What that means is this: start looking for a published piece of writing–any piece of published writing!, about any subject!–with which you disagree.

Directions for Essay 4!

Essay 4 is a sourced, argumentative essay, written not in MLA form, but in APA form.

(No worries: APA’s easy.)

This essay functions as a transition to ENGL1302: Composition II (Rhetoric), as per STC policy (wherein each English class must conclude with a transition to the next class in the English sequence).

Consider, therefore, the argumentative essay.

What that means is this: start looking for a published piece of writing–any piece of published writing!, about any subject!–with which you disagree.

In the essay, you’ll properly present what the piece of writing has to say, maybe agree with some of it, then spend the rest of the essay arguing against it.

To do so, in paragraph 1, after the lead, clearly introduce the piece of writing (title and author); then, summarize it; then, clarify why you disagree with it. (This would be your thesis; if you list reasons you disagree with it, then you’ll have created a preview thesis. The choice is yours!)

Then, assuming there are some, acknowledge any points in the essay with which you agree, explaining why you agree with them. (This could be one paragraph or several paragraphs.) Draw on your own experience to do this.

Then (and this should be the bulk of the essay), acknowledge the points in the essay with which you disagree, explaining why you disagree with them. (Ideally, you should isolate and attack each point you disagree with in a separate paragraph.) Draw on your own experience to do this, too. You don’t need to provide counter-research.

Then, conclude: interestingly, memorably–not repetitively.

Then, attach a References page, clarifying the publishing information of your source.
As always, keep this in mind:

be sure you find the subject of the article you disagree with interesting,
be sure you disagree with most of what it’s saying,
and be sure you can disagree without having to look stuff up.

The final draft will meet these guidelines to the best of your abilities.

All criteria for the paper rest on the concepts discussed in the assigned readings and lectures.

Structure
The paper should have …
a strong title.
an introduction that contains a clear, sophisticated hook; a clear introduction of the source you’re ultimately arguing against; and a strong thesis statement.
body paragraphs that each discuss one reason you agree or disagree with your source–each body paragraph containing a clear topic sentence, a citation from your source, lots of details and examples and explanation, and a clear concluding sentence.
a conclusion that emphasizes the essay’s point.

Development
Each body paragraph should …
lead readers through the piece of writing you’re reacting to smoothly.
focus on a quoted sentence taken from your chosen piece of published writing.
offer clear examples explaining why you agree/disagree. (It’s fine, even encouraged, to use first person therein, depending on the topic.)

Language
The writing style should …
be clear and direct (no needless wordiness).
be compromised of sentences of various length.
have minimal grammar errors.

APA Formatting
The paper should be formatted in APA (see Lecture 12.2!), including …
one-inch margins.
double-spacing (with no extra spaces between paragraphs; set Before and After to zero).
12-point Times New Roman font.
a title page.
a header ½ inch from the top right of the page with the page number only.
paragraphs that are indented one tab (or ten spaces).
a justified left margin–not both sides.

Length: 4 full pages, minimum. (No maximum.)
Format: APA (see above).
Worth: 100 points maximum.
Due: 11.28.

The directions posted within this module should’ve given you a pretty good explanation of how to organize Essay 4; this lecture just takes it a bit further.

So, what’s my recommendation? This:

Title page: Required in APA.

Paragraph 1: As always, begin with an attention-getting lead (hook); then, provided some background information about the topic, assuming you feel it’s necessary; then, introduce and summarize the published piece of writing with which you’re going to disagree; finally, write your thesis: essentially, that you disagree with the source you just summarized. You can list specific points you disagree with, if you want.

Paragraph 2 (or more): Before you start explaining why you disagree with your source, acknowledge any points the author makes with which you agree (assuming there are any). Quote the line(s), and explain why you agree. This can be done in one paragraph or in more than one paragraph: it totally depends upon your source and what you think of its points. If, however, you agree with zero points therein, then simply skip this step.

Next set of body paragraphs: Now we’re getting into the material with which you disagree. Each of the remaining body paragraphs (there can be one, three, eleven, whatever–it’s up to you!) should quote a passage you disagree with, then explain why–based on your experience–you disagree. Each time you do this, start a new paragraph. For example, if your source contains four passages you really disagree with, then this section of the essay should be four paragraphs in length (one paragraph focusing on each disagreeable passage).

Conclusion: Up to you. Just be sure it’s interesting, not repetitive.

References: Lists the publishing information of your source, allowing your reader to easily find it, should they want to look it up. (See Lecture 12.3.)

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