environmental science

2021/2/14 Persuasive Essay DRAFT

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1434504/assignments/5883690 1/5

Persuasive Essay DRAFT

Due Monday by 11:59pm Points 20 Submitting a file upload File Types doc and docx

Submit Assignment

1. Assignment Submission Schedule Draft Due: Monday, Feb. 15 Peer Review: Must be completed by Friday, Feb. 19th Final Paper Due: Friday, Feb. 26th

It is very important that you submit something/a file (can be just a rough draft or an outline) by this deadline. Canvas will automatically assign peer reviews for students who have a submission by this deadline. If you don't meet this deadline, you will not be able to participate in the peer review work (worth 20 points)

2. Assignment Details The objective of this assignment is to write a 3-4 page persuasive essay that identifies an environmental issue of personal concern and provides one or more solutions designed to address it. The persuasive essay is the basis of your group poster assignment so you will work collaboratively with your poster group to develop an “umbrella” group poster theme and a narrower set of interrelated individual research topics. This assignment includes both a rough draft, which will be peer-reviewed, and a final draft.

Each persuasive essay should include the following elements:

1. A comprehensive description of your issue that includes its geographic location(s), as well as its direct and indirect causes. 2. An evidence-based argument that supports why your issue merits attention and concern. Your argument should consider each of the

following dimensions of your issue: (1) social, (2) economic, and (3) environmental. 3. One or more solutions designed to address your issue (e.g., political, cultural, personal).

3. Structural Requirements 1. You must upload your paper as a word document.

2. Papers should be 3-4 pages in length, with 1.5 spacing, 1" margins, Times New Roman font, and 12 pt font size. References and images are not included in the 4-page limit.

3. Include introductory and concluding paragraphs that clearly identify the issue you are researching and the main points of your essay.

4. Essay should draw on at least five different published sources, two of which must be from scholarly peer-reviewed books or journal articles.

5. Include 2-3 images that either explain the dimensions of your issue or support your arguments. Include image captions and citations for each image. Images may be embedded in the texts where they are relevant, or they may be listed at the end of the paper. Images will not count towards the written space requirement.

6. Essay should be well-written, spell-checked, proof-read, and concise.

7. All sources must be properly cited using APA Style both in the text and in a works cited section so that readers can find and evaluate your sources. To review how to use APA Style in your work, consult an APA Style Guide or visit this web link: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html

(https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html) Examples follow.

In text: According to Jones (1998), APA style is an easy citation format for first-time learners. APA style is the most commonly used citation format (Jones, 1998). In reference list:

2021/2/14 Persuasive Essay DRAFT

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1434504/assignments/5883690 2/5

For a journal do this: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages For a book do this: Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher. For a website do this: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication or most recent update). Document or website title. Retrieved from http://web address. NOTE: For journal articles that you read on a website, include only the journal information ( #1 on this list)

Use subheading "Works Cited" or "References" before your list of sources (so that this section will not be screened by SimCheck for similarity report).

This document is full of helpful tips about writing a strong paper, proper ways to cite photos and references, and more!

You must upload your paper as a word document. If you do not have Microsoft Word, this program is free to UW students and can be downloaded here: https://www.washington.edu/itconnect/wares/uware/microsoft/microsoft-office-365-proplus-for-uw-students/ (https://www.washington.edu/itconnect/wares/uware/microsoft/microsoft-office-365-proplus-for-uw-students/)

4. Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Detection Check Academic Integrity page to make sure that your paper does not violate any plagiarism policies set by the University.

We use "SimCheck" by Turnitin to detect plagiarism in assignments. SimCheck is a web-based system that allows student papers to be submitted and checked for plagiarism. SimCheck compares student papers with sources available on the Internet, select commercial article databases, and papers submitted at UW or other institutions using Turnitin. This is also a tool for you. When you submit your paper online, you will see your SimCheck"similarity score." This score tells you how much of your paper is similar to other sources. If your score is more than 10%, you may have used someone else's words without properly citing them. You can use SimCheck to see why the score is high - to see portions of your paper that may have been found somewhere else.

In order for SimCheck to correctly generate a similarity percentage report, please use the subheading "Works Cited" or "References" before your list of sources, so that section will not be screened.

