusion restates your position concerning the validity and effectiveness of the author's

argument and of the article. You can recap the article's merits or faults in an effort to provide

evidence for your position, and you can state the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the author's

ability to reach his or her target audience based on your evaluation.

Synthesis: Synthesis is the result of you using specific evidence from the article to support each point made

in your evaluation, including the counter argument point. You should use cited source material –

direct quotes, paraphrases, and/or examples—to support each paragraph’s point. Also, strive to

use two or more pieces of evidence for each point.

Metadiscourse: Metadiscourse is the “glue” that holds your essay together and that makes your argument

coherent. Metadiscourse results when you use explanatory words and sentences and when you

use transitional words and phrases to connect your argument/essay together. Show the direction

of your argument and show how each sentence and paragraph connects to the previous one by

using transitions. Also, explain how your cited source material illustrates the criteria and

supports your evaluation for each paragraph. .

Steps in this assignment: 1. Select and read article.

2. Select criteria and evaluative words

3. Complete initial proposal—save and submit a copy

4. Working with your initial proposal, add in appropriate quotes and paraphrases from the article

(be sure to include citations) and rename this proposal “source material proposal”—save and

print a copy with the instructor’s feedback.

5. Begin drafting.

6. Submit a complete one Rough Draft to the instructor and one for peer review.

7. Complete all required peer reviews—save and print copies of peer reviews done for your draft

8. Revise rough draft based on instructor and peer commentaries.

9. Submit final draft with a rubric to instructor—save a copy of your final draft; print final with

instructor’s feedback when returned.

This essay is not revisable. Final drafts receive final evaluations, so I encourage you to see me

and/or a BGSU Writing Center tutor, as you need assistance with your essay.

Length and Documentation: The essay should be NO LESS THAN 3 ½ pages, typed, double-spaced using MLA page format.

The works cited page is not part of these 4 pages; it is its own page. You must document (MLA

style) your source parenthetically within the essay and on a work-cited page. Follow the MLA

documentation for articles—see the handbook.

Format: Use one-inch margins on all sides of the pages, a running header, double line spacing, standard

Times New Roman 12-pt. font, and correct MLA page formatting. See your handbook for an

example of a MLA essay.

Essay # 2: Multiple Source Essay Adapted from Cheryl Hoy

Task/Objective For your second essay, you will be synthesizing information from five or more sources to

support your position of an issue.

Topic Choice You must develop an issue based off only the articles found in WARAC, Chapter 12 “The Pursuit

of Happiness” and the list of approved sources listed below:

These “outside sources” come from Jerome Library’s EBSCO Academic Search Complete and

reputable websites, resources that student may choose to use for future essay writing.

The following sources connect well with many of the articles in Chapter 12.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/storynew?id=4115033&page=1#.UeWTFUEqaSo

ppiness http://vimeo.com/51783559

-

inc.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Levitt

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1291785/thich_nhat_hanh_happiness_is_possi

ble_without_simply_consuming_all_the_time.html

Checklist for your Multiple Source essay Has a clear and debatable thesis--not stating a topic or making an assertion.

--not a descriptive or informative focus.

sources.

Due Dates for the Multiple Source essay 1. Typed Proposal—due Friday 2/7

2. Audience & Values Exploration form for MSE #1 due at the beginning of class, Tuesday 2/11.

3. Outline-due Thursday 2/13

4. Typed First draft—due noon, Friday 2/14.

5. Final typed draft—due at noon, Saturday 3/1. Packets due in class Tuesday 3/3/

Format / Length The essay should be approximately 4 ½ + pages, word-processed or typed, double-spaced using

MLA page format. The works cited page does not count toward 4 ½ pages. Use one-inch

margins on all sides of the pages, standard 12-pt. font. No late work will be accepted.

Required: must have at least 5 cited sources for this essay. All sources must be a combination of

articles only from WARAC , Chapter 12 and the list of approved library database articles.

Unit 3: Pre-Search Essay

Essay 3 in GSW 1120 is quite different from a lot of the essays you have been writing. The

foundation of Essay 3: Pre-Search Essay is to allow you as a student to explore a topic you want

to write for your Research paper; discover the conversations taking place revolving around your

topic and examine multiple professional perspectives involving your topic; and lead you to a

Research Question, Debatable Thesis, and a Strong Understanding about your topic.

