How does your argument fit into existing conversations on the topic?
english
Description
Readings: Choose any one of the following readings from our syllabus:
- Sean Blanda, “The ‘Other Side’ Is Not Dumb”
- Robert Leonard, “Why Rural America Voted for Trump”
- Danah Boyd, “Why America is Self-Segregating”
- Radley Balko, “What You Eat Is Your Business”
- Liz Addison, “Two Years Are Better Than Four”
- Charles Murray, “Are Too Many People Going to College”
- Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid”
- Kenneth Goldsmith, “Go Ahead: Waste Time on the Internet”
- Jenna Wortham, “How I learned to Love Snapchat”
- Sherry Turkle, “No Need to Call”
In addition to the text, you will also find two outside (research) sources.
Essay prompt:
For this assignment, I’d like you to choose one of the readings from the unit and identify an idea that you think is important and would like to learn more about. This essay is going to require some research, and I am asking that you limit your research to newspapers and/or magazines. We will go over potential sources in Zoom Conference session and during the information literacy workshop in Canvas
As you identify sources, you should pay attention to audience and purpose.
In this essay you will make argument about the topic that you have chosen. As you write this essay, keep in mind the following:
- Who is your audience?
- How does your argument fit into existing conversations on the topic?
- How can you establish authority with the audience?
- What is your purpose for writing?
- What evidence will you include to support your position?
Essay Requirements:
- A minimum of five double-spaced pages
Criteria for a successful essay include:
- A title that captures the essence of your essay
- Well-developed introduction
- Clear thesis statement in the introduction
- Well-developed support for your argument (weave in quotes and analyze them)
- Logical organization with topic sentences and transitions
- Conclusion that adds a final thought
- Few sentence-level errors (grammar, spelling)
- MLA citation
