Persuasion Essay 2

Essay Instruction

This final essay writing assignment is to develop a 5-7 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 highlighted in yellow. 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.

· 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.

Option #1

Review Ch14 (pp.416-420) – your textbook lists five categories of compliance-gaining strategies.

· First, review Ch3 “Persuasion and Ethics” (pp.64-68; pp.70 first paragraph); discuss different approaches, then develop your own ethical framework for compliance-gaining tactics. Use this framework to evaluate when it is appropriate or not appropriate to employ EACH of these five categories to gain compliance.

· Second, when it comes to persuading someone to practice safer sex, which technique(s) would be most effective (you may select more than one technique from different categories)? Justify your argument.

Option #2

In March 2020, as fears about coronavirus were beginning to peak in the United States and businesses and schools were beginning to close, The Washington Post conducted a survey of 4000 Americans about their fears. What they found may be shocking, but the headline of their story says it all: “Americans who are biased against Asians are more likely to fear the coronavirus.”

Coronavirus, which first emerged in China, had recently been referred to as the “Wuhan virus,” the “Chinese virus,” and even “Kung Flu” by President Trump and other Republican leaders. At a time when fear appeals regarding coronavirus were totally appropriate and necessary to encourage people to engage in important health safety measures, it was troubling to combine feelings of fear with messages about race and nationality. While the survey conducted by The Washington Post couldn’t causally link fears about coronavirus to causing some people to feel more anti-Asian or avoid contact with Asian Americans, one can’t help but raise the question given their results.

The debacle raises important ethical questions about side effects of using fear appeals to persuade on issues that may have already been racialized by others. On one hand, fear is an important motivator for compliance, especially on issues related to health; on the other hand, if those same fear appeals can increase racial anxiety because of words used by other authorities, should they be employed?

[Review the following information may help you answer this question]

· “Donald Trump and the Politics of Fear.” The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/donald-trump-and-the-politics-of-fear/498116/

· “Top Nixon Adviser Reveals the Racist Reason He Started the ‘War on Drugs’ Decades ago.” Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/nixon-adviser-ehrlichman-anti-left-anti-black-war-on-drugs-2019-7

· Textbook Ch3 “Persuasion and Ethics” (pp.64-68; pp.70 first paragraph)

· Textbook Ch12 “Fear Appeals” and “The Psychology of Fear” (pp.339-344)

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 70-point scale.

Argument & evidence (40 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 (20 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.