joiing the conversation and formulating an arguement
you are to join the conversation and engage with ONE of the texts we read in this unit. These include:
Kwame Anthony Appiah’s chapter “Kindness to Strangers” from his book Cosmopolitanism
James Garvey’s Chapter “Responsibility” from his book The Ethics of Climate Change: Right and Wrong in a Warming World
A topic explored in either the 7 Billion Others website or the Radiolab
Your paper should respond only to one topic/author, not more than ONE!
As you conduct your research,
Consult Google Scholar to see what others have written on the topic you’ve chosen.
Building your argument:
Based on the assigned readings in this unit and your research, compose a paper of about 800-words in which you agree, disagree, modify, extend, or in some other way
engage with the ideas of the text you have chosen (Appiah’s, Garvey’s, or something from the the 7 Billion Others website or the Radiolab podcast).
What are possible difficulties with implementing some of the ideas that Appiah, Garvey, or the speaker in the 7 Billion Others website or the Radiolab podcast suggest?
What are the opportunities for positive change? Feel free to offer a critique, an alternative solution, a complication to the problem, or a case for optimism in your
discussion! 🙂
Be sure to identify the author and title of the work to which you are responding.
Clarify the main idea or set of ideas that you will be responding to from the author’s essay (use quotations as well as explanations to clarify their point).
Cite your sources in the text and in a Works Cited page in accord with MLA style.
Compose a thesis for your own stance in relation to the author to whom you are responding. For example, you might try one of the following formulas:
According to author X in essay Y, Z is the case; however, a consideration of A, B, C reveals that ideas E and F must be addressed if Z is to work.
While author X in essay Y, offers a strong case for Z as a solution to problem M, a consideration of A, B, C reveals that E is a better solution to the problem.
In essay X by author Y, Z is presented as a response to issue M. A further consideration of A, B, C reveals that author Y’s idea Z can extend to issue N as well.
You get the point. There can be endless variations on this formula.
Use the advice given in Habits of the Creative Mindto respond (with “and,” “but,” and “or”).
Use the advice given in Habits of the Creative Mindto do your “heavy lifting” from your sources and build your own perspective on the issue.
Draw on your additional research to back up your claims. Cite this research in your work.
Consider counter arguments and address evidence or points that might at first appear to contradict your point of view.
Offer a wrap up conclusion to your argument that answers the question “so what?”
Challenge: Compose this essay without using the first or second person pronoun. Use only the third person pronoun. So, do not use I, me, my, our, us, mine, etc., or
you, your. Do use he, she, it, they, them, theirs. Why this challenge? Because the essay is an analytical argument. It is of course based on your opinions and personal
beliefs but the argument you give cannot be personal. It must be logical, fact-based, and rational.
Length: About 800 words
Grading Rubric: This paper will be graded along the following criteria:
The thesis statement. Be sure your thesis is complex, debatable, and analytical. Do not simply state the obvious in your thesis. Offer something meaningful and
insightful. Make sure your thesis is substantive, debatable, and defensible.
Focus and Logical flow. Be sure that your essay flows logically from beginning to end (no repetitions, omissions, skips, digressions, or interruptions). Use topic
sentences to control the focus of your paragraphs, and use transitions to show relationships between the different paragraphs as well as between the different
sentences within each paragraph. Follow some of the rhetorical moves that were discussed in “On The Three Most Important Words in the English Language” in Habits of
the Creative Mind(pages 100-107).
Illustration and Support. Make sure you illustrate and support all your claims with clear and reliable
Introductions and Conclusions. Be sure to ease your reader into your topic and provide relevant context for your thesis statement in your introduction. Be sure to wrap
up your discussion and offer closure for your discussion in your conclusion.
Accuracy. Be sure to quote accurately and avoid misrepresenting the ideas of others
Critical Thinking. Join the conversation and offer insightsthat address the complexity of the issues at hand. Move beyond a surface-level discussion and dig deep to
analyze the significance of the issues at hand. Answer who, what, how, when, where, and so what? Consider counter arguments and address evidence or points that might
at first appear to contradict your point of view.
Mechanics of Grammar. Edit your work for clarity. Read your sentences aloud to try to hear whether they make sense or not. Apply some of the grammar advice on sentence
structure, pronoun usage, the possessive, and so on, from the websites I’ve recommended, especially on the Purdue OWL website
Mechanics of MLA style. Follow the guidelines on MLA style available on the Purdue OWL website.
Mechanics of Quotations. Be sure to integrate your quotes grammatically into your sentences. Use signal phrases to introduce your quotes; offer citations for your
quotes; and use the “Quote Sandwich” method to integrate your quotes into your argument.
Title. Include an appropriate title to your work, one that hints at both your topic and your approach to your topic in your paper.
Assignment Guidelines. Be sure to follow the assignment guidelines. Reread the guidelines and check off each item in your essay to ensure that you have followed the
assignment guidelines in full. Feel free to email me with any questions about the assignment!
