Essay

Essay 2: Taking a Position / 1,000-1,500 Words / 250 Points (25% of Total Grade)

Due Date for Rough Draft (100 points): Friday, 22 May

Taking a position is one of the basic components of virtually every argument. For this essay, you are required to take your own position on the issue that Nicholas Carr explores in “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”: the impacts of new digital technology on human intelligence, concentration, and memory. Your essay should develop a clear perspective on this issue, and you should include a description of whether or not you agree with Carr’s perspective, and why or why not.

Your essays need to cite Carr’s argument in depth to provide support, detail, and context to your own position.

Drafting Requirements:

Students are expected to format their papers in MLA style: 12-pt. Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, uniform double-spacing, and page numbers in the upper-left-hand corner of each page. Include the following information in the class header on the first page: student name, class number and section, instructor name, due date, and word count.

Students are required to cite their sources in MLA style: in-text citations and a works cited page are required elements of both drafts of this essay!

Rubric:

Content (Strength of ideas, claims, evidence, argumentation, etc.) = 50%

Clarity (Focus and specificity of argument and its composition) = 35%

Mechanics (MLA formatting and documentation, grammar and punctuation) = 15%