Essay #4: Argument and Persuasion Essay Assignment

Please read through the Essay #4 module notes for important information on argument and persuasion. 

Important Links: 

Library Databases: 

https://libguides.bpcc.edu/c.php?g=701376&p=4976983Links to an external site.

NPR: 

https://www.npr.org/Links to an external site.

PBS Newshour: 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/Links to an external site.

Essay #4: Argument and Persuasion 

Write a 4-6 page argumentative and persuasive essay on one of the following the topics.  You should include at least 5
 scholarly sources and cite them within the essay and on a Works Cited page.  At least two of your sources should come from the library’s online databases: 
http://libguides.bpcc.edu/c.php?g=701376&p=4976983  (
CQ Researcher is required for this essay, but you should also search 
Academic Search Complete.)  You 
should also include an article from either the 
PBS Newshour site or 
NPR.org.  
Other sources are allowed, but you should evaluate those sources using the criteria that we have learned, including currency, relevance, accuracy, authority, and purpose. Refer to this link for additional information: 


Academic Research – English – LibGuides at Bossier Parish Community College (bpcc.edu)Links to an external site.

As part of this assignment, you will also write an annotated bibliography.  The assignment for the annotated bibliography, along with a sample and a video lecture, are located in this module. The annotated bibliography must be submitted through Canvas, and 

the final draft of the essay will not be accepted if the annotated bibliography is not turned in completed and on time. 

Remember that an argumentative essay 
must take a strong stand on one side of controversial topic; this is not the time to straddle the fence.  Also, the goal is not merely to provide information, as with the definition essay; instead, the goal is to 
persuade the audience to believe something or to take some kind of action.  You want your argument to be 
plausible, meaning your audience will see your logic and believe that you are sincere. 

Your 
thesis statement must be a clear, direct assertion of your position on your topic. This is called 

the claim. 


Links to an external site.

Choose one of the following topics:

1.

1. Should community college tuition be free? Be sure to look at specific programs in New York and Tennessee.  (Try search all 
PBS Newshour and
 NPR for “Tennesee Promise.”) Also reference the 
CQ Researcher article on this topic.  (Do not focus only on the benefits; for example, it’s obvious that more students could afford college if it were free.  In fact, a passing mention in your introduction is plenty.  Instead, focus on whether such a program would work.)    

2. Should e-cigarettes be banned in the United States? In making your argument, it is important to examine how vaping is being regulated, what the medical experts say, and popular opinion. 
CQ Researcher has an excellent article to get you started.  
NPR and 
PBS Newshour will have the most up-to-date articles about the health risks and public opinion. 

3. For the past several decades, colleges and universities which have admissions requirements have asked students to submit ACT or SAT scores as part of their application. Recently, there has been a movement away from this requirement. Should higher education drop admission exams permanently?

4. Experts say the growing amount of false information being spread by some politicians, social media and cable news is undermining trust in the mainstream media and damaging the nation’s physical and political health. With Americans deeply divided over politics, the COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice, trust in mass media fell to new lows in the last five years. Argue for a solution that would prevent the increasing spread of misinformation in America. 

5. Choose one of the differences between American schools and schools in Finland 

seen in the video we watched in class.Links to an external site.
 Argue that American public schools should adopt that change and explain why. Rely heavily on your research, but you may briefly quote the video in the introduction paragraph of your essay. 

Important Things to Keep in Mind: 

·

·
Any information that is not common knowledge but lacks a citation in your essay is considered plagiarism and will result in a grade of zero F.  Anything taken word-for-word from a source without quotation marks, even with a citation, will also be considered plagiarism.  

Use your quotation marks, signal phrases, and parenthetical citations to properly credit your sources.  Even one instance of plagiarism will result in a zero F. 

·
On essay #2, citation errors resulted in points taken off. However, now that you have experience with citation rules, instances of plagiarized information will result in an F on the assignment. 

·

Neither first person nor second person pronouns are allowed (10-point penalty).

·
A Works Cited page that has a list of links, rather than MLA-formatted citations, will result in an F on the entire assignment. 

