Researched Argument Essay Assignment (Portfolio #4)
Length & Format: 7-9 pages, typed, double-spaced, pages numbered, MLA citation format
Due Dates:
Peer Review (online): Thursday, April 18th by 5:00 PM (CST).
Peer Review Feedback (online): Friday, April 19th by 5:00 PM (CST)
Final Revised Draft of Research Paper: Tuesday, May 2nd by 10:00 PM (CST) You may, of course, turn in this revision earlier.
**For the final, you MUST upload your draft to Sakai by the deadline. E-mailed entries will NOT be accepted. Papers submitted after the deadline will receive a grade of 0. **
Assignment: Incorporating many of the sources either documented in your bibliography or found since then (**you must use a minimum of 5 scholarly/popular sources found using the Loyola research databases) you will present concrete evidence to support your thesis while also considering and challenging counterarguments (remember the 80/20 rule). Effective use of evidence involves: 1. citing and introducing all sources appropriately, 2. supporting an argument with evidence that is relevant to the argument, 3. using a variety of evidence such as facts, statistics, expert testimony, and examples.
Your thesis should appear in the paper’s introduction and give readers sufficient background information to place this main claim in its proper context. You should then develop your argument through paragraphs coherently edited and linked (use transitions!). You should also discuss key counterarguments and address them, which will require you to incorporate different points of view. Finally, in your conclusion, you will need to make a proposal to your readers—suggest a way that the issue you have been researching can be remedied or improved for the wider world. (E.g. SOLUTIONS to the problem: If you’re arguing that independent news agencies need to confront billion-dollar news conglomerates head-on in order to ensure more egalitarian reporting, you might propose that a dollar of each taxpayers’ yearly income tax become part of a fund to support public radio.)
To persuade your reader, consider your use of language in your essay. Does your title capture the central theme of the essay? Do you characterize counterarguments fairly— paying strict attention to tone to avoid sounding moralistic or outraged?
Think of the research you’ve done as concrete support that will make your argument persuasive to your reader. Avoid using research as filler for your paper; rather, make sure that each piece of evidence is directly relevant to your argument.
Essay Requirements:
-Incorporate concrete evidence to support a focused thesis and argument;
-Accurately outline and convincingly refute the counterarguments (the 80/20 rule);
-Maintain clarity and economy of language;
-Employ a meaningful structure with clear points, support and transitions;
-Use 5 or more scholarly sources cited in MLA style (3 scholarly sources, 2 of which MUST be books and 2 additional credible sources).
UCWR 110—Final Reflection/Response
For this final essay, I would like you to write a reflection where you examine your experience with writing, critical thinking, and reading this semester. You should address the following:
How has your process for composing developed over the semester?
What aspects of the class did you enjoy? What did you find beneficial for you as a writer?
What improvements do you think you made?
How has your writing/critical thinking changed and why?
What aspects or concepts of drafting and writing do you pay more (or less) attention to?
Along with your analysis of how your thinking, reading, and/or writing has developed, you should also discuss what readings, discussions, or activities in class made the most impact on you and why. What did you find most beneficial and why?
Length: 1 ½ – 2 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt. font.
**Please include the final reflection with your FINAL researched argument portfolio.
