Below please find the assignment guidelines for your second (final) essay. Remember that there are two main directions to take this essay: 1) a statement thesis, in which you make a general evaluative claim about a subject; and 2) a proposal, in which you identify a problem with the world and propose a solution to that problem.

Regarding the second essay: Statement Thesis

Description: It might help to think of this essay as an “evaluation” or a review of an academic subject. Like a music, movie, or restaurant review, after looking at a a body of research you might decide that X is good, bad, or a little of both. You state your opinions as reasons, and provide evidence as to why you believe your opinion–your interpretation of the facts–is correct.

You can think of this essay as you evaluating (or judging) the social worth of a situation, business practice, idea, social tendency, behavior, product, word, TV show, political movement, etc. Even though you’re determining whether something is good, bad, or a little of both, you will want phrase your evaluation in such a way that you highlight the complexity and controversy of the issue. For example, possible evaluative statement theses include:

1) The term “genetically modified food” is misleading to the public because it treats all genetically manipulated organisms as equally threatening, when in fact many are harmless. (In this instance, the term/words “GMO” are regarded as “mostly bad.”)

2) Though ethically questionable, violent protest produces better results than on-line petitions and social media campaigns. (In this instance, violent protests are evaluated as being “more good” than on-line petitions and social media campaigns.)

3) The threats and benefits of hormone usage in the cattle industry have both been overblown. (In this instance, hormone usage is viewed as somewhat neutral.)

[Note that even for the neutral essay, there is a degree of controversy because people could disagree with this statement–some people will not accept the author’s position and want to argue that hormones are either good or bad. To ensure that you’re phrased your thesis statement in the right way, ask yourself: Could someone disagree with this statement?)

With these theses, you could easily follow the traditional “five-paragraph style” format of an introduction that ends with a thesis, then a body, then a conclusion. However, the body of this essay will be significantly longer than it would be in the traditional “five-paragraph style” paper. In order to increase the length of your body: a) be sure to pick a thesis that is significantly complex and demands substantial research; b) provide the necessary research to support your claims; and c) address possible counterarguments to your claim and attempt to refute them [we will talk about counterarguments in class on Tuesday]). In terms of a intros and conclusions, you should try to employ strategies from the handout I gave you in class.

If you wanted to try a different approach to structuring your essay than the traditional 5-paragraph essay, here’s an example of a research paper where the thesis comes at the end:

https://www.alternet.org/story/127280/is_it_possible_to_be_a_conscientious_meat_eater (Links to an external site.)

The other type of paper is a Proposal Argument

Description: For this assignment, advocate that something should be done to address or alleviate a current problem that concerns you personally. The size or scope of the problem could range from something local (i.e. Weber student parking is atrocious and something needs to be done about it), national (America�s current political system is one that is more focused on dividing the country along political lines than in uniting us with a shared desire to see positive improvements) or international (America�s embargo against Cuba should be lifted immediately). Your proposal should be practical, realistic, and somewhat new.

Your aim is first to convince your audience that this situation is in fact a problem and then to propose that a certain action should be taken to respond to that problem. What action is possible and desirable? Then devote the balance of the paper to advocating your plan for dealing with that problem.

Possible proposal theses include:

1) Those who are most concerned about genetically modified foods should slowly phase them out of their diet and replace them with home-grown alternatives. (Note that the thesis requires an action of the audience: change their diet; grow food at home. The statement thesis does not require the audience to act; the proposal thesis does.)

2) If you are truly worried about the NSA monitoring your internet activity, you need to stop using Google and all social media sites immediately.

As you brainstorm ideas/write drafts, also keep in mind the following questions:

What the possible causes of the problem are and which of these causes your proposal alters so that the original problem disappears/dissipates. How long has this been a problem? Has it always been a problem?

What are the potential dangers of not addressing the problem? What happens if the problem goes unchecked?

What are the immediate versus prolonged effects of your solution?

Who is your ideal audience? Your audience for this paper should be an individual or a group of individuals who have the power to actively initiate the change you�re requesting. Choose your audience wisely and cater the paper to their needs/desires.

Is the solution a partial or complete solution to the problem? What other partial/complete solutions have been attempted previously that have not worked?

What are the necessary steps to put your proposal into action? Make sure putting your proposal into action seem logical and realistic by arguing for it. Consider counterarguments to your proposed solution and actively defend your solution.

If you have ideas for other types of arguments, please do not hesitate to talk to me about them.

All papers must:

Be a minimum of 8 pages long, Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spaced.

Have a title.

Begin with an interesting introduction that engages the reader and a conclusion that does more than just summarize the issue.

Have a clearly stated thesis that explains briefly a) what the problem is, and b) what your solution to the problem is.

Provide additional support from reliable sources, whenever needed. For this paper, you will need to cite a minimum of 6 (six) outside sources. These sources must be cited properly (either with attributive tags or parenthetical citations) according to MLA style.

Provide a works cited page formatted according to MLA style. (You do not have to include an annotated bibliography with this paper.)

When revising the essay, you should attempt to eliminate as many “to be” verbs as possible. (On average, you should have fewer “to be” verbs in your paper than the number of sentences.) If you can successfully write your final essay using 15 or fewer “to be” verbs, you will be awarded +3% on your final course grade.