Major Essay Assignment #
In this essay you will write about a socially significant topic by blending public and researched information with any relevant personal experience or observation ofyour own. It cannot be written solely with personal information; however, personal information in the form of prior experience or observation of the topic is encouraged for blended development and a successful paper.; students must use a minimum of two documented source.You will learnhow to document with Modern Language Association (MLA) methods, using in-text parenthetical citations and corresponding Works Cited entries. Choose one option!
Choice A: Analysis essay
Use a form of analysis to share an important insight about a social topic. Example topics are shown below; you may also use other socially significant topics that you identify (all must get approved).
Example thesis statements for these topics will be generatedin class.
• A comparison contrast of two different sports, two different forms of art, two transportation methods,two cities, and other similar topics.
• A cause-effect paper in analyzing a recent trend or event in society. For example, you could use the Covid-19 outbreak and show what already happened and/or what you think will happen.
• A cause-effect paper in which you describe one or more hardships that students encounter (or that a particular student group encounters) and the effects of this issue on students.
• A paper classifying people or the behavior of people in some way. For example, you could write about the various types of friends, various kinds of authority figures, various types of boyfriends/ girlfriends/spouses/ significant others, various parenting styles, various types of baristas, teachers, etc.
• A discipline-based analysis in which you use a theory, definition, and/or other expert information from a particular academic discipline to interpret a recent trend or event.
The above are only examples. You may choose your own similar topic. Please note that they are written in broad statements. For example, if you want to compare/contrast two sports you’ll name the two sports.
OR: Choice B: Argument essay
Write an argument in which you call for some kind of significant social change for improvement. Try to persuade your audience that this change should occur and that they should take action. Identify something that needs to change at either a local, regional, or national level. Here are some examples of various broad topic categories to consider.
• Use of social media (in families, and/or in politics, marketing, dating, travelling, etc.)
• Environmental damage issues (individual responsibility, consumer habits, laws governing emissions, meat production, etc.)
• Use of natural resources (hunting, national park and wilderness designation, wildlife protection, shooting animals as sport)
• Argument for resource allocation or social change related to discrimination in the U.S. or another country.
• Argument for taxation or pay rate changes (like raising minimum wage, or requiring certain industries to pay more) to solve America’s enormous wealth differential issue
These are only topic examples, and some of them are broadly stated. You will be shown specific thesis statements in the topic/possible thesis submission link when it is published.
Essay Guidelines
The essay must be between 600 and 1000 words in length. Any material from another source–either language, facts, or ideas—must be documented using MLA (at any stage of submission, even drafts). We will learn about these methods in class. The final submitted essay must be double spaced, with one-inch margins and a title on page one. Students must complete all scheduled checkpoints (topic selection, outline, sharing of draft parts.) to submit an essay to be graded.Online links will be provided for submission of checkpoints.
Q2.Topic and thesis for Essay
Read this page carefully before submitting! It includes important guidelines and instructional material.
For this assignment, indicate your topic choice Major Essay as well as your current projection about what its thesis will be. In addition, indicate the genre you think it will be. Use the submission format examples indicated on this page after reading the page carefully.
Submit specific topics! Most of the example topics listed in the assignment description (General Materials module) are, as indicated, generic (general) categories designed to give you ideas, but your topic submission should be specific. For example, under comparison-contrast, the examples include comparing two kinds of art, or two kinds of transportation. Those are not specific enough to submit! If you pick transportation, name the two kinds being compared as your topic: Comparison-contrast of bus riding and driving a car.
Topics can typically be stated in a phrase (a non-sentence), but the thesis needs to be a sentence or two. Note: some examples below show more than one thesis for each topic for instructional purposes, but you should only send one topic and one thesis. Please note how the topics also mention the genre: (cause-effect, classification, comparison-contrast, argument, etc.)
topic: The benefits of exercise (cause-effect)
cause-effect thesis: If done the right way, exercise can help people stay happy, focused, and healthy because of the effects on human physiology.
or, same topic but with an argument approach:
topic: The benefits of exercise (argument)
argument thesis: Most adults should exercise at least three times a week for a minimum of 45 minutes.
topic: Electric vehicles and gas cars (comparison-contrast)
comparison-contrast thesis: Electric vehicles are a better choice for local city driving, while gas cars work better for drivers who often take long trips .
topic: Electric Vehicles (argument)
argument thesis: The government should continue to offer tax incentives for Electric Vehicles and also for the development of EV charging networks.
topic: the different categories of friends (classification)
classification thesis: Many people will have at least four kinds of friends at any point in time, and knowing the differences will help reduce stress. The types are new friends, long-term friends, casual acquaintances, and friends who are really enemies.
For Argument Thesis Statements, use specific social action! It is common in argument essay projects for some students to initially state ideal generalities such as what “should” happen or what is right or wrong, like a moral position (or a meme). Instead, a thesis for argument for our class should indicate specific social action to accomplish what “should” happen. Note the differences between the examples below.
Topic: American racism
Incomplete example argument thesis: America should not tolerate racism.
Of course this is true, but an argument thesis needs to call for social action. How can racism be addressed in an actual, pragmatic way? Here are example thesis statements that address racism with a specific proposal:
Good argument thesis examples on American racism:
All American police departments, large and small, in every state, should require anti-racist training for officers. OR
The federal government should create a tax on the mega-wealthy to pay reparations to African-American descendants of slaves to help address fiscal inequity.
Membership in an organization which is openly White Supremacist should be considered a hate crime that can be investigated by the FBI.
Note that these would each be a different essay, focused on a particular social change. Three thesis statements are shown to make an instructional point above, but if this were your topic, you would only submit one projected thesis.
Avoid general laments in your thesis such as Too much social inequality exists in the world or We should protect the environment, or We need to respect each other as people. Instead, submit a thesis with a clear social change designed to help solve the problem in a specific way. Here is an example: People should take the time to study the history and culture of at least one ethnic group that is not their own.
Submission formatMany of the examples above show more than one thesis statement for one topic. However, you should submit only one topic (with genre) and one thesis. Don’t submit a draft introduction with a hook, warmup to the topic, etc. evidence you will use in the essay, etc. Those come later. Submit just a topic and one thesis for approval, as in this format/example:
Topic: your topic in a brief phrase. See several topic examples above on this page. Also indicate the genre (argument, cause-effect, classification, or comparison-contrast)
Genre and Thesis: Indicate the projected thesis in no more than two sentences. You don’t have to indicate your reasoning, body sub-topics, etc. See several thesis examples above on this page.