Overview
Your task is to compose an essay that makes a researched argument about sustainable farming. Your argument should be original, timely, and persuasive, and it should be directed toward a specific audience who is invested in the topic. Your research should be relevant and of high quality. The sources you incorporate should help you to explain and support your argument, and they should indicate what has already been said about the topic by others.
Additional Information
The essays we have offer a glimpse into the ongoing conversation about how to ethically produce and consume food. Though each of these writers focuses on a different aspect of this topic, they share a common message: changing the way we produce and consume food can improve our well-being and the well-being of the planet we share. Now it is time for you to join this conversation by taking a position of your own. Compose an essay in which you draw on these writers’ ideas to develop your own argument about how and why we need to change our food practices. Which changes do you believe are most pressing? What obstacles stand in the way of implementing them? You should conduct original research to develop your perspective and to provide evidence to support your thinking.
Research
This assignment is a research project that requires you to locate, evaluate, and incorporate sources that we have not discussed together in class. Your essay should incorporate at least five sources from academic books and journals or professional websites in addition to the essays we have read in class.
One of these sources may be an interview with one of your instructors or with a similar expert on the topic. Your sources may not include Wikipedia or other non-scholarly websites, though sites like Wikipedia can help you to find more appropriate sources.
Requirements
In addition to the requirements outlined above:
Your essay should be at least 1,250 words long, though well-developed essays may be longer.
Your essay should follow the procedures for argument and research that we have practiced in class.
Your essay should include at least three direct quotations, properly formatted according to MLA guidelines.
Your essay should incorporate at least five relevant, high quality sources.
Your essay should include a works cited entry for each source used, formatted according to MLA guidelines.
Submission
You will submit this assignment directly on Canvas.
• The first version of Essay 2 is due Sunday, April 21 by midnight.
Grading Criteria
The first version of Essay 2 is worth 100 points and will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
An original, timely argument about the topic at hand (15 points)
Deft use of rhetorical appeals to persuade the target audience (15 points)
Skillful synthesis of multiple sources to contextualize and support the main argument (20 points)
Clear, thoughtful organization of ideas and paragraphs (20 points)
Correct format and citation (15 points)
Appropriate, effective style and mechanics (15 points)
