First Draft of Argument Essay – due October 28th by 11:59 pm in Turnitin (use the Turnitin link at the bottom of the assignment)
Read ALL of these instructions carefully.
Your formal argument essay for the term must argue the impact of one of the three topics listed below:
America is experiencing a shift in how we participate in our workplace(s). Some people are choosing to quietly quit, some joined the great resignation, others are choosing to continue to work from home. Will American workplaces and employers and employees shift with this new trend or will employers bring employees back to the traditional workplace?
Many k12 schools and libraries in America continue to ban books, is this appropriate or is it taking away intellectual freedom from students?
Is it the best approach for the US to make the first four years of college free to all qualified students?
(Use the same topic you presented in the Defining the Argument Thesis and Claims assignment. Once you choose a topic, you must stay with this topic all term)
In your essay draft, as Graff says, “Make it an argument that counts.” However, make it an argument you can undertake a final essay of 6 to 7 pages.
In this assignment, you are articulating and developing an argument thesis, claims and support/evidence that will be used in all three drafts of this essay between weeks three and ten of the term. These are the instructions for the first draft of the argument essay.
This formal academic research-based argument essay requires inquiry, research and critical thinking on your part since this is an argument driven, where evidence must be provided as support. Therefore, the essay you write cannot be merely a report on your chosen topic, because a report only informs the reader, it does not argue a stance. Overall, this first draft shows your preliminary argument.
Requirements:
In all drafts you will employ an argument thesis and extend that argument through the use of claims and evidence to support for the argument. Thereby developing a complete logical/reasoned academic or formal argument.
In supporting this first draft of the argument you must incorporate at a minimum:
A minimum of four academic sources as evidence/ support for your claims
The “I” voice can be used, BUT in a limited manner. Do not over use the “I” voice so much so that your essay becomes an opinion essay. Us it when it is necessary, and sparingly.
No less than 3 full pages and no more than 4 pages in length for this draft. The required APA cover page and Reference page are not included in the essay page length, they are in addition to.
You are given a page minimum to meet so you begin to develop the argument and claims, but do not have the whole of the essay completed. This could mean you write three pages without a conclusion or choose to not develop a con claim yet.
Work to be clear and concise in this early draft so the reader can see the argument developing.
Required Formatting:
All drafts of the essay will be double-spaced and typed, using a 12-point typeface and font with serifs as required by APA. (Fonts that have serifs are: Palatino Linotype, Goudy, Baskerville, Bookman Old-style, Bookman Antiqua, when in doubt Times New Roman is the best choice)
An APA cover page, page numbers and page margin formatting are required.
No running head is needed, APA has removed that requirement. (A sample of the correct APA Cover page is in the APA Resources module)
In the essay’s text APA citation must be used for all direct quotes, summaries or paraphrase used in the essay.
An APA References page is included at the end of all drafts of the paper for all sources used in the paper. (The Reference page is its own page at the end of the essay)
The APA cover page and References pages are not included in the required page count for any draft.
Remember: The first draft of the essay is your beginning point, and you will more fully develop the essay in the second and then the final draft. Thus, there is time to research, reflect, revise and improve this essay across the next seven weeks.
If you do not turn in a draft of the essay be it first or second, you cannot turn in a subsequent draft. Meaning all drafts are required, on time, in Turnitin.
