Honors ENGL 101

Lovejoy

Essay III: The Researched, Argumentative Essay

For your third essay, you will argue
a position on a topic of your
choice.
You must learn more about the topic
through research, take a distinct and
readily identifiable position on your
topic, present the issue logically and
persuasively for your readers, and
develop a convincing argument.

Due Date: Wednesday,

11/26, by 5 p.m.
Length: 5 + pages
Weight: 15% of final grade

The purpose of this essay is to use logical reasoning and evidence to

persuade readers to a specific viewpoint and/or move readers to action.
There are several patterns of argumentative writing that you may
develop: You may argue a position, justify an evaluation, speculate about
causes, analyze art or literature, or propose a solution. You may need to
combine patterns to best present your topic and position.
You will need to open your essay by framing the issue, by introducing and
describing the issue in a way that promotes your position and takes your
audience into consideration. You will need to consider what your audience
already knows and believes about your topic.
Your position on the topic needs to be unambiguous, appropriately
supported, and clearly arguable. Include a strong thesis statement.
The points you make in you essay need to reiterate the thesis. You can use
the patterns of development to help yourself organize this essay:
classification and division, process narration, comparison and contrast, cause
and effect, illustration/example. You need to use evidence such as personal
experiences, experiences from others, factual information, statistics,
hypothetical examples, testimony from authorities, charts, graphs, and
diagrams. Giving evidence helps to make the reasoning behind opinions
clearer and allows you to appeal to readers through ethos, logos, and
pathos.
Finally, you will need at least four outside sources (these sources can be
any combination of internet and non-internet sources) to help you with
evidence gathering. Please note: A dictionary, encyclopedia, or thesaurus
may be used, but will not count as one of your four sources - this includes
Wikipedia.org and other on-line reference guides.

Honors ENGL 101

Lovejoy

Whatever sources you use, use MLA or APA guidelines to cite the
sources. To integrate your research, use a combination of direct quoting,
summarizing and paraphrasing.
Finally, in this essay, you should acknowledge, refute, and/or concede
opposing viewpoints. The opposing views may be widely held positions on
your topic or they may be possible objections that you notice.
This essay will allow you to work on the following competencies for ENGL
101:

Writing competencies: prewriting, drafting, and revising an essay in a specific

genre. Using correct grammar and mechanics in complex and varied sentences
with purpose, style, and voice.

Reading competencies: Discuss an authors main point and supporting details

in assigned readings and in peer papers.

Informational Competencies: Find and retrieve information within context of

specific purpose and/or thesis using appropriate research strategies. Recognize
and avoid plagiarism by using MLA or APA format to cite secondary sources.

Interpersonal Competencies: Demonstrate good listening skills, tolerate

different viewpoints, and respect the need to examine cultural diversity.

Personal Competencies: Accept personal academic responsibility including

class attendance, class participation, and prompt and thorough completion of
assignments. Use tools of self-assessment to evaluate knowledge and skills in
reading, writing, and research.

Demonstrate interdisciplinary knowledge through thoughtful communication,

which emphasizes listening, thinking, and expressing understanding of ideas.

Learn how to use and apply technology to define information needs, to

identify and critically evaluate sources, and to incorporate information into ones
own knowledge base to accomplish a learning objective.