Essay 3: Pre-Search Essay

Research Essay Topic Proposal Essay 3 Due: Monday 3/3 by midnight

Pre-Search Rough Draft Essay3 Due: Monday 3/10 by midnight (This is during Spring Break;

you’re welcome to submit earlier.)

Pre-Search Final Draft Essay 3 Due: Tuesday 3/25, start of class

How the Pre-Search and Research Essay Work Together

As we move into the final phase of GSW 1120, you are going to be spending the next two units

focusing on one major research topic. You will be choosing a topic that you are deeply interested

in—overall approval will be needed from me—and developing skills to go beyond just

scratching the surface in regards to your topic, but really digging deeper through inquiry to

research and become familiar with your topic. The Pre-search essay will help you learn more

about your topic, and join the scholarly conversations taking place involving the topic you have

chosen.

The Pre-Search essay is going to differ from the Critique, Multiple Source Essay (MSE), and

finally your Research Essay. While you will have spent ample time crafting your skills at

argumentation within the three previously mentioned essays in GSW 1120, the Pre-Search essay

is designed to have you focus on inquiry based research to develop a strong understanding of

your chosen topic. Your focus for this essay will be exploratory writing instead of

argumentation. You will be exploring the different views and arguments that are being discussed

about your topic, not formulating your own argument at this point. Through the inquiry based

research you will be doing for the Pre-Search essay, you will learn to formulate your own

debatable research question you would like to answer surrounding your chosen topic; examine

multiple perspectives on your topic that are taking place in the scholarly field; and present a

strong, focused thesis that presents your own perspective on the topic you have chosen.

The knowledge and understanding you acquire about your topic through the Pre-Search essay

will help you move into the Research Essay. You will be working very closely with academic

sources, developing a strong foundation of knowledge surrounding your topic, and working

towards a thesis through your inquiry during the Pre-Search Essay. You will then take the

investigation and exploratory writing you did throughout the Pre-Search essay and move towards

developing your own argument in the Research Essay.

Learning Objectives for the Pre-Search Essay The learning outcomes you will be developing through this essay include: learning how to

organize ideas and projects; further develop research and writing processes; further practice how

to effectively incorporate sources into written arguments; continue to practice synthesize two or

more sources with one another to expand concise writing skills; practice critical thinking skills;

and begin considering values and values-based choices. Through the Pre-Search Essay, you will

be able to critically read and annotate sources, logically develop strong research questions,

objectively explore major arguments within a topic, formulate your own arguable thesis based on

research, and sufficiently develop an annotated bibliography focusing on the importance of

sources to a larger research project.

Choosing a Topic For the last two essays, you will be working with one topic/issue of your choosing. You will be

working on developing a topic proposal for the Pre-Search/Research Essay, and I will have to

approve your topic. However, this is YOUR project. I am not going to limit you on where you go

with your topic/issue. There will be a few topics of my choosing that have been beaten to the

ground and will be off limits. But everything else is open for you to explore.

With that being said, you will be working very closely with your topic/issue for close to 8 weeks.

You need to choose a topic/issue that you are interested in, invested in researching, and have a

strong passion for. There is no topic that is too stupid or insignificant that you can’t write a solid

research paper. Do not limit yourself when choosing a topic and be brave and daring to choose

something you are passionate about.

The Assignment

For the Pre-Search Essay, there will be two major components to the essay that you will be

developing through this Unit; each of these components will be covered in more detail later in

the Assignment Sheet.

The first component of the essay you will be writing a 4-5 page exploratory essay that looks

more into the topic you have chosen and begins to flush out all the major foundations, issues, and

arguments surrounding the topic of choice. The second component of the essay you will be

writing an annotated bibliography of 8 or more academic sources you use for the first part of the

Pre-Search Essay, and that you want to possibly use for the Research Essay.

