Assignment 4: Documented Essay (Minimum of 7 pages words plus a Works Cited page) Peer Response: Friday, December 11,

2009 Final Paper Due: Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Assignment Now that we have looked at how different writers and speakers construct arguments, it is time to put those analyses to work by making our own argument. This paper will revolve around an argumentative focus, identified early, and the guiding ethos of the text. You must use at least five sources for your essay. Planning and Drafting This assignment, more than any other this semester, requires careful planning. To a large extent, the success of your paper will depend on how thoroughly and diligently you carry out the writing process. While composing your paper, you'll need to keep several additional things in mind. 1. Consider your readers. How much do your readers know about your topic? Are they interested in it? Do they have strong opinions about it? Do not assume that your readers have read the sources you have read. 2. Keep in mind your purpose (e.g., to persuade your readers to accept your position and perhaps to act on it). 3. Interweave your sources into your paper to substantiate your thesis. Be careful not to rely exclusively on one source. Verify the accuracy of your information and quotations. Miscues can undermine the credibility of your thesis.

Documentation In documenting your sources you may use the MLA, APA, IEEE, or Chicago style used in your discipline. MLA is used widely in the humanities and APA in the social sciences. For examples, see your handbook or articles written in your field. Be careful not to plagiarize. If you use exact words from a source, be sure to use quotation marks, in-text citations, and a Works Cited page. Also, check to see that you haven't used too many quotations in the paper; paraphrase the information instead.

Course Outcomes At the successful conclusion of this assignment, you should be able to do the following: 1

craft thesis statements that indicate a clear position on a topic and tie the paper together develop a topic through clearly structured paragraphs and the whole paper so that ideas are fully explained, assertions are backed up, supporting evidence is sufficient and claims are credible through the sequence of assignments, develop a body of knowledge and growing perspective on a topic communicate their ideas and those of others to specific audiences write in appropriate academic genres and computer media to communicate with different audiences make choices in their own writing and articulate other options properly and ethically use MLA or APA documentation format for in-text and external bibliographic citations of scholarly, popular, and electronic sources consistently follow standards of written, edited English

Paper Standards
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Right-justified or justified text. 1" margins on the top and bottom, 1"-1 1/2" margins on the sides. Numbered pages. Your name somewhere on the first page. No title pages. Double spaced, no unique spacing between lines after paragraphs. Serif typeface (Times New Roman and Georgia are fine, Pertpetua and Palatino look elegant but are extremely thin)