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Composition 3160 |
Assignment Four
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| Due Dates: | Requirements: |
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Working draft: December 10, 2002 Final draft: December 12, 2002 |
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To identify different viewpoints on a single issue and produce a clear argument about that issue that takes those viewpoints into account.
Choose a current event that is of interest to you. You may build upon what you have already written for your Opinion Piece.
Present an argument about how existing policies should change in response to this issue.
Obtain a minimum of five (5) published works on this issue or on related issues. They can be books or articles in magazines or journals. On-line versions of these journals are acceptable. Do not use non-refereed web-sites or web-sites without clear authorship unless you discuss this with me in advance. These published works should represent a variety of viewpoints on your topic.
Use quotations from published works to support your own argument. In referring to these published works, you should explain whether you agree or disagree with the writer and why. Each work that you use in this paper needs to be included in a list of references at the end of this paper in accordance with APA format.
Outline your argument according to subtopics that contribute to your thesis statement.
Write a working draft and bring it to class for peer editing on Tuesday, December 10.
Revise your working draft in response to comments you receive from your peer editors. Nothing obligates you to follow every one of your peer editor's recommendations, but pay close attention to those parts of your paper that elicit comments.
Turn in the final draft and peer-edited drafts in class on Thursday, December 12.
Dealing with Sources. As you write this paper, explain also how these writers agree or disagree with each other. Consider the following:
What does the writer say?
How does the writer make his or her argument?
What is the intended audience of this argument?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this argument?
Do you agree with what the writer is trying to say?
You may not have room in your paper to cover each of these points for each of your sources, and that is fine. Focus on those aspects of your source materials that are the most distinctive and worthy of comment, and that best contribute to your overall topic.
Making the Organization of Ideas Clear. At the same time, your own argument needs to be the dominant feature of this essay. Do not allow the works you cite to determine the structure of your argument. Instead, arrange your ideas in a structure that will allow you to make the best case for change.
When arranging these ideas in essay form, think about which arrangement of points makes the most sense. Use transitional words and phrases to make this arrangement (and its underlying logic) as clear to your readers as possible. Do not just present your argument. Lead your reader through your argument.
Effective Paragraphs. A good paragraph in a research paper will tend to follow the following pattern (though there are times when it is necessary to deviate from this pattern):
Claim-a sub-topic supporting your thesis. It should, like your thesis statement, be arguable.
Support (evidence in support of the claim from a published work)-quotations work the best, but paraphrases are also useful. All quotations and paraphrases should include the last name of the author and year of publication in parentheses immediately afterward.
Conclusion (explanation of the evidence)-Do not leave the evidence to speak for itself. Write your own interpretation of the evidence and explain how it fits into your overall argument.
Remember that the recommended length of a paragraph changes according to context. Newspaper and magazine articles tend to use much shorter paragraphs than do college papers. Though there some room for variation, most paragraphs in your paper should be between one half and two-thirds of a page long.
In grading this assignment, I will use the following criteria:
| A | Confident, persuasive written expression An innovative and engaging take on the topic and the different viewpoints A strong thesis statement that is arguable and interesting Exemplary in the clarity and organization of its argument Engaging to its audience in a manner that commands attention Consistently good use of evidence in support of your contentions and in accordance with APA format Nearly flawless mechanically (format, spelling, grammar) |
| B | Clear written expression with a few minor breakdowns A clear perspective on the topic and the different viewpoints A strong thesis statement that is arguable and interesting A well-organized argument that signals its structure to readers by way of effective transitional sentences Good use of evidence to support your contentions and in accordance with APA format Only a few mechanical flaws |
| C | Satisfies the basic demands of the assignment Makes a clear argument about the topic A thesis statement that is arguable and interesting A well-organized argument Use of evidence in support of your contentions and in accordance with APA format, though not consistently Several mechanical flaws, but not so many that they confuse the meaning of your paper. |
| D | Almost satisfies the basic demands of the assignment Numerous breakdowns impairing the clarity of your argument Thesis statement is either not arguable or is uninteresting Argument has minimal organization Use of evidence to support contentions is wildly inconsistent and/or not in accordance with the APA format Numerous mechanical flaws interfering with paper clarity |
| F | Does not satisfy the basic demands of the assignment Persistently unclear writing style Lacks a thesis statement No clear argument-seemingly random arrangement of ideas Mechanical flaws throughout the paper Inadequate or inappropriate use of evidence to support the argument Plagiarized work |