Assignment Prompt: Reviewing your previous
research in the prior assignment, identify a primary group of
stakeholders–people or groups that have a stake, or personal interest, in your
research topic and question. Then tailor an argument persuading that group to a
position on the topic that you’ve come to while researching it; this can be
persuading them to a position that will affect their actions/decision or to
take some action or actions based on your research findings. (Hint: think of this as more giving them
some kind of an assignment to do with
your research, rather than making some kind of a statement that you hope they
will agree with.) Note: You can
use ChatGPT to help find an arguable position and/or to make sure that you
follow the instructions above when creating your argument. I will show you how
to do that in class. It will probably be more effective for some topics than
others and there are definitely limitations you’ll encounter if you do this–do
not depend on it as any kind of final solution.
Assignment Description: Now it is time to argue your
position. Drawing on the research you gathered in the previous essay, you will
persuade your stakeholder/stakeholder group with a respectfully and effectively
crafted argument. Because you are speaking to
your audience, rather than about them, you will demonstrate your
understanding of the stakeholder and employ persuasive strategies (without
overtly presenting the research about the stakeholder from previous
assignments–you’re just going to use it to figure out how to approach the
persuasion). You should also be able to address reasonable counterarguments to
your position that might arise from your target audience.
Audience Assessment (You will have
already done the following if you did your Essay 2 correctly): Use audience analysis as
prewriting techniques to help you determine the best approach for your
argument. For instance, if you are interested in persuading climate change
believers to a particular solution for curtailing global warming such as
improving their personal carbon footprint, you don’t need to prove that climate
change is real. If you are going to change someone’s worldview on climate
change not being a real problem, that’s one situation where you would be able
to use facts to do so; however, using facts alone probably won’t be enough
because they likely already have access to those facts and reject them, so you
will also need to be vigilant about debunking their favorite theories that
reject accepted climate change science.
Learning and Writing Goals: In this essay, you have the
opportunity to practice the argumentation skills necessary to be an effective
citizen. Keep in mind that persuasion is not refuting someone else’s views but
rather engaging their beliefs and values to encourage them to consider or adopt
a different perspective on the issue. We want to see you argue thoughtfully and
intentionally, seeking to persuade your audience by addressing the particular
level of stasis where they will most likely be affected by your argument.
Using quotes/paraphrasing from essay
2 in essay 3:
You MAY use some quotes or paraphrasing from essay 2 in essay 3. You may not
copy over paragraphs whole and intact from essay 2 into essay 3. Naturally, you
can use many or all of the same sources in essay 2 as sources for essay 3. It
is expected you will do additional research if needed. Do not use sources in
the Works Cited of essay 3 that are not cited in the body of essay 3.
Requirements (RUBRIC): A successful essay will:
● Offer a
thesis-driven argument that persuades a particular stakeholder/stakeholder
group to change their position on your research issue (this should be a
MEANINGFUL change to them because of their stake in the issue) or will motivate
them to some kind of action on your research issue (a problem/solution
approach, a solution in which they can directly participate either through
personal action or motivating someone else to act).
● Incorporate
relevant primary and/or secondary research to support arguments using in-text citations in MLA format. This must include a minimum of seven
sources altogether and four peer reviewed sources within those seven. These
sources may indeed overlap with the sources in your previous essay, although
you may find it necessary to add sources or leave out sources from that essay.
Be careful to make sure that your source lists reflect the content of THIS
essay only. Do not include annotations from essay 2. All references to sources
in the paper must be cited with in-text citations, even paraphrased ones (the
references made in your own words).
● Be
structured around an appropriate approach for your intended audience
● Cite all
sources in MLA style (both in the Works Cited and in the paper).
● Be
cognizant of and address relevant counterarguments to your position.
● Be 1500 to 2000 words in length. Times New Roman, 12-point font, preferred;
double spaced required. If it is longer, you don’t need to get my approval; maximum
length is a ballpark suggestion because you need to check for conciseness, not
have unneeded repetitiveness, and avoid burning yourself out. But it must be at
least 1500 words.
● Be
clear, effectively organized, and carefully edited. Paragraphs should have a
clear purpose, indicated by clear topic sentences.
● Participate
fully and promptly in peer review, following the given guidelines. Otherwise,
your final draft will not be accepted or graded.You must do all three drafts
and attend the required conference.
● No annotations are needed within the Works Cited
entries in this essay. Those are a part of essay 2 ONLY. If you copy over WC
from essay 2, delete the annotations on essay 3.
● Leave my
name off the paper (I’ll explain).