Almost all Research Projects start with sources that spark an interest in a topic. Those articles

can inform a reader about a topic that’s new to him/her; they could present new information

about a topic the reader is already familiar with; and/or they could ignite a response so strong in

the reader that he/she must become part of the conversation. Therefore, as mentioned, you will

be investigating at least 8 academic sources and using them for both the Essay portion and the

Annotated Bibliography portion of the Pre-Search Essay. It is through the critical reading and

annotation of these sources that will be the foundation of your development for the entire Pre-

Search essay. You will be working intimately with your sources throughout the not only this

essay, but also your Research Essay. We will be spending a lot of time searching and finding

sources, methodically analyzing each of the sources you will be using, and synthesizing ideas

from the sources you have chosen before any writing for the Pre-Search Essay is even started.

The sources will be the groundwork for you to use in order to develop and write both

components of this essay.

The Components Exploratory Writing Component:

Before you can truly begin to dive deep into a research project, you must have some kind of

understanding of the topic/issue, the arguments being discussed surrounding the topic, and an

idea of what you want to say about and contribute to the topic/issue. Therefore, the first

component of the Pre-Search assignment is meant to help you gather your thoughts and articulate

them so your research and writing processes can be more focused. Also, the Pre-Search will let

me know how I can best assist with the work ahead of you and keep you on the “right” track as

you move into your Research Essay.

The exploratory component of the essay will be a 4-5 page essay that looks deeper into the

background, issues, arguments, and multiple perspectives within your topic that are taking place

in the scholarly conversations you are researching throughout your sources. This component of

the essay WILL NOT be argumentative, and you will not be presenting your stance on the topic

you have chosen. In this component of the essay, you will be writing more informative in style

by informing the reader of the different arguments and major points you are discovering within

your sources.

Within this component of the essay, you will be spending more time developing the research

question you want to later address and develop your response to in the Research Essay;

discussing how your topic is significant and relevant to current conversations; discussing

multiple arguments being discussed about your topic; and ultimately leading your discussion to a

working argument you want to address within your Research Essay.

Introduction

-The first part of your exploratory draft will be the introduction. There are several things

you will want to address within your introduction in order to lead your reader into the

essay, and also clearly introduce your topic and focus the research question at hand.

Within the introduction, you will want to be sure to:

Clearly introduce the topic/issue you have chosen, and make it clear what

the central focus is of the topic/issue.

Why the topic/issue appeals to you and why you have chosen to focus on

this topic/issue?

How is the topic/issue significant and relevant today to you and your peers

in an academic setting?

What are the argument/current perspectives (scholarly stances) that are

taking place in the scholarly conversations surrounding the main focus of

your topic/issue?

What is the research question you want to explore in the researched essay?

Your introduction will give a strong foundation to the topic/issue at hand leading up to

your Research Question. You WILL NOT be ending your introduction with your Thesis

Statement for the essay. Your thesis will essentially be the Research Question you want

to ask for the project and will be at the end of the introduction.

The Body

-The body of the essay will be where you spend ample time developing the differing

perspectives/stances that surround your topic/issue and relate to your research question.

Within each of the body paragraphs, you will be focusing on the following:

Addressing one specific argument/viewpoint you are researching in your

sources that relates to your research question and why that

argument/viewpoint is important/relevant to your research question.

Demonstrating that the specific argument/viewpoint you are focusing on

in the paragraph has merit and is relevant to the conversations taking place

that relate to your topic/issue and research question.

Synthesizing at minimum two sources within each paragraph

demonstrating that multiple sources are sharing the same

arguments/viewpoints you are addressing in the paragraph.

For the body of your essay, you will have at least four developed paragraphs that are

focusing on different arguments/viewpoints related to your research question. One

important thing to remember is that you WILL NOT be adding your own argument or

perspective within these body paragraphs. You are simply researching and informing

your audience of the arguments/viewpoints that are being discussed surrounding your

research question. Leave your opinions out of this essay and save your argument for the

Research Essay.

Finally, within the body of your essay, you are to explore differing arguments/viewpoints

related to your research question. You ARE NOT to only focus on one stance, argument,

or viewpoint of the topic/issue. The objective of the Pre-Search Essay is to allow you to

spend time learning about and discussing the multiple arguments/viewpoints that are

taking place in scholarly conversations that are related to the topic/issue and research

question you have chosen.

