Comparison and Contrast Essay Assignment: Instructions and Rubric

Purpose and Requirements of the Essay Assignment

Essay Assignment Instructions and Rubric Essay Assignment 15% Comparison and/or Contrast Assignment (Academic Argument) This comparison and/or contrast essay is a personal response and can include your own personal opinions, reactions, examples, and observations. You may use personal pronouns in your essay (for example, “I”), but do not rely heavily on them (avoid ‘I think that’ or ‘I believe that’ etc.). Remember to avoid using unclear pronouns (e.g. you, we, our). Clarify your meaning and be specific. For this essay, I provided three sources for you to use as supporting evidence. You must compare and/or contrast two of the given sources (see requirement below). A minimum of four citations (either direct quotes or paraphrases) is required. You must carefully construct your essay with a strong structure – it is very easy to get off track with a response paper! Remember to include all the main components of a strong essay (thesis statement, topic sentences, supporting evidence, and conclusion) by using an essay outline to help you plan your response. Instructions: Write a multi-paragraph essay (4-5 paragraphs) include a thesis statement with at least three main points of comparison and/or contrast, and a strong conclusion. Use either BLOCK or Point-by-Point pattern in your essay structure. DOUBLE-SPACE your essay. Organize your support in advance, and proofread carefully for grammar, spelling and mechanics. You will lose marks for poor language skills. Use specific support from two sources in your essay. If you use a quotation, make sure you analyze it (DO NOT simply insert a quotation and move on). Remember to include in-text citations for all of the evidence you use, and a Reference page at the end of your assignment. Remember that your comparison and/or contrast of the sources should support your overall purpose/thesis. Ask yourself: What are you arguing in this essay? Why are you comparing and/or contrasting these two sources? Sources: The two sources you choose to compare and/or contrast for the assignment will be based on which TedTalk you did not use in your infographic assignment. That is, if you chose Tristan Harris' TedTalk for the Infographic, you will be comparing Sherry Turkle's TedTalk with Brandon Ambrosino's essay for this essay. If you chose Sherry Turkle's TedTalk for the Infographic, you will be comparing Tristan Harris' TedTalk with Brandon Ambrosino's essay for this essay. (I USED SHERRY TURKLE) Topics (Choose ONE): Compare and/or Contrast the speaker’s/author’s use of logic, emotion and credibility. Who is more persuasive and why? Compare and/or Contrast the speaker’s/author’s critique of social media. Which argument is most relevant to young people today? Compare and/or Contrast the speaker’s/author’s solution to the challenges created by technology in our lives. In your opinion, who offers the most important, practical or realistic solutions? Compare and/or Contrast the speaker’s/author’s observations of how technology affects our behaviour. Do you agree with their observations? Are their arguments accurate? Which argument do you identify with more as a College student?