Length: 1000-1500 words
Format: Typed using Times New Roman 12 point font, DOUBLE-SPACED. Cite sources using your chosen citation style from previous assignments and format the document according to your chosen citation styles general formatting requirements (we will go over this in detail in class)
OBJECTIVE:
¢ Writing an Argumentative Research Essay will bring together the threads of the Intended Learning Outcomes of English 151. In the process of writing your essay you will form critical responses to ideas, read and analyze texts relevant to your topic, demonstrate your literacy skills, all while writing in an academic style and developing an awareness of yourself as a writer.
¢ The purpose of this essay is to provide you with an opportunity to use the skills you have acquired in English 151, and to reinforce your understanding of how academic writing skills including critical, creative thinking; reliable, rigorous, and ethical research; logical analysis; and clear, grammatical writing can contribute to your overall success in university.
¢ For this assignment, you have the opportunity to go beyond our course material and choose your own topic based on readings we have critically analyzed and discussed in class. The essay is an opportunity to stretch and highlight your talents as a writer.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. This essay must establish an argument that will be developed throughout the course of the essay. Your argument (what you will prove in your essay) must be easily identifiable, and you must establish the purpose of your work in the first or second paragraph. Therefore:
2. Your introductory paragraph must plainly state the topic you will be discussing throughout the essay and include a well-developed, clearly identifiable thesis statement telling your reader the strong, arguable position that you will taking in relation to that topic.
3. Your essay should be well organized. Your audience should be able to easily follow your arguments as you move from one point to the next. As we have discussed in class, topic sentences serve a dual purposethey should clearly state what you will be discussing in the paragraph, while also relating back to your thesis statement.
¢ Your paragraphs should be unified (develop one idea per paragraph), and coherent (use transitions to link ideas between paragraphs).
¢Your essay should have actual quotes to support your assertions. You must cite your quotes, along with any work that you paraphrase. Please remember, however, that quotes should be used selectively to support, illustrate, or explain your points not simply to fill out your word count.
¢ Your conclusion should successfully and clearly summarize your argument.
4. You must use a minimum of three (3) reliable research sources. You can find these reliable sources through the Camosun College library database or through Google Scholar. These reliable sources can be peer-reviewed, scholarly sources, such as books from academic publishers or academic journal articles. You may use other, less scholarly, but still factual and responsibly chosen sources, such as trustworthy, respectable, fact-checked and edited magazines and newspapers. Do not use blogs, web pages, Wikipedia, or other unreliable and unedited sources. If you have a doubt about the veracity and the reliability of a source, please come and talk to me about it.
5. You must provide well-chosen quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from these sources that are pertinent to the argument you are making as evidence to prove, support, and/or illustrate your claims.
6. This essay must be a minimum of 1000 words and no more than 1500 words (approximately five double-spaced pages, not including your bibliography page). 7. Format your document according to your chosen citation style (APA, MLA, etc.), as discussed in class. For example, APA asks for a title page with a running head and page number on the top of every page, leave a quarter of your title page blank, and centered on your page, write your title and with your individual information centered underneath it.
For example, MLA does not need a title page, but rather asks for a running head of your last name and page number on every page, with your first page containing your individual information on top left-hand corner of your page, go down two lines, and provide your title centered one line above your first paragraph.
8. Proofread and properly edit your essay. Do not rely solely on your computers spell check system; you must read your essay to ensure a minimum of grammatical, word choice (such as homophone errors), and punctuation errors. Your grade will depend, in part, on your essay being properly proofed before submission.
To achieve a high grade on this assignment, you must:
1. Correctly follow all format requirements and instructions.
2. Communicate in a clear, grammatical, and academic style of writing.
3. Keep your thesis in mind at all times: everything you write should, in some way: prove, support, or further your thesis.
4. The 3 reliable research sources you use in the essay must be integrated into your own sentence structure in a grammatically correct way through the use of direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries.
5. Remember to document and cite all other authors works clearly and accurately (in your chosen citation style) both in your text and in your bibliography. Failure to do this can result in plagiarism concerns, no matter how unintentional they may be.
6. An argumentative essay is a two-sided look at an issue. You must acknowledge opposition to your position and address that opposition in a respectful, organized way (we will discuss different organization styles, such as block style and point-by-point in class).