Conclusion

-Finally, the conclusion of the essay component of the Pre-Search Essay is where you

bring all the information you have been researching related to your research question and

begin to formulate the argument you want to address in your Research Essay. In the

conclusion, you will:

Give a brief summarization of the information you have presented within

your essay.

Decide on the position/argument that you want to present on your

topic/issue in the Research Essay—essentially answer your research

question with a working thesis.

Discuss why you have chosen your position/argument.

What audience you want to appeal to as you present your

position/argument.

How is your argument going to be contributing to and adding new

perspectives on the scholarly conversations you have been reading about

your topic through your research?

Work Cited Page

-Even though for the second component of the Pre-Search Essay you will be developing

an Annotated Bibliography, you will still need to have a Work Cited page in MLA format

for the exploratory component of your essay. Be sure to add this just as you have for your

Critique and MSE on a separate page at the end of the essay.

Annotated Bibliography:

As mentioned before, the sources you will be exploring for the Pre-Search Essay are the

foundation for all the writing you will be doing. These sources will also be valuable as you move

into your Research Essay. Therefore, the second component of your Pre-Search Essay will be an

Annotated Bibliography that you will be putting together for the 8 or more sources you have

chosen, critically read, and annotated throughout the project. This annotated bibliography will be

a strong overview of your sources and the value they have towards your research and Research

project. The Annotated Bibliography will be formatted in MLA formatting for each source and

as a whole document—meaning all sources will be in alphabetical order and cited properly.

For the Annotated Bibliography, you will be required to do the following for each source:

Cite the source in correct MLA format

Develop 3-4 sentences BRIEFLY summarizing the entire source

Develop a longer, more detailed paragraph explaining the significance of the source,

how it is relevant to the research question and research you are doing, how it helps

work with the thesis you are developing, any drawbacks you notice in the source, and

strengths that help the source work for your project. You can use first person as you

write these paragraphs.

As a class, we will be spending time working on developing an Annotated Bibliography, so do

not fear— you will have to tackle this new genre on your own.

Audience and Tone For this essay, the audience that you will be addressing will be scholars similar to yourself. You

are writing to an audience that may know about the topic/issue you are discussing, but may want

to know more about the topic/issue; therefore, it is your responsibility to clarify the topic/issue

for your audience.

This essay will also differ from your previous two essays in tone. Because this is an exploratory

essay for you to learn more about your topic/issue, and because the audience is peers similar to

you, the tone of the essay will be less formal. You will be able to use first person perspective—

“I”—when writing both components of the draft.

A Final Note This essay is going to be a new process for a lot of you. Do not fear the unknown. We are going

to spend lots of time in class learning how to locate good sources, how to critically read and

annotate sources, how to explore a topic/issue and break it down to develop strong research

questions, and how to create a strong annotated bibliography. You will not be walking this path

on your own, as we will do it as a class. I will be here for you each step of the process through

the Pre-Search Essay and Research Essay. This is going to be a fun process and you are going to

enjoy diving deeper into the topic/issue of your choosing.

Research Process=Pre-Search and RE essays

To begin your research process, you must first isolate a topic area which can then lead you to a

research question. A research question is basically an ISSUE-BASED, DEBATABLE question

that you’re interested in answering. Over the course of your research process you’ll explore

various aspects of the issue/question and, eventually, come up with your own answer, manifested

in our Researched Essay.

The Research Question

Research questions can come from anywhere. You may be challenged by a class discussion, a

chat with friends, or a random article on the internet. Regardless, the research question must be

debatable.

Places to explore possible research questions:

http://libguides.bgsu.edu/gsw1120 -->red "Search strategies" tab --> links under "Need ideas

for a paper topic?"

You can also READ magazines, newspapers, and online forums for ideas. Current events often

contain issues that can be explored as research questions.

Understanding the Big Picture

Have you ever started reading for an essay and ended up confused by too many facts or too much

information? It can feel like you're overwhelmed by bits of information that don't add up to a

picture you can understand, as if you can't see the forest for the trees. Or you may find that your

issue is just too narrow to be researchable. This can happen when you read material that's too

detailed, before you have an overall “big picture” of the topic.

