Argumentative Essay

For this assignment, you must educate yourself about a contemporary issue/debate that is related to a theme or issue raised in Parable of the Sower and then argue your own position on that issue. The connection to the Parable of the Sower can be indirect. For example, in the novel, people use drugs that make them want to start fires. Your paper could be about something related to pharmaceuticals or street drugs in our world. In other words, you should get ideas from Parable of the Sower, but the paper isn't about the novel; instead you should focus on making an argument about the issue/debate you chose

For this essay, you also have to find credible sources on your topic and use evidence from your sources to support your position. To do this effectively, you must interpret, analyze, and critique your sources. Remember to: go beyond standard positions, treat the author fairly, address the implications of your argument, and respond to an opposing view. Pages 74-76 in A Writer's Reference include a sample research paper for your reference.

Objective: The goal of this assignment is for you to show that you can effectively argue your own position while using credible sources to support your points.

Length: Your paper must be at least 1200 words, but no longer than 1500 words long not including the Works Cited Page. (A page of 12-sized typed text that is double-spaced is usually about 300 words long.)

Format: Your paper should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and no extra spaces between paragraphs. Use a 12-sized font (Times New Roman is recommended). Papers for this class must be formatted in MLA style which means each paper should include your name, the instructor's name, ENG 101, and the date in upper left corner of the first page. Each subsequent page should also include your last name and the page number in the upper right hand corner. See pages 408-409 in A Writer's Reference for an example of a paper formatted in MLA style.

Sources: A minimum of three credible sources are required for this paper, two of which must be from the library (for example: an article from CQ Researcher, an article from the Gale Virtual Reference Library, or a book from the ebrary). Choose the quotes you use carefully and don't make them longer than necessary. See "Documenting Sources" in A Writer's Reference (beginning on page 370). Also see page 412 for an example of a list of sources in MLA style. As always, any sources used must be introduced and properly credited with citations.