Argument essay
English 102
Fall 2018
Final Argument Essay
Instructions: You have already written an analytical comparison of two articles from one
of the casebooks in your Current Issues text. For this final essay of the
semester, please choose an article from Part 4 (“Occasions for Debate”)
or Part 5 (“Casebooks”) in the back of our Current Issues textbook, ex-
cluding the section on higher education. You may choose any article that
interests you, but it should not be a selection that we have already dis-
cussed in class. To this article, please add four outside sources that you
have found through library and internet research. Be sure that these sources
are authoritative and credible! You will then analyze and evaluate the
arguments that you find in your five sources. Finally, based on your
reading and interpretation of these sources, you will present your own
argument about the issue in question. Throughout your paper, be sure to
distinguish between your own opinions and those of the authors of the
sources you have consulted.
Paper length: 8-9 pages
Number of sources required: 1 source from your Current Issues text, and 4 sources
from outside the text. These must be credible sources:
Do not use dictionaries, encyclopedias, or Wikipedia,
and check for authoritativeness of these sources based
on discussions we have had in class.
Format: Appropriate MLA format, with in-text citations as needed and a “Works
Cited” page at the end of your essay.
Grading criteria:
1. Essay presents a clear argument and develops it adequately through the synthesis of
sources and the writer’s own informed opinion.
2. Essay adequately incorporates sources and cites them correctly using MLA style.
3. Essay contains a separate “Works Cited” page that consists of a bibliography that
follows MLA style.
4. Organization is logical, coherent, and purposeful, building into a clear argument.
5. Word choice and style are appropriate for an academic essay (No use of “I,” “We,”
or“You.”)
6. Essay is as free as possible of grammatical, mechanical, and syntactical errors.
7. Essay is typed using 12-point type and Times New Roman font.
8. One-inch margins are maintained at the top and bottom and on the sides of each page.
9. Essay is double-spaced throughout.
10. Typing is done only on the front of a page.
11. Papers are stapled in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
12. Papers are submitted to SafeAssign by 5:00 p.m. on the date they are due; hard copies
are submitted at the beginning of class on this same date.