ENGLISH 100A / Goodwin

Spring 2011
Essay 4 Assignment Sheet

Researched Argumentative Essay

Draft 1 Due Tue 5/3/11 20 In class contribution points

Final Due Thu 5/5/11 25% of final grade (including annotated bibliography)

Note: Version 3 will not be accepted after the due date for whatever reason regardless of
circumstance. Also, after this paper has been graded, it cannot be revised.

Length and Format

• 5-6 pages
• MLA-style format for short papers
• Use Times New Roman 12-point font (double spaced)
• Minimum of one quotation required from each source. Sources: (2) on-line journals from
UMBC database; (2) assigned short stories; (3) outside ones (short stories, novels, films). No
poems, no songs. You cannot use the film seen in class.
• Works Cited page

Rhetorical Category
Researched argumentative essay in academic style

Purpose
• To shape an develop a clear, coherent essay in answer to the assignment prompt below
• To formulate and shape a persuasive argument
• To practice critical thinking and active reading skills in this reading-based assignment
• To begin the recursive writing process through drafting, peer response and revision activities

Assignment
What is love? From your view, what are the necessary ingredients for a loving relationship?
Stay away from talking about other kinds of love: friends, family members, places, etc. Cite
examples from your sources as well as from your own experience. When using the sources, it
might be better to examine the why instead of the what. In other words, why do the people (in
your sources) fall in love? Determining that will hopefully reinforce what you believe people
need to sustain a loving relationship. Make sure you develop a clear thesis. The only part of
your paper that will utilize the first-person perspective will be when citing your own experiences
with love. Otherwise, stay general (third person).

You will need to support your argument using specific references from your sources. Do not
direct your paper to the reader (that means refrain from using you).

Your paper should be structured as a well-researched argumentative paper and as such, you
should not be using the personal pronoun I in your paper (except where noted before).
Overall, in order to complete this assignment successfully, your essay will need to be developed
through depth and detail, using specific quotes and examples where necessary. You will also
want to remember that your introductory paragraph should both capture your readers’ interest
and provide a claim (thesis statement).

Your essay should have an informative, original title that both captures the readers’ attention
and gives a clue as to what to expect in your paper. Your paper should also be spell-checked,
grammar checked, proofread, and edited carefully.

What you need to do with your drafts

To produce the best essay that you can, we will work in groups and as a class to give each other
constructive feedback. In order to gain the feedback and to gain credit for participation in this
exercise, you will need to be in class on the days the various drafts are due.

1
Participation credit can only be earned if you have the following:
1. selection of an issue
2. an introduction paragraph
3. a claim of policy or value (thesis statement)
4. at least one word-processed page
5. rough outline with topic sentences

2
Participation credit can only be earned if you have the following:
1. Three word-processed pages
2. A sentence outline

No partial credit for either version.

3
Submit Final to me on 5/5. This cannot be late! I will grade papers that night and submit final
grades Friday, 5/6.
 Checklist for Essay 4

Introduction

• Do you have a thesis statement? Does your introduction make a point, establish a position or
state an argument in a thoughtful, precise language?
• Are you answering the question/prompt in a meaningful way? Are you addressing the given
assignment?
• Is your connection logical? Does it all make sense?
• Have you gone into too much detail? Too little detail? Have you begun developing ideas that
would be better placed in the body of the essay?
• Have you established the appropriate kind of tone? Are you making efforts to engage the
interest of your readers?

Body

• Can you block off paragraphs of your essay into balanced component sections addressing the
reading, your own experience/views, and analysis?
• Do you build from idea to idea, or are ideas presented randomly? Are ideas presented in the
best possible order?
• Do you have too many paragraphs? Do you need to combine or develop ideas in more detail?
• Do you summarize the reading in enough depth for the reader to follow your connection?
• Does everything you present in the body of your essay support your thesis?
• Have you established coherent threads of ideas? Do you use repetition of key terms to
achieve this coherence?

Paragraphing

• Can you clearly identify the one key insight or topic sentence in each paragraph? Can you
justify its placement: where it appears in the paragraph?
• Is each paragraph focused around one key insight? Do you need to separate and redevelop
paragraphs that contain too much?
• Is the idea presented in your topic sentence for the paragraph big enough to encompass what
you want to talk about?
• Are your paragraphs developed sufficiently through specific supporting details?
• Did you use direct textual references (specific quotes from the reading)? Did you include the
page number in parentheses after the quotation marks and before the end punctuation?

Conclusion (last one or two paragraphs)

• Does your conclusion refer back to your thesis?

• Have you presented the reader with some conclusions that answer the question/ prompt?