English 102 essay.

Ms. C. Badeaux

ENGL 102-I1

Spring 2021

Essay I: Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography

This first major essay lays the groundwork for the other papers in this course. Following our discussions in our class forums on Sustainability, you will present a narrowed topic or focus for your research this semester (and, ideally, what your argument will be), plus some sources you might use, along with your observations on how those sources will be used. You will also propose the individual topic for each essay. While your focus or argument might change as your research progresses, your papers should not drastically deviate from the plan you set forth. If it does need to change, check with me first. Papers may not be accepted if they do not follow the plan you lay out at the beginning.

For the Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography, follow instructions from class and from pages 215-217 of your Composition and Rhetoric Guide, plus see the Little Seagull handbook, pages 74-78, for further guidance. Not following all instructions will result in a significant loss of points, if essay is accepted. Get assistance from me or the WTEC tutors if you have questions or concerns, and start on this right away: parts of this process may be more time consuming than you expect. Finding and evaluating appropriate resources is one task that students often do not budget enough time for.

Topic

Using the pre-approved, narrowed topic you developed in your forum post, consider an aspect of sustainability that you feel is important in the career you plan to enter, or in some other important area of your life. What is this narrowed topic, and what led you to choose it? Describe its significance to you as well as how it may be significant to others (the larger community). Develop a strong argument, or at least indicate why you think this topic is significant enough for you to research.

In your second paragraph, announce your plan for Essay II: following guidelines in the Comp. Rhet. book, and referring to the Essay II prompt, very specifically state your argument, what type of audience this will be addressed to, plus counterarguments you might expect from that audience and how you plan to “preemptively” address them, sources you may need (again, very specific types…see guide) and where/how you would use them, plus whether you may already have found sources that you find helpful and how they will be used. Note any problems or concerns you anticipate, too, and what you might do about those.

Repeat this step for paragraph three, re: Essay III, then paragraph four, re: Essay IV. Avoid being repetitive in any of this. With Essay IV, for example, consider how you might integrate information and sources from the previous essays, and what might need to be added to or looked at from a different perspective. At this point, reexamine the main point you wish to make and how all this fits in. Why does it matter?

Finally, the closing paragraph should focus again on your main point: what you most want your readers to think about. You are challenging an audience (without being offensive) to consider your point of view about a complex topic and inviting readers to consider how this affects us all. Think about tone, other points of view, etc.

Instead of a Works Cited page with citations also included in your prospectus, you will include an annotated bibliography, as per ongoing class instructions and Comp. Rhet. book. The sources must also be in MLA format and alphabetized. In addition to the citation, briefly evaluate the type of source and how it might be used in your future essays.

Annotated Bibliography source requirements:

6 sources minimum (10 maximum)

· at least 2 scholarly secondary sources (from academic journals)

· at least 2 reliable (not necessarily scholarly) sources

· at least 1 primary source

· If you provide additional sources, the remaining sources should be reliable and appropriate for academic essay writing, but you may include 1 or 2 thoughtful creative sources (no more than 2!). These could be relevant cartoons, poems, song lyrics, videos, etc. The bulk of your argument should rest on factual data, solid research, and expert opinions from genuine experts – authorities in their fields, not celebrities promoting a cause. They (celebrities and artists) might have valid opinions to contribute, but the weight of your argument should not rest on them. These additional sources may not replace the required number of scholarly and other reliable sources. Please see me if you have questions about your sources.

Note: Your Sustainability book is an excellent source. Individual essays within it would qualify as individual, reliable sources. They are not peer-reviewed, so are not scholarly, but can be solid support for your argument.

Other Essay 1 requirements:

· 1,000-word minimum length (NOT counting the Annotated Bibliography pages).

· MLA format (get assistance from WTEC if you need. Essays will not be accepted if not in correct format).

· Must submit documents to appropriate Moodle link, on time. See class notes regarding materials to submit.

· Due date for hard copy and Moodle submissions: Thursday 18 February 2021.

Re-read all instructions here and in Comp. Rhet. book.

Avoid 0 for not following directions!