Be sure you have carefully read not only “Explanatory Synthesis” (A Writer's Resource 91-131) but also all four of the assigned essays on alternative energy: “Global Warming: Beyond the Tipping Pointing” (WR 283-289); “The Climate for Change” (WR 301-304); “The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence” (WR 304-31) (in online text, read only Page 1 through 4-first paragraph-and page 7 through 10-first full paragraph); and “National Security Consequences of U.S. Oil Dependence” (WR 311-315).

Essay 3: “Marriage and the Family” Argument (Print-friendly version of instructions here)
Due Tuesday, 29 Nov. (Section N1); Thursday, 1 Dec. (Section EG1)
Revisions will be due one week after graded essays are returned in class

Be sure you have carefully read “Constructing Reasonable Arguments” and “Evaluating Arguments”  (Rules for Writers 358-380) as well as “What Is an Argument Synthesis?” (A Writer's Resource 132-140) and “Developing and Organizing the Support for Your Arguments” (WR 170-173), in addition to all of the assigned essays on marriage and the family: Stephanie Coontz’s “A Pop Quiz on Marriage” and “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love,” “The State of Our Unions,” “A Debate On Gay Marriage” (essays by Andrew Sullivan and William J. Bennett), “American Marriage in Transition” and “The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be.”

Then, utilizing at least two to three of the essays, compose a well-developed, coherent, and thoughtful argument essay on one of the following topics:

Note that each of these topics is broad enough to allow several different approaches, and that you should narrow them or define them more specifically in order to keep your essay manageable.

Remember, the essay should be a persuasive essay; that is, argumentative rather than purely informative. Be sure to include evidence, examples, or other support from the texts, and be sure not only to present support for your assertion, but to present and refute opposing arguments as well. Remember that you are synthesizing ideas from the texts in support of your claim, not merely summarizing the essays, and do not copy directly from the text unless quoting. When quoting (or paraphrasing), remember to incorporate sources correctly: use appropriate signal phrases and parenthetical citations.

As always, your essays must be typed (in 12-point Times New Roman), double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and stapled when submitted. All essays must also have a proper heading, including your name, course and section number, instructor's name, date, and word count, and should be grammatically correct, free of errors in mechanics, grammar, usage, spelling, and documentation. In addition, your essay should have an appropriate title, ideally one more creative or original than “Gay Marriage” or, even more obvious, “Gay Marriage: Pros and Cons.”

Research Paper: Due in stages (see below)
Compose a clear, well-written, properly documented (MLA format) argumentative essay of at least five to seven pages (1250-1500 words minimum), with a cover page and Works Cited page (cover page and Works Cited do not count toward the five- to seven-page requirement). The paper must be argumentative (persuasive), with a clear, explicit, and assertive thesis statement, and must use a minimum of three to five secondary sources; secondary sources must be scholarly criticism or analysis, not summaries, reviews, or “analysis” from sites such as Wikipedia, 123HelpMe, or Gradesaver.com. You must include at least one short quotation, one long—block—quotation, and one paraphrase, and these sources must be properly documented (utilizing MLA format), and integrated into your writing smoothly and correctly. See also Research Paper checklist.

Topic Selection and Preliminary Thesis: Due Tuesday, 1 Nov. (Section N1); Thursday, 27 Oct. (Section EG1)
You must establish a clear thesis before you can begin to put together a focused, well-organized, and purposeful research essay. Therefore, as your first step in the research essay assignment, you must develop and submit a clear, well-written, one-page explanation of the topic you have chosen, your reason for the selection, your focus and opinion, and a clear, well-written, explicit, and assertive preliminary thesis. This proposal may also include a preliminary idea of the plan of the paper, its intention or research question. Note: Choose your topic carefully. You will not be allowed to change your topic once you have made your selection, although you may change your position on the particular issue and will, presumably, modify your thesis during the process of research and writing.

Your work should take the following form:
Topic: the topic selected from the list provided.
Rationale: why you have chosen to research and write about this particular topic.
Focus: a narrowed form of the subject, and the issue or debate involved.
Opinion: your subjective opinion on the debate or issue.
Thesis: your opinion, worded objectively.

For example:
Topic: Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (Note: this is not a real topic choice!)
Rationale: I selected this topic because I work in a critical care facility with many permanently disabled and even comatose patients. Many of the patients’ families have to confront this issue regularly, like whether to “pull the plug” as it were, and I am not sure how I feel about it myself..
Focus: Should physician-assisted suicide be legalized for terminally ill patients?
Opinion: I think that assisted suicide should be okay, if the person is already dying anyhow.
Thesis: Voluntary physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option for terminally ill patients, to alleviate prolonged physical and emotional suffering and to avoid unnecessary expense.

Select one of the following broad topics from your textbook. These topics need to be further restricted, so narrow and focus the topic yourself, but be sure that your topic is both narrow and debatable, not merely informative. Then, compose your assertive thesis statement, as above.

I.   Green Power:

        Climate Change (i.e., the Climate Change “Debate”)

        Preventing or Reducing Global Warming

        Alternative Energy (i.e., pro or con one form)

        Gasoline Taxes

        One of the Research Activities listed in the text (WR 369-372), or another topic of your own.*

II.  Marriage and Family in America:

        Gay Marriage

        Rights of Domestic Partners

        Are Families Dangerous?

        One of the Research Activities listed in the text (WR 455-457), or another topic of your own.*

IV. Fairy Tales (note: you may not use “Cinderella” as the basis for this essay):

        Adapting Fairy Tales (using a specific fairy tale or genre)

        Purposes and Effects (pro or con)

        One of the Research Activities listed in the text (WR 678-679), or another topic of your own.*

IV. Obedience to Authority:

        Social Pressure and “Social Media”

        “Group-Think ” and Mob Behavior: Consumerism and Fads, Christmas Shopping and Black Friday

        One of the Research Activities listed in the text (WR 753-756), or another topic of your own.*

 

*Note: students must obtain prior approval for independent topics; speak to me before or after class or email me to set up an appointment during my office hours.

Annotated Preliminary Bibliography: Due Tuesday, 22 Nov. (Sections N1 and EG1)
You must submit an  annotated preliminary bibliography with a minimum of five to seven sources, correctly cited according to MLA style. This may include up to three primary sources and a minimum of three to five secondary sources; secondary sources must be scholarly criticism or analysis, not summaries, reviews, or “analysis” from sites such as Wikipedia, 123HelpMe, or Gradesaver.com; instead, use the library resources, including the available electronic databases such as Opposing Viewpoints, to locate appropriate sources. In addition to a correct citation for each source, you must include a description or summary of the source, at least one paragraph long, and an explanation of how you foresee incorporating it into your essay. For additional information on Annotated Bibliographies, see the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)’s Annotated Bibliographies, as well as “Sample Annotated Bibilography” and Ebel, Kimberly, “Class and Gender in Cinderella: Annotated Bibliography.”

You might also find the following additional resources useful:

   MLA Documentation of Films: Works Cited and In-Text Citations

   Works Cited page (Instructions & Sample) (Microsoft Word document)

   MLA format (Purdue university's Online Writing Lab)

Research Paper: Due Tuesday, 6 Dec. (Section N1); Thursday, 8 Dec. (Section EG1)
The final research essay must be submitted, in its folder with all supporting materials: photocopies or printouts of all sources, preliminary thesis, preliminary bibliography, outline–if you have completed one–and any preliminary drafts. Failure to bring the required essay will result in a zero for the assignment, without opportunity for revisions.