Essay 1: Analyzing Sources and Arguments ENC 1143 Evidence and Style
Explore a topic of your choosing that has generated public debate and disagreement. How do you sift through all of the different voices, arguments, and sometimes conflicting information to determine what’s accurate, who you should listen to, and what to think about this topic?
Compare and contrast three sources (for example: articles, essays, op-eds) that argue a position on this topic. These should be fresh sources, not ones you have already written about. Authors and publications should represent a diversity of professional and political backgrounds and perspectives; your sources should not all represent a homogeneous perspective. Some level of disagreement should exist between all three sources. Keep in mind that even seemingly objective informational sources often have an underlying purpose beyond merely sharing information.
Preface your discussion of each source with a brief 1-2 sentence summary (author, title, publication info, main idea) so I know what you’re talking about. Consider the ethos of each source: who are they, what are their credentials, what is their relationship to the topic, and what potential biases or conflicts of interest are worth considering as you think about what and how they have written. Compare and contrast each author’s argument and rhetorical approach: what does each author argue about the topic, what kind of language and rhetorical appeals does each use to present their argument, and what understanding of the topic emerges from each author’s argument? Analyze each text rather than merely summarizing it. Reference specific evidence (information, points, quotations, etc.) from each source to support your observations. Bring these sources into conversation with each other in your essay rather than considering each in isolation.
Conclude your essay by considering the cumulative effect of reading and analyzing just not one but all of these sources: how has researching and writing this essay impacted your understanding of the topic itself and the nature of the discourse and debate surrounding it?
Please keep the following in mind as you think about, research, and write your essay: you are not writing an op- ed or argumentative essay in which you argue your own position on the topic. Nor are you writing a research paper about the topic. Rather, you are analyzing how different writers with different points of view argue their positions on the topic, and you are thinking about how to navigate and evaluate the differing claims and positions that exist in the public discourse on this topic. The end result will not necessarily be a clearer understanding of the topic itself (the opposite may in fact be the case); what should emerge from writing this essay is a better understanding of how to engage with and think critically about the wide range of sources and views on a topic.
Length: 4 full pages minimum, not including works cited,
so somewhere in the 4-5 page range. Formatting: Double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 size
font.
Citation: MLA style, including both in-text citation and works cited. See the course’s Citation Resources page for how to format in-text citations and works cited in MLA style.
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