Assignment objective: In this assignment, you will begin drafting your paper, beginning with the introduction paragraph that introduces your reader to the topic, controversy, and your main argument. Next, you will provide an outline of the three body paragraphs that will support your thesis. Finally, you will develop a references page with at least three academically credible sources.
Length: The assignment should be 750 to 1000 words, not including the references page.
References: At least three sources are required, and at least one must come from the CSU Online Library. All sources should be academically credible (academic journals, eBooks, periodicals, organizational websites, etc.) and no more than 5 years old. Use APA Style 7th edition standards to format the reference citations for each source.
Details:
Introduction (roughly 150 to 200 words): The introduction paragraph provides your reader with an overview of the topic, the controversy surrounding the topic, the arguments on either side of the issue, and finally, the introduction finishes with the paper’s thesis statement, or the overall argument about the issue. For more details about what is expected for each of the following sentences, please see Unit IV, Lesson 2: The Introduction. The following components should be included in the introduction (in the following order):
Sentence 1: Introduce the general topic.
Give your reader basic information about the issue.
Sentence 2: Narrow the scope.
Continue to provide specific context information leading into your introduction of the controversy.
Sentence 3: Specific controversy
Describe the central controversy related to your overall topic.
Sentence 4: Pro side
Describe the argument on one side of the controversy, the pro or for side.
Sentence 5: Con side
Describe the argument on the opposing side of the controversy, the con or against side.
Sentence 6: The thesis
State your overall argument about the issue, and offer three reasons to justify the argument.
It is okay if your introduction paragraph is slightly longer than six sentences (your thesis may be two complete sentences, for instance, instead of one, or you might need two sentences to introduce the general topic or describe the controversy). However, the introduction paragraph should not be too much longer than the sentence/word length specified here.
Outline of Three Body Paragraphs (approximately 700 words): The outline will offer the topic sentence and at least two points of evidence and explanation for three supporting body paragraphs. Note that you are not writing body paragraphs yet. In this unit, you are planning those body paragraphs by outlining the topic and providing evidence that you will use in each of those body paragraphs, which you will fully develop when you create your final paper.
The topic sentence is the first sentence of each paragraph and introduces the main point or focus of the paragraph; each of the body paragraphs should address one of your three justifications from the thesis statement. Your topic sentences should be fully developed, but the supporting evidence and explanation points do not need to be presented in complete sentences; however, the more you are able to completely structure your outline, the more your professor will be able to offer feedback and instruction. Evidence should consist of statistics, studies, direct quotes, examples, and such from your source materials, and the explanation should indicate how the evidence supports the overall point of the paragraph. Be sure to provide citations for the evidence you provide; doing so will help you keep your source materials organized. Please see the APA In-text Citations tutorial for more information and examples. A transcript is available once you access the tutorial.
Look to Unit IV, Lesson 3 for more information about the outline of the body paragraphs. Please see the attached outline template. You do not have to use this exact template, but your submission should be formatted and organized similarly.
References Page: The references page for this assignment needs to cite at least three credible sources that you have used within your paper. Please see the APA Style References tutorial for more information and examples. A transcript is available once you access the tutorial.
APA Style Formatting and Citation: Your paper should use proper APA Style 7th edition formatting and citations. Include a cover page with a six-line title block, which consists of the title of the paper in bold, then your name, university name, course title, instructor, and due date. The title is the only line that is in bold, and there should be an additional space between the title line and your name. Additionally, use double spacing and one-inch margins throughout the paper. Please see the Formatting Formal Assignments tutorial for more information and examples. A transcript is available once you access the tutorial.
