PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

Objective

You are writing a 7-10 page persuasive, evidence-based, academic essay to an audience of your peers. That essay must support a specific and arguable thesis on an agricultural issue of your choice.

Expectations

• This kind of essay will include an introduction that provides both context for the thesis statement(s), and the thesis statement(s) itself.
• It will include multiple body paragraphs, each of which is guided by a topic sentence that both serves as that paragraph’s claim and connects that claim back to the thesis statement(s).
• Using evidence derived from your sources, each body paragraph will support its topic sentence’s claim.
• Body paragraphs are also the place to engage in rhetorical devices such as counter-arguments. Such devices are designed to further convince your audience to accept your thesis statement(s).
• Your essay will also include a conclusion that both recapitulates your argument and provokes your audience to do something with their new knowledge via a call to action, or provocative questions, or suggested lines for further inquiry.
• Students are encouraged to schedule an instructor conference for 1 point of extra credit, plus crucial guidance and feedback on the direction of their papers.

Your Topic

(1 point – credit/no credit)

Submit a one- to two-sentence description of your term paper topic. You must 1) describe the scope of your topic (i.e. the who, what, when, and where), and 2) explain why it is an important topic.You may change your topic at a later date, if you choose. Issues must affect the public sphere.

Week 5 Activity:

In small breakout groups, share your working topics with each other. Discuss the topics with an aim to revise them toward arguability (debatability) and specificity. If applicable, what position are you going to defend for your topic?

3 Sources

(3 points – credit/no credit)

Submit short (1-2 paragraph) annotations of three sources you intend to use in your Term Paper. One must be an academic, peer-reviewed source. The other two can be popular sources (including video or podcasts, if appropriate). All sources must be reliable. Annotations must include:

1. The source’s citation formatted in APA or other standard style.

Clements, Philip W. Science in an Extreme Environment: The 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition. Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Press. 2018.

2. A summary ofthe text’s argument.
3. Your assessment of the source, and a reflection of how you intend to use its contents to support your argument.

For more information on citations, summary, assessment, and reflection, see the Purdue Online Writing Lab’s Annotated Bibliography page. Use OneSearch, Google Scholar, or Google News to help find sources!

Your Annotated Bibliography should be useful to you, but understandable by others. As such, keep your annotations focused on the source’s connection to your project, but please write in complete, sensible sentences. Each annotation is worth one point, and each will be graded separately as credit/no credit.

Intro, Thesis, and Argument Outline

(3 points – credit/no credit)

Complete working drafts of your introductory paragraph and your thesis statements (1 point each). Include an outline (1 point) so that you can walk your peers through the argument you are creating to support your thesis statements. At minimum, this should include general descriptions and working topic sentences for each paragraph.

Tips

Your introduction should include:
1. Enough context for your audience to understand your thesis statement(s).

2. Your specific and arguable thesis statement(s). What you’re arguing, how you’re making that argument, and why it matters.

Your outline should include a rough topic sentence for each of the paragraphs you intend to write. Each paragraph will support your thesis statement(s) by using evidence found in your sources to explore and explain one idea or relationship derived from your thesis. The best outlines will have a logical progression, and they will briefly explain the purpose each paragraph serves to advance your paper’s argument.

The direction of your argument and its outline will be determined by its thesis statement because the entire paper’s purpose is to support its thesis. Simple and uncontentious theses require less explanation and support, and so yield shorter papers. Complex and contentious theses require more support, and so yield longer papers. As a 7-10 page assignment, your Term Paper will need a thesis somewhere in the middle.

Term Paper, First Draft

(3 points – credit/no credit)

Complete a full draft of your essay according to the expectations outlined, above, your April 5 peer review session, and your instructor conference (if applicable).

Term Paper, Final Draft

(20 points – graded)

Complete a final draft of your essay using previous peer reviews, instructor conferences, your volition, and these threerevisionaids. Final draft should be double-spaced, written in 12-point Times New Roman, with one-inch page margins, and must include a Works Cited, References, or Bibliography.