At this point, you have read at least one article about the topic that you will be researching throughout this semester, and you have closely analyzed that article in the source evaluation essay. Starting from that article, you will now have the opportunity to compare two author’s views on the same subject, and determine which author employs more effective argumentation.
So, choose another source and write an essay in proper MLA format comparing and contrasting it to the first one. The essay should evaluate the ways two authors writing on the same subject employ unique perspectives, points of emphasis, types of evidence, OR opinions about the same issue.
Getting Started:
Find an article that either supports or opposes the opinion(s) of the author from the source you wrote about on our first assignment. If you have found that the source you chose for the first assignment is not a good choice for this assignment, let me know so I can potentially approve you choosing a different source as one of the two.
Then as a writing assignment worth 100 points, write a response based on the options below.
Option 1: Write about two articles that generally agree on the issue, but in different ways (as in, they use different types of evidence, have different points of emphasis, have differing perspectives of logic, use different emotional appeals, establish credibility in different ways, etc.). Discuss points by which one article presents its argument differently than the first.
Option 2: Write about two articles that altogether disagree about an issue. Focus your evaluation on major points by which one source takes issue with the other and is essentially more effective at making its argument.
A brief checklist:
The Introductory Paragraph should name both articles, authors, and provide an opinionated thesis that makes an determination of which author makes the stronger argument and identifies the main points you will be discussing in the essay.
Include multiple well-developed body paragraphs focusing on points of comparison/contrast.
Use specific quotes and paraphrases from the sources to demonstrate textual evidence and support.
Sources should be properly cited in MLA format (within the text and on an accurate Works Cited page).
As with the first essay, the purpose of this assignment is not to fully explore your research topic. Instead, you will be focusing on the argumentation that the two authors employ.
Include a conclusion that makes a final judgement (as in which essay is most effective) and reiterates your main ideas.
The finished essay should be at least two but no more than three pages in length if written in proper MLA format (double spaced throughout, 12 point font, etc.).
Make sure your sources do not come from Wikipedia (because it’s a potentially unverified encyclopedia, thus informative and not argumentative) or websites like ProCon.org (because a unified argument and critical evaluation of the author and publication is important) or similar sites.
This assignment is essentially asking you to make a comparison and contrast evaluation of two articles you are planning to use as sources for your major research project.
In my second essay, I’m going to use this source.
“Smartphones, social media use, and youth mental health”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7012622/
This source is the one that I used for the first essay.
Cha, Jong Ho, et al.
“Association Between Smartphone Usage and Health Outcomes of Adolescents:
A Propensity Analysis Using the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey.” PLOS
ONE, vol. 18, no. 12, 6 Dec. 2023, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0294553.
