Argumentive topic if college should be free for everyone
For this assignment,
you wil
l make an argument about an issue. It can be a
topic that affects you or one that you feel strongly about or
one that
interests
you
. You will construct your own thesis making a claim about the issue.
You can ar
gue any viewpoint
—
for
or
against the issue
—
as long as you can
support your argument.
Choose one stance and support it.
Please do not
argue
topic
s
like abortion
,
capital punishment
, marijuana legalizat
ion
,
or
topics that cannot be sufficiently argued.
Audience:
Readers
whom
yo
u want to convince t
o consider the position
you are
advocating on the particular issue.
R
EQUIRED ELEMENTS
/
K
EY
F
EATURES
:
•
A minimum of
Four
(4
)
outside sources
will be needed for this
essay
.
Be sure to evaluate your sources for reliability (
D
O N
OT use
blogs, W
ikipedia,
unre
lia
ble websites,
etc.)
Use
the CRAAP Test
handout
in Canvas
to test the reliability of your sources.
•
Your thesis which indicates a clear and arguable position.
•
Evidence to support your thesis using what you’ve learned this
semester: quotes/summary/paraphrasing, ap
peals to needs and
values. . .
It’s
up to you to decide
what evidence you want
to use.
•
You must present your argument from the third person point of
view. This means that you cannot use first or second person
pronouns.
Do not use contractions in this essay. Write t
hem out.
•
A conclusion
–
don’t just stop writing!
•
A correctly
formatted works cited
page.
•
Proper MLA fo
rmatting and citations.
Please look at my comments
on your past papers to see where you are making formatting errors.
G
RADING
/
C
RITERIA
G
UIDELINES
:
•
Consistent Focus
•
Content
–
includes specific information
•
Organization
–
logical prog
ression from one top
ic to another, with
tra
nsitions and paragraphs that smoothly move your paper along.
•
Style
–
MLA and appropriately formal with variety of syntax (sentence
structure)
•
Mechanics
–
Standard English language conventions should be adhered to
from correct mechani
cs (capitalization, spe
lling, etc.) and usage
(subject/verb agreement, pronouns, etc.) to correct format (MLA).
•
Evidence of Writing Process
–
all
revisions, prewriting submissions, etc,
must clearly indicate student engagement on a regu
lar and productive l
evel.
Final Draft
: 4
–
6 Pages
If
you opt for the shorter paper (4
pages), remember that it must be very
concise in order for you to relate the details to support the main focus.
Shorter is sometimes harder.
Note:
Three
full pages
and several lines of
the
fourth
page do not
make
four
pages. The works cited page is not a part of the
page length.
FORM
AT
:
•
Times New Roman 12
–
point font, double
–
spaced
.
The first page and
subsequent pages need to strictly follow the MLA style. Examp
les are
located in y
our textbook. As well,
you can find samples online at
such sites as the Purdue University OWL (Online Writing Lab):
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Reviews:
The essa
y will be subject to a
surface mark workshop as well as critiques
from fellow students and the instructor.
Complete
drafts and critiques to turn
in
during
class and/or in Turnitin.com. Use the edits and revise your papers
before final
submission.
Final
Form:
•
Reread the assign
ment sheet, save your essay in a Word document,
and upload to Turnitin.com via
Canvas
. Be sure to save your file as
your last name, underscore, assignment (i.e. Student_
Argu
