1. ENG 101 – Bolton
Essay Assignment 4: Arguing a Position with Research
Draft Due for in-Class Peer Review: April 5 (TR); April 9 (MW)
Paper Due to Instructor: April 10 (TR); April 11 (MW)
Length: 1500-3000 words (any essay that falls outside the length requirements, whether over or under,
will be penalized 15 points)
Outside Sources Required: Five (all must be scholarly and one must be a printed book; see the section
on “Research” below—you will be penalized 15 points for each source
missing and 15 points for each that isn’t scholarly)
Submission Methods: Hard copy (to me), electronic copy to the D2L Dropbox
In your last two essays, you analyzed an argument; now, it is your turn to make one. I expect you to
read Chapter 9 in your Norton Field Guide thoroughly, as it discusses all the components of arguing a
position.Follow these guidelines while constructing your essay:
Choose a topic that examines the use of technology in a particular aspect of our lives
o Examples: technology in education, technology in medicine, technology in sports,
technology in a particular workplace, etc.
o If it helps, think back to the true ―technology horror stories‖ we’ve read this semester—
did one of those make you angry? Do you have a strong opinion on the issue? If so, that
might spark a research topic….
Include an appropriate summary of the issue (primarily in the introduction) for your readers (see
Chapter 2 of They Say I Say and/or Chapter 46 in your Norton Field Guidefor additional
information on summarizing)
Offer a clear, well-developed thesis that makes an argument of definition, causation, evaluation,
or recommendation (refer back to your notes for details on these—your claim must be arguable!)
Offer solid, logical reasons for your claim (Make sure you avoid fallacies as well)
Research – Locate five scholarly sources that you can quote or paraphrase in your essay.
o A scholarly source is either a published book or an article from the library databases.
o Unless they come from a database, newspaper articles are not scholarly.
o Only one dictionary is scholarly (and therefore acceptable): The Oxford English
Dictionary.
o One of your five sources must be a published, printed book (not an eBook)—this means
a trip to the library is probably in your future! (The remaining four sources may be
additional books or articles from the databases; the choice is yours.)
o IMPORTANT:You must submit all sources to me (except the book) with your final
essay; this means you should print them (though you can turn in the copies you have
written on; it doesn’t matter.
Quotefrom each source at least once in your essay (see Chapter 3 of They Say I Say for details on
quoting and Chapter 49 in your Norton Field Guide for an example of formatting)
o This means a direct quote, not a paraphrase; though you may paraphrase additionally, you
must quote (meaning word-for-word, in quotation marks) at least once from each source.
Follow MLA format (you should have a Works Cited page with your sources listed on it, and
each quote/paraphrase should have a correct parenthetical citation!)
Notes/Reminders:
Don’t forget to return all your peer review work (drafts and worksheets) with the final copy of
your essay and submit your final essay to the D2L Dropbox