Paper 3

Essay: Researched Argument

You’ll need at least three full pages of a draft ready before submitting the main paper, do not include a work cited page

Purpose of assignment: To develop your ability to introduce, integrate, evaluate, discuss and reflect on information from academic texts in order to make a successful academic argument; to practice the type of research and writing that is often a part of upper-division courses; to be able to distinguish peer-reviewed academic research from non-peer-reviewed and educated-audience sources.

Assignment: You will write a researched, argumentative essay, based on the community issue you’ve been pursuing throughout the semester “effect of social media on American adolescents”.

Audience: You should imagine yourself writing for a generally informed public who has an interest in your chosen community issue.

Organization: Employ a standard argumentative structure that includes all the basics: an introduction/background section of one or two paragraphs; body paragraphs that delineate reasons and evidence that support the thesis; at least one counter-argument; a conclusion that extends your argument in a persuasive manner.

Constraints: In MLA format, your essay should be between 2000- 2500 words in length, double-spaced, standard fonts, with a Works Cited page. You must use at least 8 sources: You must use at least three peer-reviewed, academic sources and a minimum of five non-academic, credible sources. For the academic sources use the University of Houston downtown’s library.

Grading criteria:

—Effective and helpful introduction that answers the “Who cares?” and “So What” questions.

—Appropriately argumentative thesis that also provides a “map” to the rest of your paper

—A conclusion that extends your argument

—Well-developed body paragraphs that begin with strong, concise topic sentences and engage one or more sources

—Reasons and evidence that are presented and analyzed in a manner that supports the thesis and makes explicit connections to it

—Well-introduced, documented, and discussed sources

—At least one counter-argument that engages why a reader would disagree with your position and speaks back against that view in a persuasive manner

—Accurate citation of at least eight sources; three of which must be substantive articles or book chapters from peer-reviewed, academic sources.

—Accurate understanding of sources

—Clear and effective sentences

—Properly formatted Works Cited page

—One properly formatted and smoothly integrated quote for each of your sources. (If you have 8 sources, you should have at least 8 quotations.)