Essay

Composition I / HCC Southshore

Raymond M. Vince, PhD

F19 Ed.

A22 P3-ARG+AB for Comp I

Writing an Argument Paper + an Annotated Bibliography

1. Format & Expectations See The Norton Sampler, Chapter 13, on Argument.

 See Schedule for all due dates. There will be a 100 word Draft – with copies for me and your Peer Group. See the Calendar for due date.

 P3 when handed in must be at least 2,500 words (+/- 10%), typed, & double-spaced, including the Ann. Bib. It can go up to 2,850 words with no problem.

 P3 must have an Annotated Bibliography with at least six (6) sources. See below for details. It must be in MLA format. This Annotated Bibliography will replace the usual Works Cited List. See A19.

 P3 must have the total word count (Paper + Ann Bib) at the end (see bottom left in MS Word).  This P3-Argument Paper with Annotated Bibliography is worth 12.00% of your final grade.

2. Objectives & Intended Outcomes  Choose a good subject that you are interested in, that is debatable, controversial, and for which you can

find good credible sources. Take a position and make a strong argument for your position, supported by really strong sources. See my list of Suggested Topics on pages 3-4 below. Your P3-ARG topic must be in a totally different area from your P2-C/E essay.

 Make sure that you integrate your research (books, scholarly articles, & other sources) with your own ideas, judgments, and evaluations. I need to hear your voice, your argument, supported by your sources and research. This is the most difficult part of good academic writing – spend time on getting this right.

 A research paper is neither (1) your own ideas unsupported by scholarly research, nor (2) a list of other people’s views & quotations. Between those extremes, I expect your argument supported by the sources that you have chosen. Use both sources that support your argument, and sources that count against your argument.

 Work hard to base the paper on adequate library material (articles & books) and make sure that you write it in non-technical language. Jargon which you find, for example, in your scholarly journal articles, need to be carefully defined and explained where necessary. Write for a student like yourself: he or she is your ideal audience. Writers always write for a particular audience.

 You should use standard scholarly practice for documentation and citation – see Research & Sources below – making sure your quotations and citations, and the format of your paper and annotated bibliography, follow MLA rules. In particular, you must avoid plagiarism. All sources must be cited correctly – whether quotation, paraphrase, or allusion – both (1) in the body of your paper and (2) in the annotated bibliography at the end of the paper.

Read especially A20 Developing an Argument. Also the following: A12, A13, A15, A19, & A21

Comp I / A22: Writing P3 Argument +Ann Bib / F19 Ed.

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3. Minimum of six (6) Sources for P3-ARG+AB You must use a minimum of six (6) sources – in the following specified categories – for your Argument Paper & Annotated Bibliography. You may use more, but not using the minimum results in a lower grade.

1. One article from a Scholarly Journal. Can be in print form or via web access. (1) 2. Another article from a different Scholarly Journal. Can be in print form or via web access. (1) 3. One book. Can be in print form or an e-book. (1) 4. One newspaper (Washington Post etc.) or magazine article—Time, People, etc. Print or web access. (1) 5. One website—a US Government website (.gov), a US Educational Institution (.edu) non-profit organization

(.org), commercial (.com), military (.mil), or another country (.uk, .de, .jp etc.) relevant to your argument. (1)

6. One other source—could be another scholarly article, another book, another newspaper article, editorial, an Op Ed, or magazine article, a website, online educational resource like the OED, or our textbooks. (1)

Note: You should not use Wikipedia, Cliff Notes, GradeSaver, or other comparable sources in this P3-ARG.

4. Research & Sources Before choosing your topic, start by doing some simple research. You want to understand the ideas and problems before deciding your topic. Then, write your thesis statement, think, research more, & write!

 HCC Library webpage. Find HCC Libraries Search (LINCCWeb) and click on Databases A-Z. Borrower ID: enter your HCC Hawkcard ID#. PIN is the last four digits of your ID#.

 You will then find a list of available databases – which are various collections of scholarly journals that will be crucial in your research and writing. Here, you will find the sources that you will need for your paper. The databases are arranged alphabetically. You must become familiar with some of the scholarly journals available through these databases, and use them in your writing for this Paper.

 The most useful databases for this class are Academic Search Complete, Humanities Full Text, JSTOR, and Lexis-Nexis Academic, but you may find others. In other classes, other databases will be found useful. Good scholars know how to do research, using credible sources to support their argument.

 The Oxford English Dictionary is the most comprehensive dictionary, and is invaluable to your writing, vocabulary development, & research. LexisNexis Academic is the standard database for newspapers & periodicals. Search all these different databases, using good search terms. Experiment with different search terms. Better sources = better argument paper!

 For the format and style of the Annotated Bibliography, see A19: Writing an Annotated

Bibliography.

 When you use your sources, make sure that all your citations are in MLA format: both (1) in the in-text quotations in the body of your essay, and (2) in your Annotated Bibliography at the end of the Paper. The Annotated Bibliography is arranged alphabetically by last name of author, or by the organization. Also give the full word number (Argument Paper + Ann. Bib.).

 Check each source very carefully. Avoid even the appearance of plagiarism. At HCC, there are serious academic penalties to cheating, stealing other people’s ideas without correct citation, downloading a paper from the Internet, or submitting someone else’s paper as your own. Honesty & accuracy are crucial in a scholar. That honesty & accuracy is a large part of what is being evaluated in this course & in P3.

