Prompt:
Do the benefits of enhancing humans through science outweigh the negatives?
I. Read & Review our discussion and our class reading on Human Genetic Engineering:
Wadhwa, Vivek. “If you could ‘design’ your own child, would you?Links to an external site.” Washington Post, 28 July 2017. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A499427522/OVIC?u=hunt25841&xid=43e06813 Accessed 29 Dec. 2017.
Thadani, Rahul. “The Public Should Oppose Designer Baby Technology.Links to an external site.” Designer Babies, edited by Clayton Farris Naff, Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gwclib.nocccd.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010850210/OVIC?u=hunt25841&xid=1ab6e6e3. Accessed 29 Dec. 2017. Originally published as “Designer Babies Debate,” http://www.buzzle.com, 20 Sept. 2011
Guerra, Marc D. “Biotechnology Must Not Be Used to Alter Human NatureLinks to an external site..” Designer Babies, edited by Clayton Farris Naff, Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gwclib.nocccd.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010850212/OVIC?u=hunt25841&xid=4dde254d. Accessed 29 Dec. 2017. Originally published as “Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Human Dignity: The Challenge of Bioethics,” First Things, Feb. 2003.
Malik, Kenan. “Concerns About Biotechnology Altering Human Nature Are GroundlessLinks to an external site..” Designer Babies, edited by Clayton Farris Naff, Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gwclib.nocccd.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010850213/OVIC?u=hunt25841&xid=b568c9c7. Accessed 29 Dec. 2017. Originally published as “Reviews: Francis Fukuyama, Our Posthuman Future,” New Statesman, 20 May 2002.
II. Consider Narrowing the Topic so that you’re exploring one or several specific focuses. If you’re pro-human genetic engineering, consider focusing on something like its potential to improve heath, athleticism, +/or intelligence; if you’re opposed, consider focusing on its implications such as health, morality, a social elite, unforeseen consequences, etc.
III. Research: Then perform research of your own from these different types of sources. You could research facts, statistics, or expert opinions related to your topic. Make sure you collect the citation/bibliographic information MLA format for your Works Cited list (emailing yourself the article with the citation is the safest bet). When you research, check to make sure the source is credible, relevant, representative, and sufficient (review our argumentation module if you need to review what these terms mean). You’ll need at least these ten types of sources:
TEN Required Sources (you’re welcome to have a lot more than ten, but you must have each of these types of sources)
Five Academic Journal Articles (all five can be from our Genetic Engineering class readings)
One News(paper) Article
One Magazine Article
One Book (hard copy from our library catalog or e-book from our library databases)
One Reliable Website Article
One Video, Audio, or Image
IV. For additional help, click our GWC library link below; this will take you to our library’s database of Opposing Viewpoints where you’ll see a breakdown of the types of articles (news, videos, academic journals, etc). You can also search Sirs, EBSCOhost’s Academic Search Complete, and even perform a Google Scholar search. You’ll have to log into our library’s databases using the same MyGWC username and password as your Canvas logon. Again, please do not cite from Wikipedia for academic essays.
V. Synthesize your research, the class readings, and your ideas and analysis into a research paper that answers the prompt. Once you form an opinion and narrow your argument, you might want to prewrite to visualize your structure and to see which quotations/paraphrases belong in which supporting paragraph. You decide how many times you will cite from a source. Below are the general essay requirements that you should be familiar with by now.
VI. Essay Requirements/Guidance:
Your answer to the question posed is your thesis
You might have a long preview, so you are welcome to break the preview of your supporting paragraph topics (reasons for your thesis) into three or so separate preview sentences near the end of your Introductory paragraph.
Audience: Assume your readers are skeptical, college-level readers.Think of those who disagree with you as colleagues, not adversaries (see Rogerian argument).
Use several hooks in your introduction: Anecdote, Quotation, Profound Question or Statement, the Opposition, Statistic or Fact, Description, Definition, Comparison (simile/met.), or Brief, Engaging Background Information. Be sure to transition/bridge into background info or your thesis. See Week 1’s Presentation material and examples if you need to review.