·

I will be paying particular attention to both grammar and formatting when grading this final essay.  Check your MLA heading, do not skip lines, and make sure your citations are all correct.  Little details matter!  Revise and edit your essay very carefully. 

The final draft will not be graded if the annotated bibliography is not submitted.

You must work in at least 4 out of the 5 types of specific evidence we discussed:

1.

1. Facts

2. Statistics

3. Examples

4. Expert testimony

5. Personal experience (someone else’s, discovered through research, not your own)

________________________________________________________________________________

The thesis statement must be a strong statement and pick a side:

Bad thesis statement:  There would be both good and bad consequences if community college were tuition-free.

Good thesis statement:  Community college should be free for three specific reasons.  
or

Free community college tuition may sound good at first, but it is ultimately a bad idea.    

Video

Return to Top

Notes

Annotated Bibliography Assignment

The annotated bibliography 
demonstrates that you have completed your research. It also allows you to 
complete your Works Cited citations before you begin writing your paper, which in turn makes your in-text citations easier.  

The final draft of Essay #4 will not be accepted if the annotated bibliography is not submitted on time. 

Important Links: 

Library Databases: 

https://libguides.bpcc.edu/c.php?g=701376&p=4976983Links to an external site.

NPR: 

https://www.npr.org/Links to an external site.

PBS Newshour: 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/Links to an external site.

What is an annotated bibliography? 

Before your essay is due, you must also complete an 
annotated bibliography of your topic.  

This annotated bibliography is essentially
 a Works Cited page, with a short paragraph for each citation in which you summarize the article and explain whether it is useful for your essay. Your annotated bibliography must include 
at least five citations, with a paragraph-long summary of each source. 

The annotated bibliography must be submitted through Canvas, and 
neither the rough draft nor the final draft will not be accepted if the annotated bibliography is not turned in completed and on time.  The annotated bibliography is worth 50 points.

An annotated bibliography accomplishes two things: 

(a) It allows you to complete your research, pick out quotes, and write Works Cited entries before you begin writing your paper. This allows you to focus on writing when you are working on your rough draft. 

(b) Whenever you are asked to research a topic, whether in this class, another class, or even in the workplace, an annotated bibliography is a way to demonstrate that you have completed the research.  It’s hard evidence that you looked up your topic, read some articles, and understood what they were saying. 

Getting started: 

Start by looking at the list of topics for the essay.  Next, log into the library’s online databases.  Search for your topic using both 
Academic Search Complete and 
CQ Researcher.  Be sure to try using different search terms to get different results.  Also search NPR.org and PBS.org/Newshour. You may search the web, too, but be sure to evaluate your sources. Inappropriate sources will result in points deducted. 

Once you have read a few articles, it is time to complete your annotated bibliography.  Use the citation features in both 
Academic Search Complete and 
CQ Researcher to copy and paste a MLA citation into a Word document.  (Make sure that you are grabbing a MLA citation and not some other format!)  Then add the hanging indent and correct any formatting errors in the citation, using the examples in the MLA module as a guide. Next, use the MLA worksheet in Canvas to write out the citations for your web articles from NPR, PBS Newshour, and other web sources.  Pay particular attention to small details like punctuation and italics.

Once you have formatted your citations, write a short paragraph (6-7 sentences) about each article.  Your paragraph should include:

· A summary (4-6 sentences) of either the entire article or the parts that are relevant to your thesis.  

· At least two direct quotes with correctly formatted in-text citations.

· A sentence or two about whether the article will be useful in your essay.  

You need five (5) citations for your annotated bibliography.  A bibliography with fewer than five citations will receive a zero.  You will not receive partial credit for submitting fewer than five sources. 

Use a correctly formatted MLA heading, and title your work “Annotated Bibliography,” centered beneath the heading, just as you would with an essay. Indent your paragraphs the same way you would in an essay. 

Video

Return to Top

Notes

Return to Top

Sample Annotated Bibliographies

Sample Annotated Bibliography.docx

 Download Sample Annotated Bibliography.docx

Sample Annotated Bibliography 2 (1) (1).docx