The early stages of reading in preparation for an assignment should be about getting the 'big

picture' of the topic. To get this big picture, we're going to read Wikipedia for articles and links

associated with your topic: http://www.wikipedia.org/

Reading broadly will allow you to:

-begin to understand the issues involved in your research question

-understand multiple sides of an argument

-get an overview of theories related to the topic

-see possible answers to your research question

-decide what issues/information you need to continue researching.

Remember that while you read, you must always keep the research question in mind. The

purpose of your reading is to INQUIRE—to gather information to answer the question, not just

talk about the topic!

For example, suppose that you are interested in electric cars. You’re not really sure what your

research question might be, but you’ve seen stuff on TV and the internet that they are cheaper to

run and are supposed to be better for the environment . . . but, really, how can you write 8 pages

on that? This probably isn’t even an arguable issue . . .now what?

To get the “big picture” of this topic, you decide to go to Wikipedia. Once there you do a simple

search for “Electric Cars.” You come across a big article which talks about many aspects of the

topic including:

Energy Consumption

Environmental Benefits

Government Regulations

Cost

Convenience

Hmm . . . so there is certainly more to this electric car topic than you thought. From there you

read through the wiki article and the links it contains. Getting this “big picture” allows you to

isolate several argumentative angles that you hadn’t even known existed before. No doubt, as

you continue to explore this topic you will find even more to talk about. The point is that

Wikipedia helped you see more than you know existed. It helped you give your idea context and

gave you a good idea of where to go with your research. While you won’t cite Wikipedia as one

of the sources in your essay (because, by the nature of wikis they can be unreliable), it certainly

has given you some insight about your issue.

At this point you feel confident that you can adequately research the research question: Do the

benefits of electric cars outweigh their negative aspects?

Once you’ve completed your research THEN you will be able to present the answer to your

questions in the form of a working thesis.

Questions to ask yourself and your librarian as you seek the “big picture:”

What is the general subject or topic you are interested in researching? Does there seem to

be any debate within this topic area?

What methods can you use to get the “big picture” about your general topic and to narrow

down the relevant argumentative points needed to answer your research question?

After you’ve isolated several relevant argumentative points, where might you search for

good resources to bring to YOUR argument and answer YOUR research question?

Researched Essay = Answer the Research Question

Once you have successfully completed the Pre-Search, you will be invited to write your

Researched Essay (RE) on this issue. In the RE you will answer the research question, writing

an 8-10 page essay (with a minimum of 4 synthesis paragraphs and at least 8 credible sources)

which adds to the academic debate you have chosen. As you write the RE, keep in mind all of

the writing instruction you have received over the years and apply those concepts to this

culminating essay.

Pre-Search Essay

20% of final grade

Part 1: Short essay that contains explanation/analysis of your research question, synthesizing

multiple sources to show how the question is relevant, arguable, significant, etc. Essay will be 4-

5 pages long, using 8 sources in at least 3 synthesis paragraphs.

Part 2: Annotated Works Cited of 8 sources.

1. Find 8 sources that help you gain perspective and focus on the research topic you are

considering.

You need to use the library databases to find sources that are meatier than Wikipedia.

2. Now, look at each of your sources, and think about the perspective/information each

article offers. Try to find ideas that overlap within your various articles since these are

places where you will be able to synthesize multiple sources as you craft your own

question(s) about the topic.

3. Now you need to THINK and isolate a Research Question which you can debate and

answer in the RE.

What question(s) does this information raise for you? What connections can you make

between what you already know and the new information you’re finding through your

research?

After considering each of your sources, write a 3 page essay that contains

explanation/analysis of your research question, synthesizing multiple sources to show

how the question is relevant, arguable, significant, etc. Your final draft must contain at

least 3 synthesis paragraphs.

4. For each source, craft an annotated Works Cited entry containing 3 specific elements:

Source citation in MLA format

2-3 sentence summary of the entire source

A brief paragraph explaining the significance of this source. (Feel

free to use first person to describe how the information in this

article fits the research focus you’re working with.)

Remember that you should NOT be finding the answer to your Research Question yet.

By examining the context of the issue, this analysis (the Pre-Search essay) is going to

prove that the research question you’re considering is worthy of your time and energy.

