Essay #3: Research Based Argument
ENGL 1302
Due: 11:59pm on Friday (May 5) through eCourses
Length and Format: The paper should be at least 1500 words and should not exceed 1800 words. (One double-spaced page of 12-point Times New Roman font is about 300 words.) Please be aware that this word count will include the Title Page, the Abstract, the Body of the Essay, and the References page. The essay should be formatted according to APA guidelines.
Assignment Overview: Students should begin by identifying and explaining both a specific and compelling national or global problem, and then develop a probable approach for how to begin addressing or attempting to solve that particular problem. Each step in the process must be supported with relevant evidence and sound reasoning, and the argument should be complex enough to sustain a 5-7 page discussion without relying on fluff material or redundancy.
· Students should begin by examining possible national or even global issues, and then having chosen a specific issue should thoroughly research it.
o Please be aware that by national or global issues this does not mean that the issue has to be large in scale (like human trafficking) but rather the issue that you are focusing on can be from a different city or location either in the nation or even across the globe.
o As a part of your essay, you will need to introduce what other sources are saying about the topic that you have chosen and give multiple perspectives of that specific issue or topic.
o As a final note about choosing the topic, I would recommend choosing either a smaller issue as a topic or some finite point to discuss within a larger issue as you only have a few pages to introduce this issue in-depth.
§ For example, instead of discussing human trafficking as a global issue (which would be far too large and complex to adequately look into in this essay) instead you may look at how a specific bill/law passed in New York City is negatively affecting the issue of human trafficking there.
§ Or instead of looking at a major health crisis (like covid for example), instead look at the negative impact that a particular junk food has had on a small rural village in India.
· Once students have chosen a topic, they should then begin the essay itself by thoroughly explaining the issue and spending significant time demonstrating why that particular issue is problematic and how it has come to be so.
o Be specific here: detail exactly how the issue is problematic by showing who it effects and to what degree it affects them, providing plenty of evidence to support your argument.
§ Things you may answer in this section are: how this problem affects the local community that are focusing on, how the problem has evolved over time, whether or not anything is being done to try and address it already, short term vs. long term consequences of the issue, etc.).
o Students should engage a variety of sources in this portion of the essay helping to explain and demonstrate the problem at hand.
o This portion of the essay should result in roughly 60-70% of the essay length.
· Students should then introduce a complex yet possible approach (solution) for how to address the problem, demonstrating a keen critical thought process along the way.
o Solutions should avoid being overly simplistic: often students will introduce a solution that is unrealistic and that does not consider further problems that will arise as a result of the overly simplistic solution…
§ For example: Since human trafficking is a problem in New York City, we should pass a law that hands out harsher punishments for those guilty of this abuse. While the thought is certainly fine, this approach does not seem to consider all that goes into making a bill/law and having it pass, what the implementation of the bill/law would look like in practicality, issues that it may run into, etc.
o As you introduce possible approaches for how to address the problem, continue to use source information gained in research to help support your ideas.
o This portion of the essay should result in roughly 30-40% of the essay.
• Demonstrate both the ability to summarize and paraphrase from source material in your essay as well as the ability to successfully incorporate quotations and parenthetical citations.
• Use library databases to research the current issue and identify/use sources for the essay: you will be required to utilize a minimum of four academic, peer-reviewed journal sources for this essay that contribute significantly to the essay.
• Long Quotes are Not Allowed (Four Lines in Length or More).
• Include an Abstract and Reference (Works Cited) Page within your essay.
Style and Tone: This paper requires you to work closely with multiple sources, which means that you will need to use signal phrases and in-text citation consistently and properly (according to MLA guidelines) in order to effectively manage your source material without allowing it to overpower your own voice. In describing and responding critically to your source material, you must be sure to avoid unintentional plagiarism.
Grade:20% of Semester Grade
DO NOT PLAGIARIZE.
Grade Breakdown: Your essay will be graded based on the following criteria.
Critical Thinking (Out of 35 Points): Paper should demonstrate solid powers of analysis and synthesis. The paper clearly introduces a specific national/global issue and clearly explains the issue (focusing on its negative impact on the culture in which it exists, how it has evolved over time, etc.) in-depth. This should not feel like a generic overview of the issue but rather an in-depth look into it. The paper then introduces a possible approach for how to address this issue that is sound, realistic, and detailed.
Source Work (Out of 15 Points): Source material is well selected and appropriately used. The sources chosen meet the requirement of being academic and peer-reviewed (students should have at least four of them). References to the sources are clear, accurate, and adequately support the paper’s analysis without being cumbersome or distracting. Paraphrases, quotes, and summaries are skillfully executed with clear signal phrases and citations.
Organization (Out of 10 Points): Argument proceeds along a clear and logical path of development with lucid transitions and without unnecessary digressions. Introductory and concluding paragraphs skillfully frame the discussion. Paragraphs are well-developed, internally coherent, and build off of each other in meaningful ways.
Style (Out of 10 Points): Clear, fluid prose with minimal errors in grammar and mechanics. Word choice and tone are appropriate.
APA Format (Out of 25 Points): APA guidelines are followed with minimal errors in document formatting and in-text citations. A correct cover page starts the essay. A full and properly formatted References list page is numbered as the final page and contains accurate bibliographical citations for each source used. The Abstract should also be included in this particular essay.
Thesis (Out of 5 Points): Thesis statement is easily identifiable at the end of the introduction and puts forth an arguable claim that provides a specific, original, and compelling position about appropriate subject matter.