A. Directions
Step 1. Choose a Topic
Today, there are many different debates being had all around the world about topics that affect our personal, professional, civic, and/or academic lives. Some of these debates have been such hot topics for so long that it has become very difficult to add to the conversation with new and original ideas or stances to take. To move beyond this trend, we have created a list of topics that may not be written about for this Touchstone. This includes example topics that are used in Unit 4. Feel free to access a tutor if you would like support choosing a topic for this essay.
Please AVOID choosing any of the following topics:
Abortion Rights
Animal Testing (Unit 4 example)
Artificial Intelligence
Climate Change (Unit 4 example)
Belief in God(s) or Afterlife(s)
Death Penalty / Capital Punishment
Euthanasia / Assisted Suicide
Fad Diets (e.g., Keto, etc.)
Funding/Defunding Law Enforcement
Immigration
Legal Alcohol/Tobacco Age
Legalization of Marijuana
Legalization of Sex Work
Paying Student Athletes
Second Amendment Rights (i.e., Gun Control)
Social Media’s Impact on Mental Health
Universal Healthcare
Vaccines
Choosing to write about any of the above topics will result in a non-passing score.
Step 2. Write an Argumentative Essay
Remember the word “argument” does not mean a fight in a writing context. An academic argument is more like a thoughtful conversation between two people with differing viewpoints on a debatable issue. However, you are required to take a position on one side of a debatable issue that is informed by academically appropriate evidence.
For the purposes of this assignment, expressing or relying on your personal opinion of a debate is discouraged. Rather, the essay must argue one side or stance of the debate using the rhetorical appeals (logos, ethos, and pathos) and be supported by academic or scholarly sources. These include physical sources in public libraries, digital sources in academic libraries, online sources (excludes unreliable sources like procon.org and wikipedia.org, which are discouraged), and published expert reports, preferably peer-reviewed by experts in the field to maintain utmost credibility. Consider revisiting the tutorial Finding Sources for more information on appropriate sources for argumentative writing.
Your submission must include an APA style in-text citations and a reference page following the essay. In your research, you will need at least 2 and no more than 4 credible primary or secondary sources to use as support in your essay.
All sources cited in the writing submitted must be locatable by a grader; include hyperlinks to the sources in the reference page.
The use of any source that requires payment for access is strictly prohibited for this assignment.
Avoid using sources that exceed 20 pages in length, as they may be overly extensive for the purposes of this assignment.
Including more than four sources may cause delays, and you might be asked to provide additional evidence of the credibility for each source.
The following resources will be helpful to you as you work on this assignment:
Purdue Online Writing Lab’s APA Formatting and Style Guide
This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation types.
Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style
This page on the official APA website addresses common questions related to APA formatting. The “References,” “Punctuation,” and “Grammar and Writing Style” sections will be the most useful to your work in this course.
APA Style: Quick Answers—References
This page on the official APA Style website provides numerous examples of reference list formatting for various source types.
Step 3. Think About Your Writing
On a separate page, below your reference page, include thoughtful answers to the Think About Your Writing questions. References and Think About Your Writing questions are NOT included in the word count for this essay.
Below your reference page, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.
What have you learned about how to present a strong argument? How could/will you apply this knowledge in your professional or everyday life (3-4 sentences)? Sophia says: Think about the specific skills and techniques that you used while developing and writing your essay. What tools will you take with you from this experience?
Consider the English Composition I course as a whole. What have you learned about yourself as a writer (5-6 sentences)? Sophia says: What did you learn that surprised you? Is there anything that you have struggled with in the past that you now feel more confident about?
Step 4. Review Rubric and Checklist
Your composition and reflection will be scored according to the Touchstone 4 Rubric, which evaluates the argumentative topic and thesis statement, argument development and support, organization, flow, research, style, use of conventions (grammar, punctuation, etc.), and your answers to the “Think About your Writing” questions above.
C. Requirements
Your essay should be 4-6 pages (approximately 1000-1500 words), double-spaced, with one-inch margins.
Argumentative essay guidelines must be followed or submission will not be graded.
Use a readable 12-point font.
Composition must be original and written for this assignment and all writing must be appropriate for an academic context, including academically credible sources.
Use of generative chatbot artificial intelligence tools (ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Bard) in place of original writing is strictly prohibited for this assignment.
Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Submission should include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your essay.
Submission must include the argumentative essay, reference page, and your answers to the reflection questions.
Include all of the assignment components in a single .doc or .docx file.
