es3

 

Situation:  Many people fall into the fallacy that as individuals we cannot make much of an impact or difference, that our actions are not meaningful.  This is, of course, illogical. The environmental crisis is the outcome of individual actions and behaviors writ large on the planet. Other thinkers, such as Foster, argue that we need to envision change at the level of our political and economic system rather than in terms of individuals. Why not approach the environmental crisis from both the micro and the macro levels?

What would Aldo Leopold say? 

Essay 3 Prompt:  What one, particular change should your audience make today to intervene in the global climate crisis in a significant way?  Why is this necessary and meaningful? How should this be accomplished? How will this change support the principles of ecology and sustainability?

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Guidance: You could use the questions to organize the essay, but you can also use them to think through your argument as a whole.  

This prompt calls for a sustained, knowledgeable appeal for constructive and significant (not minor) change based on valid reasoning. It is directed at an audience of readers who are resistant to the claim for many valid reasons of their own. 

Your argument, therefore, should present positive and constructive reasons for change (based on the principles of sustainability, for example), while simultaneously overcoming the valid objections and general resistance of the audience. Use your powers of persuasion to convince the reader to act, but avoid fallacious reasoning.

Length: 1200-1500 words

Format:  Use MLA format for the layout of the essay, as well as citation and documentation.  MLA format.

Sources: Use the materials we have read or viewed in this module.  Draw examples and evidence from these sources. If you need current data about environmental issues, you should do additional research. An essay should always reflect the course materials.

Checklist:

• Argument related, detailed title
• Hook
• Argumentative Thesis (claim and rationale)
• At least 4 body paragraphs with topic and conclusion sentences
• Evidence, examples, and reasoning drawn from course materials
• Strong final paragraph that draws the big conclusion from the body
• Careful editing
• MLA formatted Work Cited