Persuasion Essay

Essay Instruction

This essay writing assignment is to develop a 4-5 pages (Times Roman, 12pt font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins) analysis of a persuasion-related issue. Reference pages are NOT included in overall page length. Pick one topic below to answer the question raised in the text. There are no right or wrong answers, rather I will be looking for how well your support your argument. The supporting material for this paper should come mainly from our textbook. The four sections highlighted below are required.

[more information on “what is an essay:”]

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/index.html

· Introduction: This section is where your will lay out for the reader your question at issue you intend to address, present your thesis statement (recommended answer to the question), and communicate the main points your will be presenting in the body of the paper.

· Body: This section should be a well-organized analysis based on facts and logic. Cite your textbook, including any outside sources (e.g., media articles) to support your analysis.

· Conclusion: This section should summarize the question at issue, thesis statement and main points. I should have a clear sense of the logic of your paper. The conclusion is not the place to introduce new information, facts, sources, etc.

· References: follow APA style and be free of spelling and grammatical errors.

Topic #1

Sexism is gender-based prejudice or discrimination. As with other forms of prejudice and discrimination, it functions to maintain status and power differences between groups in society. One manifestation of sexism involves prejudice and discrimination against girls and women who seek to achieve in prestigious fields traditionally associated with males. Another manifestation of sexism occurs when pressures are placed on boys and men to conform to traditional conceptions of masculinity.

You probably have heard about the story of “Heineken Draught Keg advertisement” which provoked a heated discussion on sexism: in 2007, Heineken released a TV commercial advertisement to launch their new Heineken Draught Keg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-NfrBgYIEQ). In the commercial, a non-speaking woman is depicted as a robotic automaton whose torso mechanically opens up to reveal a Draught Keg inside. The ad was widely criticized for being overtly sexist: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/heineken-sexist-ad_n_5398310

Heineken is not the only company to use sexual and sexist imagery to promote a product.

More than ten years on, in the wake of the #MeToo campaign, it is of critical importance to understand how we should evaluate the role of sexist imagery in commercial media in promoting, directly or indirectly, the attitudes that lead to behaviors like those of Harvey Weinstein (as discussed in our textbook, pp. 33-35). The question is: Are commercials with sexist content best understood as persuasion, manipulation, coercion, or propaganda?

[Reviewing the following background information may help:]

· Textbook pp.33-35 (#MeToo)

· “12 students share their experiences of sexism at university” https://www.whatuni.com/advice/blog/students-share-experiences-of-sexism-at-university/49099/

· “What women want men to know about sexism” by Teresa Vescio, Professor of Psychology at Penn State. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y-4I9qNsYw&t=785s

· “Why I’m done trying to be ‘man enough’” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cetg4gu0oQQ&t=145s

· “Heineken doesn’t seem to realize women drink beer too” by Huffpost.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/heineken-sexist-ad_n_5398310

Topic #2

On December 18, 2019, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The next step was for a trial in the US Senate to determine whether President Trump should be removed from office. Take a look at the public attitudes on this impeachment:

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/impeachment-polls/

Would it surprise you to learn that public attitudes about impeachment largely followed party lines, with most Democrats supporting impeachment and removal from office, and most Republicans opposed? Given what you’ve learned about attitudes, beliefs, and values, and putting aside your own political perspective, the question is: How can you account for this divide in attitudes by party rather than by evaluation of the evidence?

Grading:

[NOTE: An essay might contain a promising idea, but its execution in terms of supporting argument and writing might be quite weak. Another essay might be very well executed in organization and writing, but lack an incisive, perceptive argument. Making these kinds of judgment depends on my past experience and comparison among students’ papers; it is not a scientific process!]

The essay will be graded on a 50-point scale.

Argument & evidence (30 pts):

Your main argument should be clearly stated and should be supported with concrete and specific evidence. Do not simply narrate or summarize our textbook. Show that there is thought behind your argument. Find examples/concepts from the textbook/outside sources to support your ideas. Whenever you paraphrase or take a short quote, cite your source properly. Quotations that neither support nor advance the argument are detrimental to the essay. A paper that contains no references to our textbook is not acceptable.

Accuracy/plausibility of ideas (10 pts):

You cannot build a good argument with inaccurate information, so check the ideas/facts/concepts you are using to ensure they are accurate.

Organization and coherence (5 pts):

Proper organization is monumental to any essay. You should have a clear thesis in the introduction section, proper paragraph structure in the body part, and a clear conclusion that articulates the vision of the issue that the reader should have at the end. What insights have you provided? How is your argument important?

Grammar and Style (5 pts): All the formal requirements listed above concerning length, font, margins, reference list, etc. must be met.

“Superior Paper” example:

Structure:

Your thesis is clear, insightful, original, even exciting. All ideas in the paper flow logically; your argument is identifiable, reasonable, and sound. You have excellent transitions. Your paragraphs have solid topic sentences, and each sentence clearly relates to that topic sentence. Your conclusion is persuasive.

Analysis:

You support major points with concepts cited from our textbook/outside sources. You integrate quoted material into your sentences well. Your analysis is fresh and exciting, posing new ways to think of the material.

Style:

Your sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and citations are excellent. You are not wordy or redundant.

Originality:

Your arguments show a great deal of independent insight and originality.

“Needs Help Paper” example:

Structure:

Your thesis is difficult to identify, or it may just be a restatement of an obvious point. Your structure may be unclear, often because your thesis is weak or non-existent. Your transitions are confusing and unclear. Your paragraphs show little structure. The paper is a loose collection of statements, rather than a cohesive argument.

Analysis:

The concepts you pick are few or weak. You fail to support statements, and the evidence you give is poorly analyzed, poorly integrated into the paper, or simply incorrect. Ideas may not flow at all, often because there is no argument to support.

Style:

Your writing style has problems in sentence structure, grammar, and diction. You have frequent major errors in citation style, punctuation, and spelling. You may have many run-on sentences and comma splices.

Originality:

You do a confusing or poor job synthesizing material presented in our textbook/lectures, and you do not develop your own insights or conclusions.