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Welcome
Welcome to ENC 1101
Professor Matthew Masucci
"Argument Essay" Assignment
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Assignment
ENC 1101: Argument and Research Essay (Minimum: 1800 Words)
Write an argument and research essay on a topic of your choice (barring the ones listed below). It should be a topic that has two arguable sides.
You must argue the validity of your claim using reliable, valid research to support your position.
The essay must include the following elements:
· A claim
· Reasons of support for the claim
· Reliable, valid evidence
o Minimum of 6 resources (at least 1 book/ebook and 2 peer-reviewed articles)
· Refutation paragraph
· Proper MLA formatting and citations
All essays must be 12 point Times New Roman font and double-spaced.
Some topics are not accepted for this essay. The reasons for this are varied. In some cases, you will not find the kind of research needed for this kind of argument essay. For others, they have been done too many often, or the topics are too inundated with bad information at this point in time to find the quality of resources necessary.
Essays and topics that will not be accepted:
· Essays from another or previous course
· Essays on abortion, cloning, euthanasia (right to die), or capital punishment (death penalty)
· Essays on Religion(s)
· Essays on the legalization of any Illicit Substance (marijuana, other drugs)
· Essays on the 2nd Amendment/Gun Control issues
· Essays regarding the existence of Global Warming or Climate Change (though sub-topics on energy production, waste, etc. are allowable -- if you are not sure, ask me)
· Essays concerning the efficacies of vaccines
· Please Note: more may be added at my discretion.
Some important tips about writing academic essays:
Course essays should be formal.
· Avoid a conversational tone
· Avoid the use of personal pronouns referring to the writer or reader of the essay (I, me, you, your, us, we, our)
· Avoid contractions (shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, can’t, won’t, etc.) – Simply spell them out.
· Avoid web-based resources for support (Wikipedia, Sparknotes, or similar websites)
· Avoid proofreading errors (be sure to spell check and read through your essay)
· Avoid overuse of resources (at the most, your essay should contain only 30% resource material)
Some things to keep in mind about essays:
· If you do not meet the minimum word count, you receive an automatic 50% on the essay. The grade can descend from there. Since this course is Gordon Rule, it is important to meet the minimums.
· When using any outside material, you must properly quote, paraphrase, summarize, and cite the material. If not, this can be considered plagiarism and result in penalties to your grade, such as a zero for the assignment. See the syllabus for details.
· Using Artificial Intelligence, ChatBots, or other generative means to write your essay for you is considered academic dishonesty.
· Be sure to review the rubric for this essay to better understand the elements being assessed