The answer to the question will come in the Researched Essay.

If, through the course of this assignment you find that your topic changes—GOOD! The

goal here is to focus your questioning so you can craft an exceptional RE. If that means

things change, you’ll need to go back and re-work the assignment. When you finish this

essay you should be ready to tackle the RE full-on, answering your research question.

Research Essay Topic Proposal Essay 3 Due: Monday 3/3 by midnight

Pre-Search Rough Draft Essay3 Due: Monday 3/10 by midnight

Pre-Search Final Draft Essay 3 Due: Tuesday 3/25, start of class

Essay # 4: The Research Essay

Adapted from Cheryl Hoy

What is the Task/Objective?

Researched Essay = Answer the research question

You are asked to answer the research question (based on your Pre-Search), writing an 8-10 page

essay (with a minimum of 4 synthesis paragraphs and at least 8 credible sources) which adds to

the academic debate you have chosen. As you write the RE, keep in mind all of the writing

instruction you have received over the years and apply those concepts to this culminating essay.

You will be rewarded for your efforts as the quality of your work will be evaluated and a

corresponding grade will be recorded in the GSW1120 class you are currently taking at BGSU.

What are the Due Dates for the RE?

1. Typed First draft—due at the end of class Tuesday 4/8

2. Final typed draft—due due noon Friday 4/18

How to Choose a Topic?

You must develop an issue based off your PRE – search Essay

What is the Structure or Organization?

Introductory Paragraph(s)

• An effective hook which makes the reader want to read the rest of the essay (i.e. an anecdote, a

surprising example or statistic, a memorable quote) and general information on the topic that

leads to your thesis. The thesis must be argumentative and should include your points/reasons

that support your argument.

Point/Reason Paragraphs

• Topic sentence --your point/reason in your own words, not from source --reflects what the

paragraph is about --serves as a transition between points/reasons

• Explain your point first

• Then, incorporate sources (at least 2 different ones) --introduce sources used for the first time--

full name, information on author(s), name of work, etc.; once they're introduced the first time,

you may refer to just their last name(s) --discuss the source info you integrate (explain what the

author means, its relationship to your point/argument); don't just "stick" your quote in (no stand-

alone quotes); remember to cite source info. Use words to signal synthesis between sources and

between sources and your argument. Wrap up your point in your own words, not a source's.

• Tie discussion back to your point of argument.

Counter-arguments

• What does your opposition say about your argument as a whole or some of your main

points/reasons that support your argument? Explain how they disagree with you in a counter-

argument paragraph.

• Place counter-argument either before or after the point/reason that it addresses or if it is a

counter-argument to your argument as a whole, place it after your introduction

• You must either refute (argue back) or concede (make concession that they bring up a valid

point but that your argument is still the most reasonable for certain reasons) the counter-

arguments.

• Make it clear to the reader that someone else is presenting the counter argument and also make

it clear that you are speaking when the answer to the counter argument begins.

Concluding Paragraph

• Wrap up your argument

• Highlight/Remind readers of your main points

• Explain why your argument is important or should be considered

• Consider pointing out consequences if your argument isn't considered

Checklist for your RE

Has a clear and debatable thesis--not stating a topic or making an assertion.

The focus is on an argument--not a descriptive or informative focus.

Is organized according to points and not around sources.

Shows a true synthesis and integration of sources.

Sources are not used to argue the thesis, but used for support of your argument.

Shows your involvement in the debate of the issue--the sources do not dominate the essay.

Includes all the elements of an argumentative essay.

Consistently maintains a reasonable tone and attitude--no ranting or raving.

Reads clearly, logically, smoothly, and coherently.

Format / Length

The essay should be approximately 8-10 pages, word-processed or typed, double-spaced using

MLA page format. The works cited page does not count toward 8-10 pages; it’ll be page 11.

Use one-inch margins on all sides of the pages, standard 12-pt. font. No handwritten, sloppily

presented, or late work will be accepted.

Required:

You must have at least 8 cited sources for this essay. All sources must be a combination of

books, approved online sources and library database articles.

You must document (MLA style) your sources parenthetically and on a works-cited page.

Follow the MLA documentation.