Note that each supporting paragraph has a topic sentence that not only introduces the paragraph topic but also alludes to the idea set forth in your thesis statement. This should insure paragraph unity. A Research Paper will be longer, so you may wish to break up one point into several paragraphs that each tackle a distinct concern of that one point.
You might even have an entire paragraph on background information, on the opposition, or even break a supporting paragraph into two different sub paragraphs, etc. This is not digressing as long as the background will help persuade readers.
After the topic sentence, a paragraph will include support (stories, examples, textual support) for the statement made in the TS. Make sure there are transitions between your examples and between supporting paragraphs to ensure coherence.
Organization/Structuring: You do NOT need to include an outline at the end of this essay. You should now understand that an essay needs structure; it’s like the spine of your argument. Without structure, your argument falls apart. Like all essays, you’ll have an introduction, body full of supporting paragraphs, and conclusion. If you’re feeling ambitious, as an option, you might experiment with the different types of organization seen in our argumentation module. Move from evidence to conclusion using a mix of different ways. For example, use Deductive or Inductive Arguments (Deductive Reasoning is moving from a general premise/assumption (your thesis) to a specific conclusion. If all statements in the argument are true, the conclusion must be true. Inductive Reasoning proceeds from individual observations to a more general conclusion. Or you could use the Toulmin Logic which divides argument into claim, grounds, warrant.
Support (evidence in supporting paragraphs):
Where appropriate, bring in Personal, Observational (such as current events), and/or Hypothetical Examples filled with description such as concrete detail, senses, dialog, similes/metaphors, lively adj., adv., and verbs. Also be sure to analyze the examples you provide to explain how each example proves the topic sentence of each paragraph.
Bring in textual examples from your researched sources: You will decide the number of textual examples you quote/paraphrase.
For the textual examples, review Week 08’s module specifically addressing our library’s databases. Make sure they are credible sources. Again, your sources should be relevant, representative, and sufficient. If you do not properly cite this research in MLA format, your grade will suffer.
There are two types of citations: be sure to include in-text citations and a Works Cited list for each entry. As a reminder, if you don’t know how to cite something, google “KnightCite” and add in all the information you can from the source. Please avoid EasyBib type websites as they are not always accurate.
In-Text Citations:
Include a signal phrase: Introduce each quotation/paraphrase (Cisneros argues, acknowledges, adds, admits, agrees, asserts, believes, claims, comments, confirms, contends, declares, illustrates, implies, insists, notes, observes, points out, reasons, reports, suggests, thinks, writes, “ ”). This is called a Signal Phrase. Introduce author’s full name and full article name only the first time you cite a source.
To quote, use EXACT words from the text (don’t alter them) and place “quotation marks” around these words.
To paraphrase, use a reworded, restructured translation of the original quotation (so that the idea is the same, but it looks nothing like the original quotation). Even though you have reworded someone else’s words, you must give the author credit to avoid plagiarism.
Include MLA in-text citation to avoid plagiarism. After each quotation/paraphrase, place the writer’s last name and pg. number in parentheses: “The Carpet-Baggers were greedy crooks” (Wilson 12). Note where the quotations marks end and where the period is located. If you’ve already mentioned the author’s name within the sentence introduction (the Signal Phrase), then omit it in parenthesis (12).
If you quote an indirect quotation (quoting a quotation), always make sure you give the original author credit in your signal phrase. Ideally if you were writing a dissertation or other formal work, you would want to find the original source; however, for our research paper, I will accept the quotation from your source as long as you include single quotation marks to indicate the original writer’s quotation, double quotations around the entire quotation (so double quotation marks always on the outside), and write “qtd. in” for your parenthetical documentation: “‘Blah, blah, blah’” (qtd. in Smith 18).
