In keeping with the "green" theme of this course much of our readings and discussions have focused on positively affecting environmental change. This essay allows you to research an environmental topic of your choosing and to produce a persuasive text.
The Project
This assignment works in tandem with # 5 from Green (206-07, on eLearning). Your task is to create a persuasive text in which you (a) identify a problem and (b) propose a way to address that problem, affecting some sort of change. As part of this essay cycle, you will all be taking the following pre-writing steps:
- Identify a problem. We are all bothered by things. What is something about the way the world works, or the country works, or the university works that really bothers you? Ask yourself why, specifically. Get past, “It just bothers me because it’s wrong.” Why is it wrong? Because it’s unjust? Or immoral? Inhuman? Think bigger than, “It’s a problem because it annoys me.” What’s at the core of your annoyance?
- Research your problem. See what other people have to say about what you’ve identified as a problem. Try to find sources that agree with your take on the problem and sources that disagree with your take. As you find, read, and digest material related to your problem, write annotated bibliography entries (MLA citation, brief summary of source, brief reaction to source). An annotated bibliography will be collected and graded as part of this assignment sequence.
- Determine which discourse community you will write as a member (or potential member) of. In other words, consider who you are in the context of this argument. A good way to figure out your discourse community perspective is to think about which personal resources or experiences you would draw on, dealing with the problem at hand. Questions you might ask yourself: What about you makes you knowledgeable or care about the problem? What about you makes the problem real and significant? How would you ideally like to deal with the problem, and who do you imagine being on your “team” dealing with it? In what kind of activism can you see yourself realistically participating?
- Determine the audience and goal for your project. Imagine that you are going to present your argument at a meeting. You feel confident that the attendees might be persuaded to agree with you. Who are the meeting attendees? Other members of your discourse community? People outside your discourse community? What is their relationship to your discourse community? What do you want the meeting attendees to do? Take action in the context of your shared discourse community? Recognize the significance of your discourse community? Figuring out “meeting attendees” is like determining your audience for this paper—who you see as the reader that you need to convince of something. Figuring out “what you want the meeting attendees to do” is like working out your thesis statement—what you want your reader to believe… and do.
- Determine the mode(s) your argument will take. Look back at the description of the assignment in Green. You have multiple options for the delivery of your argument; choose wisely depending on the message, the audience and your overall intentions. See the "project requirements" below for additional details on the written portion of this project.
Annotated Bibliography Requirements
The annotated bibliography for paper three should include citations, summaries and reactions to at least five sources, divided as follows: 3 scholarly articles or books, 2 popular magazine articles or web sites. One of the sources can be from Sustainability. Each annotation will include a brief summary (4-5 sentences) and an evaluation of the source’s importance and worth (4-5 sentences). Your summaries should be accurate representations of the original sources; your evaluative comments should be honest and insightful analyses of the works you have read including a consideration of the usefulness and credibility of the author/source as well as your reaction to it. Your reactions should be specific to this assignment: how does the source help you understand the problem, or define your discourse community/audience? Does it provide ideas and insight about activism?
Project/Paper Requirements
Option A: Research essay: If you choose to write a research essay, the paper should be 4-5 typed, double-spaced pages long, or at least 1500 words. It should include information from at least five sources. Any source information you use, whether paraphrased or directly quoted, should correspond to an in-text citation. You must also include a Works Cited page and an essay title.
Option B: Multi-modal presentation: Refer again to the guidelines in Green for ideas about multi-modal presentations. If you select this option, you must accompany the visual/audio component with a 500-word description of your project, indicating the audience, description/justification of the modes you have chosen, and indication of where this project will be "presented." Creating a PowerPoint alone will not suffice; it needs to have an intended venue audience and presentation venue. As with Option A, a complete Works Cited page and title are required.
Grading Criteria (An "A" writer will do all of the following)
- Forward a strong, well-stated thesis, then make a sound case for it
- Argue with the audience and goal always in mind
- Demonstrate the ability to support original ideas with material from at least five sources
- Maintain momentum
- Organize well
- Use documentation appropriately (include in-text citations and a Works Cited page)
- Meet acceptable “readability” standards for college-level readers (mechanics, style)
Grade Components and Due Dates
The 200 points allotted to the paper three sequence will break down as follows:
| element | description | points | due date |
source list
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Complete list of sources in MLA format, posted on the Google Drive in your Essay 3 folder for discussion points (25 points possible, discussion total)
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--
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11/10
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annotated bibliography
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bring preliminary draft to class for format check and peer review; complete final draft submitted to turnitin.com
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50
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11/12, 11/14
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essay,
draft 1
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complete soft (digital) copy of first draft for in-class peer review
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50
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11/19, 11/21
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essay 3,
final draft
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Complete final draft and draft response questions. Submit final draft on turnitin.com.
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100
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11/22
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