Assignment for the Social Issue Argument Research Essay
Instructions: Your essay must be typed in Times New Roman font and double spaced in size
12 type. You must have a header, a heading, and a title. Indent inch for paragraphs. Follow
MLA guidelines. Submit in Turnitin.
See the last page for the outline of your essay.
Choose one of the following topics and argue for or against.
Colleges and universities in the United States (should, should not) return to in-person
classes for the spring 2021 semester.
The US Government (should, should not) mandate that individuals publicly wear a face
mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Throughout the United States, statues of slave owners, Confederate and Union leaders,
and purveyors of white supremacy (should, should not) officially be removed.
Your argument essay must be at least three (3 ) pages, plus a Works Cited page, containing
at least five (5) reputable and peer reviewed/referred sources that you have used, that is, cited in
your essay. You must use MLA Documentation Guidelines for in-text citations and works
cited.
Research your topic in the North Lake Library databases and on the web. Do not use Wikipedia
and social media, such as blogs and Twitter.
Reputable and Peer Reviewed or Referred Sources in the North Lake Library Databases:
Academic Search Complete
Opposing Viewpoints
Omni File
Social Sciences Full Text
Legal Collection
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Science and Technology Collection
Web Sources: Use only reputable sources.
In The Little, Brown Handbook, 14th edition, read the following:
Chapter 9, Writing an Argument, pp. 196-215
Chapter 43, Working with Sources, pp. 569-601
Chapter 44, Avoiding Plagiarism, pp. 601-11
Chapter 45, Writing the Paper, pp. 612-20
Chapter 46, Using MLA Documentation and Format, pp. 620-66
Argument Essay 2
In Blackboard, under the heading MLA Documentation, read the items on MLA
Documentation.
The item titled 2016 MLA Formatting and Documentation is especially helpful.
Here you can find information on how to document a quote or summary for an Article
Accessed through a Database (pp. 20-21),
and a Work on a Website (pp. 30-32). Your Works Cited page should look like the
example on page 48.
Watch the online lecture videos for writing an argument essay.
Length: Three (3 pages), plus a Works Cited page, containing at least five (5) reputable
and peer reviewed/referred sources. Total: Five (5) pages. You must use MLA Documentation
Guidelines for in-text documentation and works cited. Carefully document your sources.
Do not plagiarize. Students who do will get a grade of 0 (zero).
Outline of Your Social Issue Argument Research Essay
Paragraph One: Introduction. Establishes the significance of the subject
or the scope of the problem/issue, provides the background, and
includes the thesis statement.
Paragraph Two: (Pro) State and discuss the first reason for your
position. Develop with evidence and support (specifics, details, and
examples).
Paragraph Three: (Con) Give your response to the oppositions view(s)
of your reason one. Develop with evidence and support (specifics,
details, and examples).
Paragraph Four: (Pro) State and discuss the second reason for your
position. Develop with evidence and support (specifics, details, and
examples).
Paragraph Five: (Con) Give your response to the oppositions view(s) of
your reason two. Develop with evidence and support (specifics, details,
and examples).
Argument Essay 3
Paragraph Six: (Pro) State and discuss the third reason for your
position. Develop with evidence and support (specifics, details, and
examples). You do not have to give the opposition to your pro reason.
Paragraph Seven: Often the conclusion restates your claim (thesis) and
makes a final appeal to readers. It may also make recommendations and
state a solution to the issue.
Do not summarize in the conclusion. The essay is short. Your readers
can remember what you have written.
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