essay

Academic writing in all fields requires that students examine evidence, discover their own questions or explore problems set by the instructor, and use the evidence to advance their thesis or argue a solution. In advanced courses and in professional life, one is often also required to seek out the information necessary from appropriate, authoritative sources. This essay leads beginning students slowly through a process that should be foundational for their other coursework and, in some cases, their professional careers.

You will write an 6-8 page essay (not including the works cited page) that explores a question of your own that explores a topic of your choosing. This topic should be the same topic you chose from the previous essay. The purpose of this essay is to persuade/argue that the position you take on the issue is the correct one. For instance, if I chose to be in favor of the legalization of marijuana, I would try to argue this side and show my audience all of the benefits that might come from this position.

Your essay should logically develop a complex argument that EITHER explores a problem/solution OR explores a causal argument that connects to your topic. In developing your argument, you should fully explain reasoning rather than simply relying on descriptions.

Please incorporate at least 6 sources (you can use the sources that you wrote on in the previous essay) — articles from academic databases or respected websites. Wikipedia, Yahoo discussion boards, blogs, personal websites are generally not credible and should not be used.

I will look for a strong thesis and how well you support this with evidence in your body paragraphs, clear organization, smooth transitions, engaging and readable introduction and conclusion, and capable use of grammar and punctuation.