evaluation essay

Evaluation Essay Assignment Sheet (1000-1200 words or 4-5 pages)

Your purpose in this essay is to evaluate a policy or law. First, read the documents under Module 4 as they will help explain the concept of this essay to you. In the first essay, you might have written an essay about how you supported or did not support the new open carry law. Evidence used to support that claim was mostly your personal opinion. This essay is an evaluation of the law from a broader perspective. If you believe the law is a good one, why? Support it with evidence from outside sources to help build your case, and use the Toulmin Scheme to help you identify the assumptions that undergird your argument and those of your audience. If you don’t believe the law is a good one, you still support your position with evidence from outside sources.

Policies include those in place at your workplace or at school you might find agreeable or disagreeable. A couple of suggestions from last semester include zero tolerance for bullying and school uniforms for public school kids. Both are great topics. The key here will be to 1) only evaluate the policy, 2) and not suggest or propose change. Making suggestions for change will come in the proposal essay.

Criteria for your essay:

•   Essay includes a well-defined and interesting introduction.

•   Essay includes a properly formatted thesis, which includes a subject, strong verb,

  judgment word, and category.

•   Body paragraphs include specific details and concrete examples.

•   Essay includes a paragraph acknowledging the opposition and refuting the opposition.

•   Essay includes an effective conclusion that wraps up the discussion without repeating the

  essay’s main points word for word.

•   Essay employs language effectively and strives to communicate persuasively.

•   Essay draws on Internet and Database resources, includes proper parenthetical citations,

  and includes a properly formatted page of Works Cited.