Raymond M. Vince, PhD / 23 October 2014, rev. 17 Oct 2016, 1 June 2017, 31 Aug 2017, 12 July 2018, 12 June 2019 (>A22).

Comp I / A22: Writing P3 Argument +Ann Bib / F19 Ed.

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A22 Topics for P3-ARG + AB Writing an Argument Paper + Annotated Bibliography

21 Suggested Topics

Some may find it difficult to choose a topic for P3, Argument Paper + Annotated Bibliography. Below are twenty- one topics: some have come up in previous classes, some are my suggestions. There are many other topics. Explore several topics by doing two quick searches (below) before you finally decide. Choose something you are interested in or passionate about. Be rational & objective, looking at both sides (maybe, at three or more sides?). If you choose a topic not on this list, you will need to clear your topic with me. Remember to create your own thesis statement. The questions below simply give a topic and some questions to ask.

REMINDER: Your P3-ARG topic must be in a totally different area from your P2-C/E essay.

(1) Begin with a quick Google search, using different search terms. Also try Google Scholar. Then, (2) Search in more depth for Scholarly Journal articles, etc., using a Database Search (through HCC Library). Use databases such as Academic Search Complete, Humanities Full Text, JSTOR, Lexis-Nexis Academic, etc. See A21.

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1. US Patriot Act – What is it about? Can we be both secure and keep our freedom in a post 9/11 world?

2. Should the US intervene in the World? If we should, then what ways are appropriate—military, diplomacy, CIA & NSA, development, trade & commerce, etc.? What are inappropriate? How, when, and why should we intervene, and on what basis?

3. College & university costs – why are they increasing, & what can be done? What is higher education for? Why should US students graduate with $60,000 or more of debt? Other countries don’t do that to their students: they offer free or subsidized college to their students. Why not the USA?

4. Climate Change – is it a real problem, human-caused, or is it a hoax, as the Right says? Why is there such a political difference in how people see this? Hurricane Harvey & similar disasters may be more severe because of climate change, but others deny that. Much of our infrastructure (dams, reservoirs, etc.) dates from the 1930s, and we are not updating. Is that wise? What strategy would you suggest?

5. Animal Testing of drugs, medical procedures, & cosmetics. Why? Why not? Is it ethical & necessary?

6. Space research & NASA funding. Can we afford to go the Moon again, or to Mars? Why or why not? What is the purpose of space research?

7. Is America losing its leadership in Science? Can we still afford “Big Science?” Why is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) at CERN in Switzerland & not in Texas, USA? Does it matter?

8. Gay Marriage / Marriage Equality – is it right, necessary, & constitutional? What is the connection between LGBT rights, the US Constitution, and the Courts?

Comp I / A22: Writing P3 Argument +Ann Bib / F19 Ed.

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9. US Voting – should we restrict voting or give greater access? The 1965 Voting Rights Act: is it still important or not? What is gerrymandering and does it matter? Do voting rights matter? Why?

10. Gun Rights & Gun Control – how do we balance the 2nd Amendment right and our desire for greater public safety for citizens & children in schools? What are the statistics? How does the US compare with other countries (violence, gun deaths, including suicide)? What solutions are politically possible?

11. Housing policy—why did we have a housing crash in 2007-08? Are we still segregated by race in housing in our cities? Should the government have a role in housing? What role should that be?

12. Health Care. What is ACA (Obamacare), and why is it divisive politically? How does US healthcare compare with other countries? What are health outcomes? What role should government have and why?

13. Prison & Justice issues—the US has far more prisoners per capita than other countries. Why? Many are in for minor drug offences—is that right? Increasingly, prisons are private businesses: is that good? We seem to lock up more black/brown men than white men. Why?

14. Is Police Violence and the targeting of racial minorities a problem or not? Do we need new policing policies? Many police forces are now getting military-style weapons. Is that a problem? How do we change the system (policing, the courts, sentencing, & prison) for the better?

15. The US Congress and the President has rarely been more unpopular. Current polls give Congress an approval rate of only 15% or so (85% disapprove). President Trump is around 40%. Does it matter? What can be done? Why is the US so divided as a nation?

16. Immigration Policy—most agree it is broken. Democrats & Republicans cannot agree on a solution. Why is that so? What are the real problems? Why do we divide families? What should be done?

17. Inequality & Taxation. In the US, we have never been more unequal in wealth & income, at least since the 1920s. Why is this so? Is such a degree of inequality a problem? What can be done? What is US tax policy and does it favor the rich or the poor?

18. Race & Social Policy. Are there major problems of race in the USA? What are they, and can they be fixed by (1) laws, (2) social policies, (3) less inequality, (4) something else?

19. Military & Civilians. Do we use US armed forces in the right way? What is that way? Do we support the military sufficiently, both in conflicts and afterwards—through, for example, the VA budgets, PTSD treatment, healthcare, housing, and jobs?

20. New Media & Old Media: what are they? We read less, but use smart phones, TV, Facebook, Twitter more. Does that matter? Are we changing as human beings—in mind, body, thinking—in ways that may be problematic? On the other hand, is this just human evolution in progress?

21. Has America come to terms with its most costly way, the Civil War of 1861-65? Why are we still arguing over slavery, race, Jim Crow laws, & Civil War monuments? If the US is more divided than ever, how much may be connected with the War? What possible ways forward are there?

Raymond M. Vince, PhD / HCC Southshore / 17 October 2016, rev 1 June 2017 & 31 August 2017 & 12 July 2018

[email protected]

1 A22 Wr P3-ARG + AB - F19.docx / 2,148 words