If you quote from three or more authors, your parentheses will look like this: (Jones et al. 6).
If there is no author bolded right under the title, cite the article name in the text or an abbreviated title name in parentheses w/ quotation marks around the abbreviated title. For example, “We are overworked by eight hours a day” (“Work” 25).
If there are no page #s, omit a page #. If you are reading an electronic source and there is a set page #, include that page #. If there are section #s or paragraph numbers indicated on the actual document, you must list this instead.
Analyze All Examples: After each example, quotation, or paraphrase, perform an analysis: Probe the example in order to explain how it proves the topic sentence. Ask yourself how and why the evidence relates to your topic sentence (and thus your thesis since your thesis is alluded to in your topic sentences). In other words, in order to explain how your example proves your topic sentence, you will need to analyze your examples such as particular words, images, references, and so forth.
For Textual Example Analysis: To perform an analysis of a textual example, examine a quotation’s parts such as word choice, tone, figurative language like personification, similes, and metaphors to show how these support the topic sentence.. You can even look at such whole story elements as the title of the story, the main idea/purpose of the story, the structure of the story if these elements help improve our understanding of why you’ve included the example in your paragraph. An analysis can also include inferences (assumptions, interpretations, conclusions, deductions, etc.).
J. Optional: When you make inferences, what was implicit becomes explicit. What can you assume from the analysis of the quotation? This is also where you draw conclusions about an example based on your own store of experience and information. You can bring in descriptive personal or hypothetical examples or bring in observational examples [like current events, widely agreed upon facts/statistics, etc.]). Also, what can you assume about the creator’s background and biases (like presenting one person more favorably than another). Here you are evaluating the strength of the writer’s argument based on the analysis. Is the writer’s evidence strong? What makes his or her examples strong or weak? Is it one-sided? Can you make any assumptions about the writer based on the answers to these questions?
K. Refute Opposing Arguments: Your analysis can also include research findings that contradict the evidence you provide (quoting authorities who disagree with you) so that your argument has fairly represented and critiqued the opposition’s views. By conceding an opposing viewpoint’s strengths (admitting it’s valid), you appear fair; however, be sure to identify its limitations in order to move your argument to more solid ground.
L. Most importantly, use argumentation terminology from Chapter 14 such as valid, hypothesis, inference, jumping to conclusion, inductive leap, claim, grounds, warrant, fallacies. If you notice a textual example using pathos, ethos, inductive or deductive reasoning, Toulmin Logic, etc. point it out. I have more terms explained under “Textual Examples from Outside Sources” below). If you remember, try to bold the sentences in which you do this.
M. Incorporate a variety of Modes of Development: narration, description, exemplification, comparison/Contrast, Process Analysis, Division/Analysis, Classification, Cause/Effect, Definition, Argument/Persuasion. Each of our weekly modules is built around these methods.
N. Concluding Sentence: Within a body/support paragraph, the concluding sentence will summarize the argument being made. It may re-affirm why the argument is correct and the consequences that may occur if the argument is not heeded. If your paragraph is short and easy-to-follow, you may omit a concluding sentence. You can also use this sentence to link to the topic in the next paragraph (or you can instead tack on such transitional phrases to the beginning of the next paragraph’s topic sentence).
O. Concluding Paragraph: The end of an essay should therefore convey a sense of completeness and closure as well as a sense of the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning, its implications: the final paragraph should close the discussion without closing it off. You could give a recommendation, call to action, or prediction. Refer to the conclusion handout for help.
P. Grammar/Sentence Skills: One of our Student Outcomes for the class is for you to be able to edit your own work. Proofread for flawless academic English, varying sentence structures, figurative language, etc. Use formal language (not to be interpreted as flowery, or verbose) instead of the vernacular.
Q. “Works Cited” page is required as the last page of your essay. This is an alphabetical listing of sources from which you quoted. It is the last page of your essay. It does not count towards your word count. You will have at least ten sources listed in your Works Cited list.
