Writing an Argument Essay Using Opposing Viewpoints and Issues and Controversies Databases

Task:

Using information from your course resources and assigned research materials, you will write an argument essay about a topic of your choosing (though the topic must be approved by me).

Essay Requirements

All research must be accessed via ONLY the Opposing Viewpoints and Issues and Controversies databases.
MLA 8 format. See the example provided in the Course Documents module. In particular, be sure to undo the default setting that adds an extra space each time you key 'enter/return’.  Even if your word processing program is set to double space, you MUST undo this default.
3.5-4 pages (this means that the essay has at least 11 lines written on page 4, and it also means that the essay does not go onto page 5).
Do not write a 3-part thesis.
Do not write “In conclusion” before your final paragraph (or any form of the word conclude--now or ever, please).
Do not announce what you or the essay will do: In this essay, I will discuss . . . This essay promises to explain . . .
Do not feel bound by the 5-paragraph construct of essay writing.  As a college student, you should understand when it’s appropriate and useful to end one paragraph and begin another.  In “real” writing, one idea might be discussed in more than one paragraph.
Do not use aggressively informal diction (remember your audience).
This assignment must be written from the third-person point of view. That is, do not write the words I, me, we, us, you, or your.
The Works Cited page must be properly formatted, including the URLs from the databases, and the essay must employ at least 4 sources for support.
The essay must include support in the form of direct quotes from research.
The essay must NOT include any direct quotes that are longer than 4 lines of text.
The essay must address and refute an opposing viewpoint in the last body paragraph.
Writing and Submitting the Essay
Step 1: After accessing and studying the information and resources available in this libguide (Links to an external site.), choose a topic from either the Opposing Viewpoints in Context or Issues and Controversies databases.
Step 2: Submit that topic to me with an argumentative thesis on the assigned date in Canvas. An argumentative thesis MUST take a side on an issue, and it should be a statement that some people would disagree with. This is easily accomplished by using should or should not. For example:
For a host of societal reasons, marijuana should be legalized nationally.
Marijuana should not be legalized due to its inevitable socially destructive consequences.
Note that both thesis statements take a clear side on the issue, and both are a statement that others might disagree with.
Step 3: In ONLY the required databases, do a lot of research on the topic and find at least 4 sources to assist in the writing of your essay. Sources can include, print, video, and podcasts—anything as long as it is in the databases. While doing research, be sure to keep track of the pre-generated MLA 8 citations that both databases provide for every source. You will use these on your Works Cited page.
Step 4: In your Reading Response Journal, plan your essay; you’re free to use whatever form of prewriting (clustering, brainstorming, diagramming, outlining, etc.) works best for you.  I ask, though, that your planning document demonstrate that you have a reliable working thesis and that you’ve planned the entire essay.
Step 5: Write your essay being sure to follow the essay requirements.
Step 6: Submit the essay before the due date. Remember, it is your responsibility to submit early since documents do not upload to MindTap immediately. In other words, I recommend you submit at least two hours early, and then wait 20 minutes for the essay to be processed by the originality checker. Next, log back in, view the essay’s layout/appearance and the Originality report (the Originality tab is in the upper left). If there are issues with either formatting or originality, be sure to fix them and resubmit. If there are originality issues it is your responsibility to correct them, even if they are unintentional. If there aren’t any issues, you’re all set.