Create an argumentative essay dealing with one of the pieces that we have discussed this semester. It will be a minimum of 6-8 pages in length (for good measure the paper should spill onto the seventh page and this does not include the works cited page). In this paper, you will argue some facet of the piece of literature using a narrowly defined and well-structured thesis, strong topic sentences, and relevant details from the text(s) in question. Moreover, you will use 3-5 well-selected, peer-reviewed academic sources to interact with the text on a more critical level and to help support your assertions (these sources will be from the databases: JSTOR and TEL are the best for this. However, feel free If you use Google or another search engine and find non-peer-reviewed sources, a letter grade will be deducted). Finally, you will use correct in-text citations and create works cited entries for the paper as a whole (if you do not have these, a letter grade will be deducted for in-text and for works cited citations).
Purpose: To demonstrate your ability to create a narrowly defined argument over a piece of literature and support it accurately throughout using your own critical reading of the text and secondary sources to help solidify your academic approach, but moreover, to engage with the cultural and critical conversations surrounding the piece as well.
Key Skills: Students will show that they can create a specific argument over a piece of literature. They will demonstrate that they can support this position using powerful argumentative points and well-selected secondary sources to do so. Additionally, they will show that they can research effectively and use scholarly texts to help bolster their argument overall, taking both cultural content and critical conversations into account as they argue.