ENG 180-22 Assignment Sheet for Paper 4: Researched Argument

Topic: Write a researched argument essay related to your field of study. This essay should be focused on the same topic you have been working on with your Paper Proposal and Annotated Bibliography, though the way you narrow it or the specific angle you pursue has likely evolved in some way. Be sure to focus on a social justice angle or aspect of your topic in your essay, as well as to connect the topic to the U.S. in some way. (For example, a paper on immigration should have a specific focus, but it should not be on the subject of Germanys laws concerning the legal status of immigrants from Africa.) Your topic and your approach to it must not place the discussion into a simple binary of yes/no, good/bad, pro/con, for/against, either/or framework, nor should you simply take sides in a wellentrenched controversy. Your task is not to predict the future or to propose a single solution to a social problem, though you certainly will be analyzing issues of social justice in your major field and evaluating possible solutions.

Reminder: Prohibited topics include abortion, same-gender marriage, gun control, the death penalty, the legalization of drugs, assisted suicide, religion, evolution, cloning, smoking, eating disorders, teen pregnancy, sex education, global climate change, videogame violence, school prayer, and obesity. ***Failure to abide by these prohibitions will result in an automatic F grade on the paper.***

Due Date: Uploaded to WesternOnline by 11:59 PM, Friday, December 6. See below for the draft due date.

Length: Your evaluation should be no fewer than 1,500 words but no longer than 1,600 words. This is a firm requirement. **Note: Failure to meet the length requirements will result in an automatic U.**

Requirements: 1. Complete all the work related to the Paper Proposal (Paper 3) and the Annotated Bibliography, which will position you well for the writing of this final paper. 2. Complete your research, making careful notes of sources and collecting all the information you need to cite the sources properly. 3. Draft the researched argument paper, using what you have learned about writing a researched argument essay (refer to class discussions, JC, and Guide to review). Remember that this essay will require you to put together the other types of writing we have been doing this semester. (In other words, this assignment is not to write a narrative or a summary or an analysis or an evaluation, but all of these skills are likely to be employed at some point in the paper.) 4. Complete a full draft of your researched argument paper in plenty of time; the draft is due on Thursday, November 14. Bring three printed copies of your draft to class that day, for use in a peer review workshop. Also, make sure you have access (via a thumb drive or cloud storage or by sending yourself an email) to an electronic copy of the draft that day. 5. Revise, edit, and proofread the paper. 6. Bring two printed copies of this second full draft to your scheduled conference with me on November 19 or 20. 7. Revise, edit, and proofread the paper again. Save your final draft and submit your file to WesternOnline, no later than 11:59 PM on Friday, December 6.

Guidelines for Writing your Researched Argument Essay: 1. 2. 3. 4. Begin with a sentence that introduces your topic. Use neutral (objective) tone to briefly summarize the topic you are writing about. State your researched argument (thesis). Remember that a good argument not only establishes a side but refutes the opposing view(s), if appropriate. Argument makes a point, develops from relevant and reliable evidence, uses reason, incorporates values, and has an audience. 5. Present main ideas in the essay as belonging to their original writer or text (if they do), and to yourself when the ideas are your own. Do the same with information from any sources you use. Use paraphrases of your source material rather than just quoting sources, but document every source. 6. Pay attention to developing clear and concise sentences. 7. Write coherent, grammatically correct prose. 8. Write a first draft for yourself, then revise it before the peer review workshop. If you do, the peer review will be done on a (better) second draft, rather than your first effort. Review the readings in JC concerning how to revise a paper. 9. Carefully edit and proofread your paper. 10. You will submit your paper to WesternOnline. Formatting your Paper File for Submission: 1. Name your file ENG180ResearchedArgumentYourLastName. 2. Set your document margins to 1 on all sides. 3. Use Times New Roman font, 12 point. 4. Double space. 5. Choose an interesting title for your paper (not Argument Paper). 6. Using the page number feature in your word processing document, add your last name and page number to the upper right hand corner of your paper. Submission Instructions 1. Make sure that your file is saved as a Word file (.doc or .docx). NOTE: Files submitted in any other format will be returned ungraded and late penalties will apply. 2. Log on to WesternOnline and click our class. 3. At the homepage, click on the Assessments tab and click Dropbox from the list. 4. Click on the assignment titled Paper 4 Researched Argument. 5. Scroll down to Submit Files and click Add a File. Browse for your paper file, and then click on Upload. (You should choose to browse my computer to find your file.) 6. You should now be returned to the assignment page. Under Submit Files you should now see the name of your file. If you do not, then you will need to try to attach your file again. Do not paste your paper into the comments box. 7. Once you are sure that your file is attached, click submit at the bottom of the page. You will be taken to a page telling you that your file submission has been successful. You will also receive an email confirming receipt of the paper submission. If you do not 8. If you have trouble submitting, please call UTech at 309-298-2704.