If you turn in a paper with a similarity score higher than 10% and want to correct it, email your TA immediately and let them know. Then make the necessary changes and re-submit as soon as possible. If you do not correct the problem, you will be reported to the committee on academic misconduct. You can read more about the software on the UW IT Connect webpage (https://itconnect.uw.edu/learn/tools/canvas/canvas-help-for-instructors/assignments-grading/vericite/) .

You will be reported to the committee on academic misconduct for violations of academic integrity. If the committee finds you guilty, you will receive a zero on the exam or have the opportunity to re-write the paper for up to 50% possible points.

5. Peer Review Peer Review Instruction

Peer-review is required for this assignment and should be completed electronically using the review tool within canvas. You will be assigned two papers to review once you turn your paper in.

Peer-reviewers must provide specific, directive feedback that covers all sections of the assignment rubric, including: Content, Brevity and Organization, Spelling and Grammar, Images, and References.

In the final draft of your paper, please include a one paragraph response to the peer reviews you received. This response should indicate what feedback from the peer-review process you found helpful, what suggestions you incorporated, and anything your reviewers suggested that you did not change and why you didn’t make these changes.

6. Writing Resources Odegaard undergraduate writing center: http://depts.washington.edu/owrc/signup.php (http://depts.washington.edu/owrc/signup.php)

CLUE Writing Center (at Mary Gates Hall): http://depts.washington.edu/aspuw/clue/home/ (http://depts.washington.edu/aspuw/clue/home/)

2021/2/14 Persuasive Essay DRAFT

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1434504/assignments/5883690 3/5

Persuasive Essay Wi 2021

Many excellent resources are available at the Political Science Writing Center (http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/forstudents.html) , including guidelines for thesis statements, paper structure and organization, grammar and punctuation, critical analysis, and peer editing. While these resources are geared to social science courses, they will be helpful for most academic papers - including this one for ENVIR 100!

2021/2/14 Persuasive Essay DRAFT

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1434504/assignments/5883690 4/5

Criteria Ratings Pts

50 pts

15 pts

15 pts

15 pts

15 pts

Content 50 pts Clear description of your issue, its causes, and a solution or solutions to address it

45 pts Strong work but a few details are unclear.

40 pts Addresses all three components but one component needs substantial work.

30 pts Fails to address all three components OR several other substantial problems.

15 pts Very little of the content requested is described.

0 pts Completely off topic, no attention to assignment

Brevity and structural components

15 pts Presents the most important information in 3-4 pages with 1.5 spaced, 1" margins

12 pts A little long or short

8 pts Much too long or short

0 pts No attention to brevity and structural requirements

Writing quality

15 pts The organization of paragraphs and sentences within the paragraphs is logical. There are few grammatical errors. Writing flows naturally.

12 pts Just shy of outstanding! Pay attention to details in the work of writing.

8 pts Significant grammar or organizational issues. Spend more time in the drafting and revision phases of writing.

4 pts Difficult to understand. The writing challenges obscure the main points.

Images 15 pts Great match for topic. Powerful images add meaning. Images include captions,citations, and are referenced in the text.

12 pts Good images but could be stronger OR lacks captions and/or citations and/or reference in the text.

10 pts Good images but could be stronger AND lacks captions and/or citations and/or reference in the text.

8 pts Images are a questionable fit to topic

0 pts Images don't fit topic at all or are not included

References 15 pts 5+ sources of which 2+ are peer reviewed, with in-text citations and a references list with correct formatting.

12 pts 5+ sources of which 2+ are peer reviewed, with in-text citations and a reference list. Formatting errors in reference list and/or in-text citations.

10 pts Lacks either in-text citations or a reference list or has three or fewer references.

6 pts Two or fewer sources.

0 pts Lacks references

2021/2/14 Persuasive Essay DRAFT

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1434504/assignments/5883690 5/5

Total Points: 130

Criteria Ratings Pts

20 pts

Peer review 20 pts Excellent peer review. Offered specific, directive suggestions for improvement in structure, organization, grammar, and readability.

15 pts Good peer review. We hope to see more comments focused on structure and organization, but good job overall. It is clear that another student's work could be assisted by your review.

10 pts It is difficult to see how the paper could be improved by your comments and suggestions.

0 pts Did not participate in peer review