Essay for Comp 2

Spring 2021

Goal: to choose a topic you wish to become an “expert” in, or at least really knowledgeable, and formulate an informative essay and argument based on your interest and knowledge in the subject. The paper should NOT be a “how to” paper. You should, even though it is informative, still have a position you wish to advance. However, a position can be a greater understanding of an idea, an understanding from your perspective. Thus, it will not be a “report” but rather a “report” of your perspective of an idea. You are writing to a scholarly/academic audience.

You will choose a primary text which will serve as a basis for your interest. This text should come from the collection of essays we’ve read in class or any other text you first clear with me. Your chosen text may be a source for your essay, or it may only serve to create an interest. For those of you who have had an AP course, you can consider this to be a work of equal literary merit to those acceptable to AP. You will need to inform me about what you are reading no matter from our course or an outside piece.

Guidelines:

· Read and analyze our class essays or another primary source of your choosing to identify thematic connections among the sources and possible areas for inquiry.

· Compose a research question of your own prompted by analysis of the materials.

· Gather information from a range of additional sources representing a variety of perspectives, including scholarly work.

· Analyze, evaluate, and select evidence. Interpret the evidence to develop a well-reasoned argument that answers the research question and conveys your perspective.

· Throughout your research, continually revisit and refine your original research question to ensure that the evidence you gather addresses your purpose and focus.

· Identify opposing or alternate views and consider their implications and/or limitations as you develop resolutions, conclusions, or solutions to your research question.

· Compose a coherent, convincing and well-written argument in which you:

· Identify and explain the relationship of your inquiry to a theme or connection among at least two of the stimulus materials prompted by your reading.

· Incorporate your primary source material.

· Place your research question in context.

· Include a variety of perspectives.

· Include evidence from a range of sources (most being scholarly).

· Establish an argument that links claims and evidence.

· Provide specific resolutions, conclusions and/or solutions.

· Evaluate objections, limitations or competing perspectives and arguments.

· Cite all sources that you have used, including the stimulus materials, and include a list of works cited or a bibliography.

· Use correct grammar and style.

· Do a word count and keep within the word limit of no more than 1200 words (excluding footnotes, bibliography, and text in figures or tables).