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Due dates:
Topic sentence outline due in class Monday, December 8th.
Final draft due by the end of all exams, 5:00 Tuesday, December 15th.
As always, for details of the physical formatting of your paper on paper—margins, headers, titles, etc.—see the simple stuff handout. For guidelines on quotation and documentation, see the quotes and documentation handout. Since quotations are required, a works cited page is necessary.
The topic: In a carefully structured essay of 1000-1250 words, identify any significant problem in our world and propose an argument offering one or more solutions to the problem. You may consider problems of international scope (the worldwide AIDS epidemic or international terrorism, e.g.), problems of national importance to the United States (our methods of punishing criminals or steroid use in college or professional sports, e.g.), or problems narrowly limited to the Citadel community (sleep deprivation, hazing, excessive course loads, e.g.).
Structure: You may organize the essay following any of the three structuring principles we have explored this semester: raising a central question in the introduction that the body of the paper answers or presenting a statement of purpose or thesis statement in the introduction that the body of the paper elaborates upon and develops. Regardless of your organizational approach, you must have one or more paragraphs of opposing views—one or more viewpoints opposed to your own, either proposing some other solution to the problem you are addressing or arguing the status quo and suggesting that the problem you identify "doesn't need fixing." Whatever your structuring principle, even if you are writing a thesis-driven essay, you should still present the opposing viewpoint immediately after the introduction and before you get into your solution(s) to the problem, just as in the persuasive format.
The outline (due on the last day of class): Before you begin writing the essay, construct a topic sentence outline just as we have done for in-class exercises and previous essays: begin the outline with the central question your paper strives to answer, then give full topic sentences that answer the question directly for each primary point in your paper (i.e. for each body paragraph), just as they will appear in the essay itself, and conclude the outline with the the paper's overall thesis, answering the central question directly and combining the essential points from the various topic sentences. (For review of a topic sentence outline, see the third in-class exercise).
The introduction and conclusion: Whether you open the essay by presenting a question, a statement of purpose, or a thesis statement, your introduction should identify the problem you are addressing and explain why the problem is an important matter that needs addressing. Your conclusion should state or reiterate the essay's thesis, of course, and also reiterate the significance of the problem you are addressing and emphasize why your specific solution(s) to the problem would benefit your reader and the entire community involved more generally.
Research and quotations: You must incorporate quotations or other references (paraphrasing, facts or statistics, etc.) from at least two sources—more than two is certainly acceptable. Your sources may include articles from The Little, Brown Reader, whether or not we read and discussed them this semester, but at least one source must be published in book form or in a journal, magazine, or newspaper available in or through The Citadel's Daniel Library. Online magazines or newspapers are acceptable sources, but other World Wide Web sources will not count towards the minimum requirement of two sources.
Copies of research: You must turn in a photocopy or printout of each page from which you take quotations or other information (for all sources other than Little, Brown Reader articles), with the pertinent passages or information highlighted.
As always, I encourage you to seek my help with your paper outside of class. If my office hours don't mesh well with your schedule, let me know, and I'll make arrangements for other times. I also encourage you to seek help from the Writing Center on any aspect of the essay: arriving at a topic, outlining, developing the draft, revising, and editing. Be sure to take printouts of both this assignment page and the one on persuasive format with you to the Writing Center. If your tutors are uncertain about anything we've covered thus far in the semester, point them to my web page: <http://citadel.edu/faculty/rogers>.
Note: You must turn in your
paper both in hard copy and in electronic format (either on floppy disk or
as an email attachment). Failure to meet this requirement will incur a
letter-grade penalty.
Reminders:
Every
body paragraph's topic sentence should answer the outline's central question
directly.
Reiterate
the key words from topic sentences throughout body paragraphs.
Sweat
the details: use the GR, N, SS, and QD "handouts" and proofread closely.
Do
seek my help outside of class.