Argumentative Essay

We have now begun the process of writing our argumentative essay. I know you are all excited and ready to start researching. Speaking of researching, here is a look at what's up next in ESL 500.

First, due in class tomorrow are your final debatable topics and your working thesis statements. Then, next Thursday, November 15th, I would like you to submit a bibliography with the five sources you will be using to write your argument. Next, you will be submitting a draft of your essay no later than Tuesday, November 27th, so that I can check it over and let you know what changes need to be made (if any).

And we have our debate coming up next week (more about that in class this week). As you can tell, we have a very busy schedule coming up, so it's important you pay attention to due dates and work ahead.

Here's our upcoming schedule one more time:

-Debatable Topics/Thesis Statements (Due before class on Nov. 6th, 2012)

 -Bibliographic listing of all 5 sources (Due by 12:00 pm on Thursday, Nov. 15th, 2012)

-Debate: Thursday, Nov. 15th (in class)

-Complete First Draft of Argumentative Essay (Due by 12:00 pm, Tuesday, November 27th)

 

Here are some of the basic guidelines for writing your source-based, argumentative essays:

• You should use at least 5 sources in your essay. This means that you have to do extensive research on your topic. We will spend some class time to decide on your topics for the argumentative essays, but please begin to think now about what you would like to write about. You may change your topic but before doing this, please discuss your new topic with me. I suggest that you choose a topic that relates directly to your current course work in your major field, but with a few constraints:
• You will be writing for a general, educated audience, not for professional peers.
• You may NOT revise a paper you have already written. It is vital that you go through the entire writing process in this class in order to practice what you are learning.
• You may NOT use a paper that you are writing for another class (see Student Code, §I-402(a))
• All papers should be double spaced, appropriate font, with 1 inch margins.
• Grammar issues should be resolved before handing in any final draft.
• Proper citation throughout the paper is required along with a "Works Cited" page at the end of the paper. Any paper failing to properly cite will be considered plagiarized.

 And from there, we have oral presentations and the final draft of your argumentative essays due in December (we will talk about the final dates closer to when they are due).

So there is a lot to stay up-to-date on! Please make sure to check the course website often for updates and don't forget, if you've got questions, please ask! Send me an email or stop by my office hours for a chat. No matter what your question(s) and/or doubt(s) may be, we can work together to figure it out!