English 1301 Assignment for Persuasive Essay
Assignment:
Write a persuasive essay of at least 900 words in which you take a distinct position on a local / personal issue of some controversy that impacts or has impacted you and on a regular basis. This should be an issue at play in your home, school, workplace, or community. Essays may include borrowed information as long as it is cited with parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page. Essays that do not meet the word requirement will not receive a passing score.
Finding a topic:
Where to start:
-Remember that an issue is a matter of importance that needs to be resolved. It must be arguable, and there must be room for an opposing argument (Not, Child Abuse is Wrong). Also, your issue must be relevant today. Areas of controversy in your own life are ripe for topic exploration.
-Avoid issues of a wide/national a scope (abortion, gun control, capital punishment, national racism). This should be an issue specific to your life and experience. However, it is still written in 3rd person.
-Avoid issues with which you have too little knowledge to make a sensible argument.
IDEAS:
-Academic-
-Administration (Principal, Dean, President, Board of Trustees, etc.)
-Cost (admission, books, housing, parking)
-Courses (appropriate level, variety, manageable, real world/applicable)
-Policies (attendance, rules and regulations, grading system)
-Faculty/Instructors (teaching style, grading, accessibility, ability to relate, knowledge
of subject matter, attitude)
-Sports (variety, coaching, equipment, facilities, team spirit, school spirit)
-Facilities (desks, classrooms, grounds, buildings, restrooms, etc.)
-Technology -Clubs
-Safety -Dorms
-Special Events -Food Services
-Convenience -Financial Aid
-Student diversity/recruiting -Counseling
-Bookstore -Campus layout
-Anything else of serious concern to a student -Registration
Workplace
-Management -Immediate supervisor -Training
-Chain of command -Salary -Rules and Regulations
-Hours -Benefits -Uniforms
-Safety -Coworkers
-Working environment -Opportunities for advancement
-Facilities -Technology
Service Organization
-Management -Training -Accessibility
-Rules and Regulations -Communication -Organization
-Hours -Safety -Publicity
-Working environment -Employees -Budget
-Facilities -Technology
-Example issues:
-Should physical education be a general college degree requirement at ______?
-Should basic courses (Math, English, History, Government, Science) be
required for all college degrees in Texas?
-Should students give more respect to (a certain club or organization) at ______?
-Should a curfew be enforced in (a certain city or your home)?
-Should the dress code be modified at ______?
-Should an attendance policy be enforced at ______?
-Should co-ed dorms be allowed at ______ College?
-Should ______ church require baptism by immersion for church membership?
-Should _______ church use more contemporary music?
-Should a certain policy at your workplace be modified ?
-Should attitudes toward race be changed at _____ (city or college)?
-Make a case for a choice of some type (a specific college, a brand of pickup,
a career)
-Should your curfew be modified?
-Any other real, relevant issue related to your life is fair game.
Think about policies, laws, attitudes, rules, or trends in your daily life that you either support or discourage and for which there are those who disagree with you.
What to avoid:
-Avoid being overly critical/abusive toward the opposition. Dont ridicule.
-Avoid supporting your position with religious/biblical references, unless your issue applies only to a specific group of believers.
-Avoid generalizing your position (all people, all times, all situations).
-Use such words and phrases as some, often,. It seems likely, perhaps, seldom,
rarely, etc.
-Avoid allowing your emotions to take over your argument.
-Avoid drawing conclusions based on too little or faulty evidence.
-Avoid presenting only two options if there are more.
-Avoid sarcasm.
-Avoid starting sentences with
