Poverty/Homeless in the US

Essay 2: Argumentative Research Essay

Due Date: See course calendar in eCampus.

Assignment Description:

In upper level courses, you will often be asked to demonstrate your ability to converse with other scholars in your field. Your job is to change the reader’s mind about a particular subject and persuade the reader into believing your argument. Your paper must be written so that it is accessible to readers from a different perspective. In other words, be fair and unbiased when acknowledging what others say about your topic, but then prove why they are wrong using logical reasons and credible evidence. In this essay, you must synthesize various sources while persuading the reader to accept your viewpoint. You do not want to simply report what others are saying, but engage in a dialogue with them.

Your research paper MUST include the following:

· A clearly stated thesis in the introduction that articulates your position and what you want to argue in your paper

· Clear reasons with supporting evidence

· A synthesis of sources; do not simply summarize your source material, but show how they are connected and respond to them

· A fully-developed counterargument with a fully-developed refutation. A fully-developed counterargument requires more than one sentence.

· A minimum of five (5) credible and relevant sources (see details below)

· A well-developed, well-organized of three to five pages (1000-1500 words),, not including the MLA Works Cited

· A Works Cited page in MLA format with corresponding in-text citations (MlA Version 8)

Topic: Use the same topic you selected for Essay One, the exploratory essay.

Purpose and Learning Objectives

The purpose of this assignment is to practice persuasive writing and synthesis of sources. You will increase your critical thinking skills by analyzing yours and others’ assumptions, evaluating multiple perspectives, and developing a clear position. Writing, research, and eloquent written expression are vital for a successful future. You will express all of these skills in this assignment.

Your research paper should demonstrate the following learning objectives:

· Awareness of the audience to whom you are speaking

· Awareness of the purpose of your argument

· Ability to enter into a scholarly conversation

· Ability to write a qualified and narrow argumentative thesis statement

· Ability to synthesize information from various sources

· Ability to craft an argument with different types of relevant, credible, and detailed support

· Ability to research and identify academic sources

· Ability to summarize, paraphrase, and quote while citing correctly in MLA to avoid plagiarism

· Ability to converse in standard, academic English

Minimum Requirements

Length: Minimum three (3) pages, approximately 900 words, not including the works cited page.

Style: Essay needs to conform to MLA standards, including double spacing in Times New Roman font, size 12, and must include a Works Cited page with correct in-text (parenthetical) citations for all quotes, paraphrases, and/or summaries.

Sources: You must cite at least five (5) reliable and authoritative sources, including at least one journal (electronic is acceptable) or database article. At least one of your sources must be a counterargument that you will refute.

Helpful Resources

The English Corner has several handouts that can help you draft your essay.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism includes failing to cite a direct quote with quotation marks and an in-text citation, borrowing someone else's work without a correct citation, bad paraphrasing (Safe Assign will not identify a good or fair paraphrase), purchasing a paper, having someone else write your essay, or turning in the same paper to two different classes. Any paper with plagiarism, even accidental (I forgot to cite that!), will receive a zero as a final grade. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite correctly. Review the lessons contained in Article 4 and Article 5 in our eCampus Lesson 2 and also visit the Purdue OWL for more help vist the Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style Guide.