College English Essay #1

Students will plan, draft, and revise an argumentative essay on a topic of their choosing. The essay is worth 100 points, and the following criteria must be met:

1)The topic (thesis) must be drawn from the readings that have been done in the course thus far. It must be an arguable thesis that can follow the ARQ (Affirm, Refute, Qualify) model. Example: “Before we judge the homeless, we should consider the unfair and often unpredictable societal circumstances that led to their situation.”

2)The paper must incorporate at least two (2) outside sources. The sources must be academically reputable (books, newspapers, legitimate websites, etc.). General sites such as Wikipedia, Brainy Quote, or John G. Student’s personal blog are not acceptable. In-text citations and works cited must adhere to MLA format. Failure to adhere to this requirement will result in an automatic 10% grade reduction.

3)Rough drafts and peer critiques must be attached to the back of the essay. Failure to do so will result in the loss of points for the rough draft (10% of essay grade).

4)12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, 1-inch margins, double spaced, proper MLA format.

5)The essay must be a minimum of 1,000 words (approximately four pages) in length. Do not exceed 2,000 words.

ROUGH DRAFTS DUE SEPTEMBER 16 (GOLD) / SEPT. 17 (BLUE)

FINAL DRAFT DUE SEPTEMBER 24 (GOLD) / SEPT. 25 (BLUE)

LIBRARY WORK DAY SEPTEMBER 14 (GOLD) / SEPT. 17 (BLUE)

Possible Essay Topics – As a starting point, refer to these possible topic ideas. You are welcome to write an essay that deals with one of them. You do not have to use any of them if you do not want to, however.

  1. It is said that honesty is the best policy, but both Stephen Carter and Stephanie Ericsson would argue that lying is acceptable, or even the right thing to do. Construct an essay in which you discuss whether or not lying is acceptable, using examples and drawing from Carter and/or Ericsson. Support your reasoning with secondary sources.
  1. Dr. Seuss’s poem “Oh The Places You’ll Go!” discusses the ups and downs of life in a whimsical manner. Write an essay in which you discuss whether you think his presentation of life’s difficulties is accurate. Use examples and outside sources to support your argument.
  1. Barbra Ascher and Nancy Mairs each have differing views of the nature of compassion. Write an essay in which you compare and/or contrast your own views of what compassion means with those of Ascher and/or Mairs. Use examples and outside sources to support your reasoning.
  1. Michael Moore believes that American education is broken to some degree. Do you feel that our educational system adequately prepares young people for their futures? Write an essay in which you discuss your stance on this question. Use examples and outside resources to affirm or refute Moore’s stance.