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Project Three: Call to Action Argument

Purpose:

Throughout the quarter, you have been creating research questions, doing research, and using that research to write essays. In the first essay, you informed yourself about a topic and considered why you wanted to know about that topic and why it is important to you. In the second essay, you informed your reader about the surprising information you found out about your topic. The purpose of this essay is for you to use those strategies to write a formal, academic classical argument that uses research. The skills you have been working on will help you with any research writing you will have to do in college and beyond. This essay will ask you to think about your rhetorical situation in order to influence your audience and try to inspire that audience to take your side and actually do something about the issue you explore.

Learning Objectives

· In finding sources, students will locate and evaluate different types of evidence for logic, credibility, reliability, and bias (i.e. primary sources, online and written secondary sources) 

· In writing the project, students will compose a humanities style research paper that includes an evaluation of different types of evidence to support an original thesis and language appropriate for the audience and purpose

· Students will identify target audiences and craft writing to correspond with reader expectations and levels of expertise

· Students will synthesize their own writing with a breadth of primary and secondary sources with proper in-text citations and a list of citations to avoid plagiarism

· Develop an original and effectively supported thesis that is appropriately complex and significant

· give and receive useful writing suggestions during peer revision sessions

Directions:

For this assignment, you will write 850 – 1,000 word Classical argument using at least five sources (at least three of them should be peer reviewed and the rest should be reliable sources). The Classical argument will establish the context of your topic and why it is important to care about this topic and persuade your reader to take your side. The paper will include reasoned support for your audience to take your side as well as an explanation of why they should.

This assignment will be turned into a website that will be presented in class.

Your essay should (in other words, use the following as a checklist of things your essay should. Be doing):

-Provide: a controversial language or education issue and explain how the issue creates dissent

-State: a thesis that argues for your side using a claim and reasons

- Provide evidence: that supports your position using at least three peer reviewed sources and two popular but valid sources

- analyze: stakeholder (or audience) your audience will be people who do not care about your topic but should- and you will tell them why they should

- Provide support for your thesis using personal experience and researched articles

- Organize paragraphs coherently (MEAL plan)

- Show awareness of rhetorical situation and rhetorical strategies

- Cite all sources using proper MLA citation style

- Format paper in proper MLA format

- Provide a properly cited works cited page.

Be sure that all documents:

• are typed;

• use 12 point font size;

• use Times New Roman font;

• are double-spaced;

• follow MLA style requirements for all other formatting issues (see the Purdue OWL for guidelines);

• have been spell-checked and edited for grammar and syntax problems;

• are properly uploaded as a WORD .doc or .docx or .pdf file (you can download Microsoft word for free by using your Bellevue College sign in at the Microsoft webpage).

( Assignments not uploaded as a WORD DOC or DOCX or PDF file will receive a zero and be ignored. In other words, absolutely no txt, zip, .pages, or other files are acceptable. If you need help formatting, come see me during office hours).

Your grade for this essay will depend on how well you addressed each issue above.

Writing Process:

You will turn in two drafts of your essay. A “draft” means a completed draft that fulfills all the assignment criteria.

Rough Draft: The rough draft should be a complete (about) 800 – 1,000 word essay that follows the assignment guidelines above. This draft should be printed and brought to class for peer review (see schedule)

Final Draft: The Final Draft will be a polished, REVISED essay of 850 – 1,000 words that is posted in Canvas.

Advice for students:

To reach unengaged stakeholders, students—as rhetors—will select a target audience and focus their argument specifically on that group. The success of this project is largely dependent upon knowing who the audience is, why they are unengaged, what can be done to get them to care about the issue, and how they can become involved. In both the formal essay and the website, the identity of the target audience should serve as a catalyst for the rhetorical choices that are made to create a persuasive argument.

Project 3 brings the semester’s work to full circle. Students will use their understanding of the rhetorical situation to decide how to craft the most effective means of engaging their target audience. Credible evidence will be used to introduce the audience to current cultural conversations about the topic as a means of securing their investment in the issue.