ESSAY 4: RESEARCHED ARGUMENT
English 50
IMPORTANT DATES
Week 12
# Tu: Bring one printed copy of a possible outside source for Essay 4.
# Th: Prepare a typed preliminary thesis for Essay 4.
Week 13
# Tu: Prepare a typed introduction for Essay 4 and bring any sources that you are planning on using to class.
# Th: Work day – bring any sources you are using to class.
# Put aside time during the weekend to conduct primary research.
Week 14
# Meet with an instructor or tutor during your WRC lab to discuss a specific question about your essay.
# Tu: Prepare a typed, revised introduction and your first body paragraph. Bring your findings from your primary research to class along with any other sources that you are planning on using.
# Th: Prepare a typed, full draft of Essay 4 for a peer review workshop.
Week 15
# Th: Turn in your Final Draft at the beginning of class. A complete essay packet will include any stamped materials above along with your clean final draft, and an electronic copy submitted to Turnitin.com by 11:59 pm on the due date.
THE PROMPT OPTIONS
Choose one of the following prompts. For any option, you must summarize the ideas of the article mentioned in your prompt. This is one of your required sources for this essay, and you should use it to transition into your topic and then into your specific thesis. Your summary of the original reading and how it applies to your topic will be the bulk of your introduction paragraph. Your other required (primary) source is the part that is underlined in each prompt.
A. In “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted,” Malcom Gladwell argues that social media such as Twitter and Facebook can only drive “weak-tie” activism in which people participate in small, low-risk causes (like the Ice Bucket Challenge) rather than larger, high-risk causes (such as the 1960s Civil Rights Movement). One Twitter campaign that has risen to prominence in recent years is the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Write an essay in which you use Gladwell’s essay, how the hashtag is used on Twitter by sites like twitter.com/BLMLA, and other related articles to make an argument about the effectiveness of the #BlackLivesMatter movement on Twitter.
B. In “Better than Human: Why Robots Will – and Must – Take Our Jobs,” Kevin Kelly argues that advances in automation, including cognitive tasks done by computers, will help us. Although some may worry that robots will take jobs away from humans, Kelly argues that “we aren’t giving ‘good jobs’ to robots. Most of the time we are giving them jobs we could never do. Without them, these jobs would remain undone” (307). Ultimately, Kelly comes to the conclusion that robots will free us to find new possibilities for the human race. Choose one professional field (e.g. the fields of medicine or engineering or hotel management) that interests you. Write an essay in which you use Kelly’s essay, an interview with someone working in this professional field, and other related articles to make an argument about whether Kelly’s assertions seem likely in the professional field you’ve chosen.
C. In “The Supermarket: Prime Real Estate,” Marion Nestle argues that supermarkets’ designers set up stores so that consumers are more likely to buy more products. Though consumers may think they have choices, they don’t. This issue matters, according to Nestle, because “if you buy more, you are quite likely to eat more. And if you eat more, you are more likely to gain weight and become less healthy” (502). Food retailers say that how much people consume is up to them and emphasize the importance of personal responsibility (503), but Nestle warns consumers that the choice is taken out of their hands. Write an essay in which you use Nestle’s article, a grocery industry website like SupermarketNews.com or ProgressiveGrocer.com and field research that you conduct at a local grocery store, and other related articles to make an argument about how supermarkets (not food producers) can affect consumer health.
REQUIREMENTS
# This essay needs to be 1500 words minimum and should not exceed 1700 words. The essay should include at least six paragraphs. Include the word count at the end of the essay. Essays that do not meet the word count cannot earn higher than an F.
# The intro paragraph should include a summary that names the author and title of the article being discussed.
# The thesis statement should be a single sentence that is the last sentence of the intro paragraph.
# You should include a separate paragraph where you REFUTE a specific counterclaim to strengthen your argument.
# You should write exclusively in the third person point of view.
# You should aim for fewer than 7 grammatical errors. This is your last out-of-class essay for this course, so it is one of the last remaining opportunities to demonstrate that you can compose essays that are “relatively free from errors in grammar and mechanics.”
# In your paper, you should have 5 sources cited in-text and on your Works Cited page:
1. ☐An article from TSIS by Kevin Kelly, Malcolm Gladwell, or Marion Nestle
2. ☐The primary research underlined in your prompt (For prompt C, cite the grocery industry website)
3. ☐An article from a library database
4. ☐An article from a reliable news publication
5. ☐Another reliable internet source of your choice
# The paper should be formatted according to MLA style, and it must include a Works Cited page. Essays without a Works Cited page cannot earn higher than a D.
# Refer to the Essay Grading Rubric included in your syllabus as you plan and write this essay. To earn a passing grade, a C, your essay must meet the minimum standards. Essays that exceed the minimum requirements will earn higher grades.
PLANNING GUIDE
You may use the following guide as a way of understanding how to structure your essay.
Thesis:______
______
Conclusion: DROP THE MIC! Why should we care about this information? What should we do with this information?