Pop Culture

LENGTH: Final draft minimum of 2 1/2 pages (maximum 5). The final page of your essay should be your works cited page, which does not count towards your minimum page requirement. Be careful to write concisely and avoid padded (unnecessary and repetitive) language.
SOURCES: Your essay should have at least 3 sources listed in the works cited page and noted in the text with in-text citation parentheticals. These sources must be credible. You should use a variety of sources (at least 2 different types), such as internet sources (from sites that end in .org or .edu or can otherwise be shown to be reputable); personal interviews; film or audio sources (iTunes U lectures or documentaries, as examples); books; magazines; newspapers; online database or journal articles; or other sources that work with the tone and style of your argument.
You must use direct quotations in your essay. One component of the rubric will award points based on the balance of direct quotations, paraphrased source information, and your own voice. You can cite sources with the text in your sentence, but at least some of the citations must be written as in-text citation parentheticals.
Remember that just listing web addresses for the sites you used does NOT count as documenting sources and will cause you to get a zero on your paper; sources must be listed in MLA style. The last page of your essay must be an 8th edition MLA style works cited page (and remember that isn’t part of the page count).
ASSIGNMENT:
Write an evaluation argument essay that assesses whether something in today’s popular culture is either good/bad, strong/weak, beneficial/harmful, etc. Your essay should contain the basic elements of argumentative writing, including a clear claim, good reasons, evidence that supports your claim and appeals to the reader, and an acknowledgement of counterargument. Your sources should be integrated with your own language and be used to support your own original thoughts and ideas. You should also use clear, specific criteria as the basis for your evaluation.
The purpose of the assignment is to argue your claim about some aspect of popular culture and the value it has or doesn’t have in our society. Answer the basic question: What good is this? Once you formulate a basic claim, go beyond offering an opinion and use your argument to reveal the intricacies of the issue. To do this, you should research the topic, understand the rhetorical situation, assert and support a way of seeing, and discuss and refute the counterargument. Go beyond evaluating your topic as good or bad and show how something is harmful or helpful to people.
Don’t get too stuck on the idea of “popular culture” – while this can refer to things like technology, music, art, entertainment, fashion, etc., it can also refer to a broad range of other things that are all around us in society today. Use the discussion board to help explore more about what “pop culture” means with your peers. Issues related to contemporary politics, beliefs, social standards, race and gender identification, policies in place on the education system or government or workforce can all be part of popular culture too if we don’t define it too narrowly.
Be sure that your claim is revelatory and not flat or expected. You need to argue and persuade, not just state the common opinions held by the majority of your audience. It may be helpful to think of what most people agree about that you disagree with so that you can build your case from there. Go beyond the obvious and look at the complex issues that are involved with your claim. Be clear about whether you are arguing for or against the topic and don’t waver between both position

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