Things to remember as you prepare this essay:
¢ Keep your thesis in mind at all times: everything you write should, in some way, prove, support, or further your argument as stated in your thesis sentence. ¢ Quotes are important to an essay, but only if used correctly. Add quotes to support or reinforce important points you are making in your essay. Choose your quotes carefully; they should be concise and pertinent.
¢ Remember to cite all other authors works properly in your chosen citation style. Failure to do this can result in plagiarism concerns, no matter how unintentional it may be.
¢ You must include a separate bibliography page at the end of your essay. The bibliography page is in addition to the 1000 1500 word count. There will be an automatic deduction of 10% if there is no bibliography included.
¢ Leave lots of time to edit, revise, and proofread!
RESEARCH ESSAY TEXTS & TOPICS (APA and MLA citations provided. Use page numbers numbers provided on PDFs):
¢ APA: Mate, G. (2009). The Keys of Paradise: Addiction as a Flight from Distress. In In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. Toronto: Vintage Canada.
¢ MLA: Mate, Gabor. The Keys of Paradise: Addiction as a Flight from Distress. In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction., Vintage Canada, 2009.
¢ APA: Sullum, J. (2003). The Surprising Truth About Heroin and Addiction In Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin.
¢ MLA: Sullum, Jacob. The Surprising Truth About Heroin and Addiction. Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2003.
1. Either¦Use The Keys of Paradise: Addiction as a Flight from Distress by Gabor Mate and/or The Surprising Truth About Heroin and Addiction by Jacob Sullum as a research resource, develop an argument regarding this issue: Drug addiction is a significant and complex social issue facing Canadian society. In Canada, and in many other Western nations, lawmakers are either considering changing, or have already changed, legal policy regarding drug use. Some countries, such as Canada, have legalized certain recreational drugs, or all drugs, or reoriented policy regarding drug users away from legal punishment towards medical treatment. Take a stance on this issue: Should Canada legalize all drugs? Provide your reader with an argument in favour or against this proposal that considers the possible implications for policing, trade and the economy, and health care.
2. Or¦Create your own research essay topic and argumentative thesis using The Keys of Paradise: Addiction as a Flight from Distress by Gabor Mate and/or The Surprising Truth About Heroin and Addiction by Jacob Sullum as research resources.
RECOMMENDED RESEARCH SOURCES (APA and MLA citations provided):
1. APA: Miron, J.A. (2001). The Economics of Drug Prohibition and Drug Legalization. Social Research, 68(3), 835. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login.aspx? direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.40971915&site=eds-live
MLA: Miron, Jeffrey A. The Economics of Drug Prohibition and Drug Legalization. Social Research, vol. 68, no. 3, 2001, p. 835. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.40971915&site=eds-live.
2. APA: Hajizadeh, M. (2016). Legalizing and Regulating Marijuana in Canada: Review of Potential Economic, Social, and Health Impacts. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, (8), 453. https://doi-org.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/10.15171/ijhpm.2016.63
MLA: Hajizadeh, Mohammad. Legalizing and Regulating Marijuana in Canada: Review of Potential Economic, Social, and Health Impacts. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, no. 8, 2016, p. 453. EBSCOhost, doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2016.63.
3. APA: Russoniello, K. (2012). The Devil (and Drugs) in the Details: Portugals Focus on Public Health as a Model for Decriminalization of Drugs in Mexico. Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law & Ethics, 12(2), 371. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login.aspx? direct=true&db=edo&AN=82908898&site=eds-live
MLA: Russoniello, Kellen. The Devil (and Drugs) in the Details: Portugals Focus on Public Health as a Model for Decriminalization of Drugs in Mexico. Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law & Ethics, vol. 12, no. 2, Summer 2012, p. 371. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=edo&AN=82908898&site=eds-live.
4. APA: Baum, D. (2016). Legalize It All. Harpers Magazine, 332(1991), 2230. Retrieved from https:// search-ebscohost-com.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rch&AN=113641729&site=eds-live
MLA: Baum, Dan. Legalize It All. Harpers Magazine, vol. 332, no. 1991, Apr. 2016, pp. 2230. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=113641729&site=eds-live.
5. APA: Tinasti, K. (2019). Toward the End of the Global War on Drugs. Brown Journal of World Affairs, 25(2), 109120. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/login.aspx? direct=true&db=bth&AN=137810897&site=eds-live
MLA: Tinasti, Khalid. Toward the End of the Global War on Drugs. Brown Journal of World Affairs, vol. 25, no. 2, Spring/Summer2019 2019, pp. 109120. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=bth&AN=137810897&site=eds-live.
