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ENGL 1101

Essay Three: Argumentative Synthesis

Dr. Laura Lee Beasley

Due Dates:

Workshops: 11/27/18, 11/29/18

On workshop days, you will need to bring a digital or printed copy of your rough draft to class.

Final Draft: 12/13/18 by 8PM

Your final draft must be added to the dropbox on CourseDen (labeled “Essay Three”) by 8PM on the due date. Your final draft should be between 1000-1200 words and should adhere to MLA format. Remember there are no allowed late submission for the third essay.

Purpose: You will gain an understanding of how various texts and media on related topic inform and interact with one another in conversation. Additionally, the assignment invites you to join a critical conversation by using analytical skills you gained from the first two essay assignments and synthesizing multiple sources toward an original argument.

Description : For this assignment, you will use either the documentary White Light/Black Rain or one peer-generated text of your choice to examine parallel, opposing, or adjacent viewpoints on/representations of one of the sustainability topics we’ve discussed in relation to Trinity. All peer-generated texts are linked on the discussion post in CourseDen titled “Trinity Texts.” You should not choose your own submitted text. You will develop your argument by using one text (the documentary or your chosen peer-generated text) to “read” or interpret Trinity or by comparing and contrasting both texts’ arguments toward an original argument about sustainability.

Below are some sample prompts to help you get started. You may use one of these, adapt one, or meet with me to discuss an idea of your own. These prompts center on selected sustainability “Big Ideas” from Washington State Department of Ecology, the full list of which is included in “Essay Three Resources” in CourseDen.

· “Systems Thinking” is defined as “A way of thinking that gives primacy to interconnectedness; the whole as well as the parts; respect for limits; recognition that there can be unexpected consequences; and, an emphasis on identifying patterns, root causes of problems, and leverage points for change.” Consider how the documentary or your chosen peer-generated text and Trinity address “Systems Thinking.” In what ways is “systems thinking” employed or ignored? What are the effects of the use of or the lack of “systems thinking”? What arguments do the texts make in relation to “systems thinking”? What critical conversation about “systems thinking” takes place between the texts and what is your stance?

· Environmental Justice asserts that there is “the basic human right to a healthy environment and equal protection from environmental harm where all people live, work, and play - regardless of race, ethnicity, and socio-economic background.” Consider how the documentary or your chosen peer-generated text and Trinity address environmental justice issues. In what ways might “race, ethnicity, and socio-economic background” factor into depictions and perceptions of environmental justice? What critical conversation about “environmental justice” takes place between the texts and what is your stance?

· In the context of sustainability, “Good Governance” is composed of three parts “private (business), public (government) and civic sectors (individual citizens as well as community and non-profit organizations)” which must “collaborate and negotiate to effect governance.” How do your chosen text and Trinity depict governance? How do these sectors intersect and what impacts, defers or contributes to, “Good Governance”? What critical conversation about “Good Governance” takes place between the texts and what is your stance?

· The “Precautionary Principle” is “taking anticipatory actions that favor outcomes that err on the side of protecting human health and the environment.” Consider how your chosen text and Trinity address this principle. What factors influence the use of this principle? How might history (texts about the atomic bomb such as Trinity as “precautionary,” for example) influence current use of the “Precautionary Principle”? What critical conversation about the “Precautionary Principle” takes place between the texts and what is your stance?

Your objective is to formulate an argument using the texts you’ve selected as support for your claims. Remember that some of the texts might represent opposing perspectives, while others’ stated or implied arguments/foci align or address different aspects of the same overarching issue. It will be up to you to determine how to use your chosen text in relation to Trinity and with respect to your overall argument, but your essay must reflect both sources as part of a critical conversation.

Introducing the Conversation: In the introductory paragraph, you will present a brief overview of the critical conversation in which your chosen text and Trinity participate. You should begin by introducing the general topic (sustainability “Big Idea”) and then narrow your focus by introducing and summarizing the main arguments of both texts. Finally, conclude your introduction with an argumentative thesis statement that articulates ONE of the following: (a) what readers gain by using your chosen text as a “lens” through which to “see” the Trinity; or (b) what examining these two texts comparatively shows us that we might not otherwise have seen. Consider the resources available in “Essay Three Resources” as you frame your argument.

Thesis Statement: Your thesis should articulate a specific argument that engages critically and intellectually with the texts you’ve presented in the intro. Remember, the argument isn’t simply what these texts are “about,” but rather what these writers, artists, filmmakers, etc. in concert motivate us to think about a particular issue or subject and where we might go from there. Build toward your thesis statement by adapting templates from They Say, I Say, on “Introducing an Ongoing Debate” (25-28) and “Signaling Who is Saying What” (71-73), which are available in “Essay Three Resources” in CourseDen but don’t stop there. Take a side. Articulate your own stance. Offer your own interpretation or perspective informed by your sources.

Supporting Argument/Body: Each content paragraph should include three components: (1) a topic sentence, (2) evidence, and (3) analysis. Each topic sentence should make its own argumentative claim that further specifies or demonstrates your reasoning for the overall claim you’ve made in your thesis statement. Evidence, meanwhile, will take the form of quotations or of paraphrases from the source texts that support or illustrate the claim made in the topic sentence. Your analysis will explain how each piece of evidence supports, illustrates, and otherwise proves your argument. No outside research is allowed. This essay should demonstrate your own ability to identify a critical conversation and to join it. Consistently analyze your source texts throughout, avoiding personal response or anecdotes, metadiscursive references to the assignment or your writing process, and heavy summary.

Conclusion: Re-emphasize and expand upon your own argument. Reflect on why this topic is important beyond the scope of your own essay. Why should your reader care? What is at stake? Reiterate the value of considering your source texts together. In other words, leave your reader with both a sense of the critical conversation reflected in your essay and a way to enter that conversation themselves.

MLA Format: Be sure to use the Purdue OWL website in formatting both your in-text citations and works-cited page. Be sure to cite every reference to your source, including any material summarized or paraphrased.