Persuasive Essay

Essay #2 (Persuasive)
Write a persuasive essay on a topic related to ANY of the ideas or readings from either the Week 3: Argument 101 or the Week 4: Seeing the Elephant modules.

Whichever topic you choose, I encourage you to begin with a research question to guide your research and writing process so that you consider various perspectives and ways to answer the question before you arrive at your thesis statement. The simplest way to do this is to ask a question that gets to the core of what interests you about the topic, just as you did in Discussion #5-7. Please read Pocket Style Manual (PSM) Section 25 “Posing a Research Question” for more information.

Use The Writing Process: How Do I Write an Essay? to help you with each stage of the writing process. Next, decide upon a working thesis statement. Once you have a working thesis, consider what reasons you will present to explain why your thesis is persuasive. After you come up with your reasons, decide what support to use to back up and illustrate your reasons. Remember to include at least one paragraph of refutation that addresses a counterargument.

For this essay, I want you to assume that your audience is this class–your peers and me. The goal is to persuade your readers to accept your argument.

Support

In order to support your argument, I strongly encourage you to use the SMC Library databases to find quality support. Start with the Academic Search Complete/MasterFile Complete, ERIC (Education Resource Information Center, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, and US Newsstream databases. If you can’t find what you are looking for, use the Ask a Librarian chat tool inside the databases for assistance. You may also use the Internet to find evidence. Be thoughtful about whether or not a website would be considered credible by an academic audience. We will discuss this in greater depth in the weeks to come.

Requirements

Your essay should be 1000-1500 words in length using MLA Format. See the MLA Document Format page for help.
Your essay should include a minimum of four outside sources, which can include any of the assigned readings as well as any research you do on your own. If you are aiming for an A or a B, I encourage you to include 50-100% more research than the minimum required by the assignment guidelines. This is one way to distinguish yourself and build credibility. Use the MLA Format: How & Why We Cite Sources page to help you cite your sources properly.
Any exact language from outside sources must be placed in quotation marks. Otherwise you have committed plagiarism. Review A Pocket Style Manual (PSM) Section 30 Avoiding Plagiarism and Section 31 Integrating Sources for assistance. To help you introduce outside sources, I encourage you to use the chart on page 124 of PSM: Using Signal Phrases in MLA Papers.
Boldface your thesis statement (worth two points). Your thesis is the main point of your essay. It includes both the topic (specific subject you are addressing) and your position (your point of view regarding this issue.
Underline your topic sentences (worth three points). I want to see what you think are the main points of your paragraphs. Remember that your introduction and your conclusion will not have typical topic sentences. If you do not know what a topic sentence is, please read the UNC handout on paragraphs.
Remember to include at least one paragraph of refutation that addresses a counterargument.
Resources

In addition to using The Writing Process: How Do I Write an Essay? and my feedback on Discussion #5 and #6, I encourage you to take advantage of additional tutoring. See the Tutoring page from the Class Policies module for resources.

If you want to see some model essays before you write your paper, consider reading these essays written by my former students on Technology in the Classroom, 预览文档Physician-Assisted Suicide, 预览文档Gun Violence预览文档, and Social Media预览文档.

Watch the first 2:05 of this video for instructions on how to upload your essay.

The assignment is due by Monday, May 18 at 11:59PM (250 points).