The Argument Essay Components

Eng 1301 Final Essay

Rough Draft due for self review: Thursday December 2, 2010
Rough Draft II due for peer review: Thursday December 2, 2010
FINAL COPY + POWER POINT PRESENTATION due on exam date Thursday December 9, 2010 @
9-11am

1. Choose a topic that interests you

2. Give your topic an interesting title
3. Structure of the paper:

• Introduction - Provide the necessary background to introduce your reader to your topic.
State your position by making a claim (thesis).

• Paragraph 1: In this paragraph discuss one of the reasons cited in the first paragraph.
Specifically, your aim in this paragraph is to present evidence in support of your claim.

• Paragraph 2: Discuss another of the reasons cited in the first paragraph. Provide evidence.

• Paragraph 3: Discuss another of the reasons cited in the first paragraph. Provide evidence.

• Paragraph 4: Propose a solution to your topic issue and give evidence why your solution
would work.

• Paragraph 5: Discuss contradictory reasons relating to your claim (opposing arguments)

and refute them with your evidence/Discuss possible objections to your argument with the
aim of showing how they can be overcome.

• Conclusion: Restate your position/restate thesis. Discuss significance of your findings.

Call for action on the issue you have raised. Relate significance of issue to the audience.

4. Further instructions: Write a full 4 - 5 page paper on your chosen topic that lends itself to an
Argument paper. Follow the Modern Language Association (MLA) format by using Times New Roman
12-point font, 1” margins, all double spaced, and so on as discussed in class. Present facts in your paper.
Write as a third person narrator. Use third person plural “We” or “Our” when illustrating a point.
Use “I” only when illustrating a paragraph topic. DO NOT USE SECOND PERSON “YOU”.

6. Citations: You must have 5 sources cited on your paper. Follow MLA format for your Works Cited
page. Wikipedia is NOT acceptable. The paper must also have in-text (parenthetical) citation(s) as
well as a Works Cited page, which is a separate page, but a continuation of the paper EXAMPLE:

Works Cited

Purdue OWL. “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” The Purdue OWL. Purdue U

Writing Lab, 10 May 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2008