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Unit Four: The Research Essay Major Essay Number Four Assignment Prompt

English 102 Spring Term 2018 Overview: For and academic audience, you will posit a bold thesis claim that falls within the umbrella of the English 102 course theme structure and build a detailed and sound supporting argument. Your work should cite sources from a number of document types, including but not limited to academic journals, books of a scholarly nature, media reports, primary documents, government sources, interviews, and Web-based resources. You will position yourself within the larger social conversation about our course theme, and use the wisdom of leading and emerging writers and thinkers to build a powerful argument. The essay must: • Include a clear, strong thesis that blends together pieces of existing ideas in order to present a interesting new thought on the topic. The thesis must be bold, original, and provable, using a variety of diverse, strong sources. • Provide a number of clear backing points that lead the audience to accept your thesis. These points should form the bulk of your argument, should be well supported by fact, and should avoid the use of argumentative fallacies. • Make strong use of at least six academic resources plus at least three additional sources that are not commonly considered to be academic that bolster your thesis. At least one source should argue against your thesis, which will give you the opportunity to build credibility by thoroughly dissecting an opposing argument. All sources should be relevant to your thesis claim, and be weighed carefully concerning the ethos of the document’s creator, timeliness, content, and context. • Take a logical form and structure appropriate for an academic audience, consisting of an introduction in which we learn the thesis, a body in which the thesis is defended, and a conclusion, in which the argument is summarized and completed. • Show expert use of the conventions/tools that have been discussed or read about—ethos, pathos, logos, sense of audience, appropriate word selection, argumentative strategies, proper tone, sourcing and documentation, style, diction, analysis, argumentative theory, etc. • Be carefully written and revised using standard American English that is free of errors in punctuation and grammar. Assignment Goals: This essay builds upon the previous essays and uses all the conventions we’ve learned during the course. You’ve carefully examined the work of others and considered larger arguments concerning the course theme; now, you will position yourself within the argument and say something brand new about your topic with the help of well-selected academic sources. Placed into conversation with each other, your sources should ultimately convince us to believe that your original and bold thesis is valid. Length: The length of the assignment should be between 10 and 12 pages.

Essay Format: All major essay assignments for the course must be computer generated and submitted via the appropriate tab in course Moodle page. Per MLA formatting guidelines, the first page must be labeled with your name, and the instructor's name, the course and section number, the date, and the unit number in the top left corner; subsequent pages must contain your name and the page number in the top right corner. Essays must be uploaded in .doc or .docx format with one-inch margins. Text should appear in 12-point Times New Roman font. All assignments must be double-spaced before they are uploaded into the submission portal. As is the case in the professional world and in advanced academic work, failure to accomplish these formatting guidelines will result in a penalty—in this case, at least one point per neglected request. Notes: Refer to course syllabus for information concerning late work, plagiarism, and revision opportunities. Failure to bring drafts to class for assigned peer review sessions will negatively affect the final grade. A grading score sheet specific to this assignment will be issued prior to the essay’s assigned due date.

Unit 4: The Research Essay Score Sheet

Content: Establishes and expertly defends a clear and thoroughly original thesis: 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 Makes cohesive and articulate use of focused supporting claims and specific details: 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 The essay presents new thinking on the topic and ultimately convinces the audience to accept the thesis as valid. 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 The essay draws from an array of sources, each wielded and introduced in a fair, accurate, and appropriate fashion: 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 The essay clearly connects new thinking to a larger social or academic argument or debate: 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 Demonstrates advanced usage of skills and concepts introduced and practiced during the course. 0 0.5 1 1.5 The argument is logically ordered and all claims are backed with clear supporting facts. 0 0.5 1 1.5 Uses advanced voice, style, and tone. 0 0.5 1 Mechanics Integrates sources in a useful way and cites them clearly using MLA conventions: 0 0.5 1 Uses polished standard American English and language/jargon appropriate for the audience and topic. 0 0.5 1 Scoring: Point Total: ______ Point Deductions: •Late essay ______ •Missing Drafts ______ •Formatting –––––– Final Essay Grade: ______