argurmentitive essay

ENGL 108 An argumentative essay (150 points or 15% of the final grade)

You will write a three and a half- to four-page double-spaced paper (1050-1300 words) taking a clear position on a debate about Golden Rice. The paper will integrate multiple sources including texts from the Miami library and personal experience to defend the position. The paper must cite at least four English language sources (not including those discussed in class) using a standard reference format (APA).

Length: three and a half- to four-page paper (1050-1300 words)

Format: double spaced, 1-inch margins, Times New Roman font, size 12.

References: at least four English language sources (not including those discussed in class) using a standard reference format (APA)

Due Dates: November 4 @ 11:59PM (Rough Draft, 30 points), November 20 @ 11:59PM (Final Draft,150 points )

Assignment:

You are a United Nations (UN) official tasked with choosing whether or not to distribute Golden Rice to developing nations suffering from hunger. Your analysis will be presented before all of the United Nations, and your suggestion may impact the UN’s decision of whether or not to implement Golden Rice as a solution to world hunger.

Your task is therefore to write an argumentative essay either for or against Golden Rice. Your essay should be centered on a clear argumentative thesis statement that states your position with three key points and should be supported and illustrated by at least four outside sources.

You will learn:

· Library research strategies;

· Basic rhetorical concepts;

· Academic argumentative strategies;

· Tools for evaluating the quality of researched sources;

· Citation standards.

Suggested Steps:

Step 1: decide on your position. Draft a thesis statement. (October 15-26)

Step 2: you need to do some research to identify the different arguments that both sides use to defend their positions. Consult credible academic sources on the issue to provide yourself with multiple views on the argument. For help finding sources, please consider using the databases such as Academic Search Premier and ProQuest. Once you have a list of the arguments involved in the controversy you need to find the following:

1. What evidence is there to support each one of the listed arguments? 2. Which is the strongest argument of your opponents? 3. Are there any weak points in this strong argument that you can use to refute your opponents’ view? Make a list of the facts and examples you can use in your argumentation and keep a careful record of the sources you will use to back up your claims. (October 15 - November 2)

Step 3: write an outline of your essay. (November 1-4)

Step 4: Write a rough draft of your essay integrating your chosen sources to support your argument. (November 4).

Step 5: Come to class prepared for peer review. (November 12).

Step 6: Bring specific questions to an individual conference with the instructor (November 14, 16 & 19).

Step 7: Revise your essay into a final draft using the feedback from peer review, your instructor’s comments, and the revision strategies discussed in class. Write revision letter (November 19).

Step 8. Write the final draft (November 20).

Step 9: visit the Writing Center at any stage of your writing.

Grading Criteria:

Your final draft will be graded on the extent to which your essay

· Contains a dynamic thesis which takes a stance towards the issue.

· Uses well-constructed paragraphs with clear topic sentences, objective evidence in support of the thesis, and analysis which interprets and connects evidence to the thesis.

· Has an engaging introduction which will summarize and define the stakes of the argument, and a conclusion which does not just summarize but leads the reader out of the paper.

· Artfully integrates and embeds borrowed material.

· Is free of grammatical and mechanical errors.

· APA format citation, both in-text and a References page are required.