Social J ustice Essay
Issues of Social Justice in the Modern World Exit Task Overview 2020
Using Multiple Sources to Respond to an Argument
| Topic: |
There are many issues of social justice in our modern world. The writers, filmmakers and speakers we have discussed in class have all attempted to explain how/why people react to the distress of others and the effects of those actions on victims. |
| Task: |
Use learned strategies: ● ABC2 Method: address the prompt, back it up, connect the evidence/ ideas and conclude. ● Construct your own argument/thesis that addresses the prompt. ● Write a multi-paragraph essay that supports your stated argument with claims. ● After developing your argument and main claims use PIE as a helpful tool for body paragraphs: points (sub-claims), illustration (evidence), and evaluation (analysis). ● You are required to use a minimum of three class sources and two of your own sources (five total). |
| Prompt: |
Explain how humans respond when confronted with issues of social justice in today’s society and the effects or outcomes of those response choices. |
| Overview: |
● Must be double spaced, typed, 12pt font. MLA heading and formatting required. ● Create an original title. ● Keep in mind that organization, sentence fluency/style and overall final accuracy will be assessed in this assignment. Proof work! Academic Templates will be helpful in elevating the sophistication your writing. ● Be sure to review the provided rubric. ● Use a minimum of three class sources and two of your own sources. You must cite sources within the body of your essay. Use the Academic Templates for support. ● A Works Cited page is required and all sources (class and your own) must be listed in proper MLA format (see Works Cited example attached for a model, more MLA information can be found on my website). ● Google Classroom copy due on: December 18th @8:00AM. ● Turnitin.com copy due on: December 18th @8:00AM. Note: Any papers not turned in to Turnitin.com will not be graded and will result in a zero on the assignment. All late papers will be docked 10% of the overall school, compounded each day that it is late (up to 3 days) Total point value for this Exit Task = 80pts. This is a HIGH STAKES assignment. Do your best work! |
Organizational Help Guide
Use this guide to help with writing and structural requirements
|
Introduction |
Powerful first sentence Background for the topic Explaining the issue Overall argument/thesis |
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Cause Analysis Body Paragraph(s) How do humans respond when confronted with issues of social justice in today’s society? The writer needs to provide enough detail for the reader so that the reader can understand behavioral patterns.
Menu of Suggested Texts for Claim #1 “Human Suffering: Why We Care (or Don’t)” by Jeanna Bryner “The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel “Why We Care About Some Strangers, Not Others: Walking Downtown Puts Empathy to the Test” by Pete Reinwald
*Your own sources from independent research activity |
Topic Sentence: A sentence that introduces the first claim in support of your overall argument/thesis. Point: Sub-claim #1 statement (Repeat pattern for sub-claims #2,3 etc…) Illustration: Evidence (Cite source) Evaluation: Analysis Illustration: Evidence (Cite source) Evaluation: Analysis Closing statement/Transition
Note: Continue with this general format until you have gone through all sub-claims for claim #1. Keep in mind, this claim may need multiple paragraphs in order to articulate full support of your claim and overall argument.
Important Tips for a good body paragraph: ● Be sure to use meaningful examples from the text/speech/documentary that support your argument/thesis. ● Include analysis on HOW rhetorical strategies were used and persuasive in your analysis. ● It’s important to tie back your evidence to the thesis, showing a clear understanding of how they fit together in your analysis ● Use formal academic language and demonstrate rhetorical analytical skills. ● Helpful Academic Templates: “Introducing What They Say”, “Introducing Standard Views”, “Capturing Authorial Action”, “Introducing Quotations”, “Explaining Quotations”, “Signaling Who is Saying What” and “Indicating Who Cares”( see attached).
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| Effect Analysis
Body Paragraph(s) What are the effects/ outcomes/consequences? The writer needs to walk the reader through how the actions noted above cause specific outcomes (eg: poverty, homelessness, oppression of women through limited access to education and crimes against humanity).
Menus of Suggested Texts for Claim #2 60 minutes “Mr. Lopez Meets Mr. Ayers” Morley Safer The Devil Came on Horseback, directed by Annie Sundburg and Rick Stern. “Why is the World Blind to the Fresh Threat of Genocide in Darfur” by Ahmed Adam The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
*Your own sources for independent research activity |
Topic Sentence: A sentence that introduces the second claim in support of your overall argument/thesis.
Point: Sub-claim #2 statement (Repeat pattern for sub-claims #2,3 etc…) Illustration: Evidence (Cite source) Evaluation: Analysis Illustration: Evidence (Cite source) Evaluation: Analysis Closing statement/Transition
Note: Continue with this general format until you have gone through all sub-claims for claim #2. Keep in mind, this claim may need multiple paragraphs in order to articulate full support of your claim and overall argument.
Important Tips for a good body paragraph: ● Be sure to use meaningful examples from the text/speech/documentary that support your argument/thesis. ● Include analysis on HOW rhetorical strategies were used and persuasive in your analysis. ● It’s important to tie back your evidence to the thesis, showing a clear understanding of how they fit together in your analysis ● Use formal academic language and demonstrate rhetorical analytical skills. ● Helpful Academic Templates: “Introducing What They Say”, “ Introducing Standard Views”, “Capturing Authorial Action”, “Introducing Quotations”, “ Explaining Quotations”, “Signaling Who is Saying What” and “Indicating Who Cares” (see attached). |
| Conclusion
All Commentary |
● Opinion and synthesis of viewpoint. Think about the relevance/lack of relevance in the world today and/or social impacts of your argument.
