For this essay, the culminating writing along the couse, you will refine all the skills you’ve been working on thus far (annotating, critical reading, point-by-point organization, supporting thesis-driven arguments, MLA citations, etc.), and add one more: research.
You will choose ONE city issue to read about and research that will ultimately answer the driving question of our course: How would you like to change your city? It can be anything that you would like to see change or anything you’re curious about, related to virtually any sector of city living (e.g., housing, education, transit, business, public works, etc.). Within your topic, you will identify some tension or debate that stakeholders are arguing about.
You will research the issue, and then compose an essay that explains the problem and argues for an appropriate solution*.
*Or “next steps” — most issues will be too complex to solve with one essay!
Though you will be informing your reader about the issue, its history, and how it impacts various stakeholders, your ultimate purpose is to persuade the audience to agree with your proposed call to action.
Requirements
Your essay must be (all covered in this course):
Thesis-driven, and organized point-by-point
Supported by textual evidence (quote or paraphrase) from Moskowitz’s How to Kill a City and a minimum of five outside sources, though many students find they need more than five outside sources to write a successful essay. These outside sources must include:
at least one scholarly source (i.e., a peer-reviewed, academic journal article)
at least one article from the local media (i.e., local newspaper, podcast, or blog)
at least one interview or public event (i.e., with a person knowledgeable about the issue or a webinar/ meeting)
Developed with at least one counterargument/ counter-perspective
Formatted in MLA style, including MLA in-text citations and a Works Cited page
8 FULL to 10 pages in length (not including Works Cited page)
TIPS
Use the introduction to frame the issue. What’s going on? What’s the problem? What are people saying? What do you think the solution is?
When integrating the texts, introduce authors to your audience and use signal phrases (e.g., “Moskowitz claims….”)
While your issue must be tied to the Bay Area (or “your city”), you can use academic articles that have a broader (or different) geographical focus and then apply those ideas to the local problem.
For local sources, I highly recommend this customized Google search: tinyurl.com/searchlocalsf.
Five outside sources is the minimum, but you will certainly read more in the process of selecting the best sources.
Last Completed Projects
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