Essay Assignment 2: Documented Argument in APA
Your argumentative essay will be on an environmental topic from the list of options below. Consider your audience for this paper to be your peers and professor, who have not done the research you have. You are the expert here.
The essay should be between 3 ½ and 4 pages (850 to 1,000 words) in length, not including the cover page, abstract, or reference page. It should be double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font. Use the template provided to help you format your work.
The essay will be graded pass/fail on the following criteria:
• An introduction, a minimum of four (4) body paragraphs, including a counterclaim, and a conclusion (6 paragraphs total)
• A clearly articulated thesis in the introduction of the paper; the thesis must state the claim, position, or stance that your essay will prove
• A minimum of five (5) cited sources, at least two (2) from databases
• At least four (4) quotes from your sources
• Topic sentences that focus the discussion in each body paragraph
• Examples, details, statistics, explanations, and other researched, correctly cited evidence in the body paragraphs that clearly support the claim of your thesis
• Counterarguments (at least one but preferably more than one) and refutations that show you understand the complexity of your argument and can accurately acknowledge the views of the opposition and refute them
• Clear connections between ideas from paragraph to paragraph and within paragraphs (transition words and phrases)
• Proper APA style format in the cover page, in the abstract, in the in-text citations, and in the Reference page (see the template and instructional video for creating the APA format)
• Reference page listing a minimum of four (4) sources, at least two (2) from databases.
• Standard usage, grammar, and mechanics
GRADING: Your essay will be graded pass/fail on the above criteria; a rubric is available in the assignment on Canvas.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
As with your last essay, you will submit your final draft on Canvas in the assignment designated for this purpose. The essay will go through TurnItIn, which checks for both plagiarism and AI usage. Please be aware, that although Turn-it-in does allow for similarities for quotations up to 24% of your paper, any similarity above 24% is considered too high for an original paper and will be flagged as plagiarism.
You must submit an AI Disclosure at the end of the essay, after your References page. Should you choose NOT to submit the disclosure, and over 15% AI usage is detected, your paper will be given a zero for academic dishonesty.
TOPIC
Linked articles are to provide you with some information on the topic. You MAY use it in your final paper but you need THREE ADDITIONAL sources from those given here (four total). TWO must be from an MDC database. If you use the resources given here in your final paper, include them in your References page.
1. Sea Level Rise
a. Scientists claim Miami will be underwater in the coming decades due to sea level rise. Research the status of sea level rise in South Florida today and how it is being addressed by the local and state governments. Make an argument that the solutions today are or are not sufficient.
i. Here is a link to a web page that will help you get started with your research: https://sealevelrise.org/states/florida/