● Reaffirm argument/thesis. ● Maintain formal academic language. Remember to stay in third person and continue a formal writing tone that you established in the introduction and body paragraphs. It’s important to avoid any conversational phrasing or tone. |
Helpful Academic Templates
These writing templates are very helpful when trying to elevate your writing. These are models and starting points, not unvarying recipes.
| “Introducing What They Say”
● A number of sociologists have recently suggested that X’s work has several fundamental problems. ● It has become common today to dismiss X’s contribution to the field of sociology. ● In their recent work, Y and Z have offered harsh critiques of Dr. X for ___________. |
“Explaining Quotations”
● In other words, X believes ___________. ● In making this comment, X argues that ______________. ● X is insisting that ______________. ● X’s point is that _______. ● The essence of X’s argument is that ________. |
| “Introducing Standard Views”
● Americans today tend to believe that _______________. ● Conventional wisdom has it that ______________. ● Common sense seems to dictate that ___________. ● The standard way of thinking about topic X has it that ___________. ● It is often said that _________. ● Many people assumed that ______________. |
“Introducing Quotations”
● X states that, “____________.” ● As the prominent philosopher puts it, “___________.” ● According to X, “_____________.” ● X himself writes, ____________.” ● In her book, ___________, X maintains that “____________.” ● Writing in the journal Commentary, X complains that “ _____________.” ● In X’s view, “ ____________. ● X agrees when she writes, “_____________.” ● X disagrees when he writes, “ _____________.” ● X complicates matters further when he writes, “_____________.” |
| “Indicating Who Cares”.
● X matters/is important because ____________. ● Although X may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over _____________. ● Ultimately what is at stake here is ____________. ● These findings have important consequences for the broader domain of _____________. ● My discussion of X is in fact addressing the larger matter of _________________. ● These conclusions/This discovery will have significant applications in ______as well as in ______________. ● Although X may seem of concern to only a small group of ___________, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about ______________. |
“Signaling Who is Saying What”
● X argues _______________ ● According to both X and Y ______________. ● Politicians __________________, X argues should _________________. ● Most athletes will tell you that _________. ● But _______________ are real and arguably, the most significant factor in ____________. ● But X is wrong that _____________. ● However, it is simply not true that ______________. ● Indeed, it is highly likely that _______________. ● But the view that ______does not fit all the facts. ● X is right that ____. ● X is wrong that________. ● X is both right and wrong that _________. ● Yet a sober analysis of the matter reveals _____________. |
| “Capturing Authorial Action”
● X acknowledges that ______________ ● X agrees that ___________. ● X argues that ___________. ● X believes that ___________. ● X denies, does not deny that _________. ● X claims that ___________. ● X complains that ___________. ● X concedes that ___________. |
● X demonstrates that ___________.
● X deplores the tendency to ___________. ● X celebrates the fact that _______. ● X emphasizes that ___________. ● X insists that __________. ● X questions whether _________. ● X questions whether ____________. ● X refutes the claim that ___________. ● X reminds us that ___________. ● X reports that _____________. ● X suggests that __________. ● X urges us to __________. |
Useful Transitions
In both academic writing and professional writing, your goal is to convey information clearly and concisely, if not to convert the reader to your way of thinking. Transitions help you to achieve these goals by establishing logical connections between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of your papers. Basically, transitions provide the reader with directions for how to piece together your ideas into a logically coherent argument. Transitions are not just verbal decorations that embellish your paper by making it sound or read better. They are words with particular meanings that tell the reader to think and react in a particular way to your ideas. In providing the reader with these important cues, transitions help readers understand the logic of how your ideas fit together.
| Transitions which can be used to show location: | ||||||
| above
across against along alongside amid |
among
around away from back of behind below |
beneath
beside between beyond by down |
in front of
inside into near off onto |
on top of
outside over throughout to the right under |
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| Transitions which can be used to show time: | ||||||
| about
after at before during |
first
second third prior to until |
meanwhile
today tomorrow yesterday next week |
soon
later afterward immediately finally |
then
next in the meantime as soon as when |
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| Transitions which can be used to compare two things: | ||||||
| in the same way
also |
likewise
like |
as
similarly |
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| Transitions which can be used to contrast things (show differences): | ||||||
| but
however even so |
yet
in the meantime nevertheless |
on the other hand
still on the contrary |
although
even though conversely |
otherwise
counter to as opposed |
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| Transitions which can be used to emphasize a point: | ||||||
| again
to repeat |
indeed
with this in mind |
for this reason
in fact |
truly
to emphasize |
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| Transitions which can be used to conclude or summarize: | ||||||
| as a result
finally in conclusion |
consequently
thus therefore |
accordingly
due to in summary |
in short
to sum up all in all |
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| Transitions which can be used to add information: | ||||||
| again
also additionally in addition another |
and
besides equally important for example for instance |
furthermore
likewise moreover further furthermore |
next
finally as well together with along with |
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| Transitions which can be used to clarify: | ||||||
| that is
in other words |
put another way
stated differently |
to clarify
for instance |
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