ENGL 1013 Writing Studies – Module 8 Guide

Essay 3 Final Draft: Argumentation

Over the course of the semester, we have been thinking about language, power, and identity. In the coming weeks, we will expand our discussion to include technology and gender. For Essay 3, you will write an argument inspired by one of the three issues outlined below. You are free to choose your specific focus from within these categories.

For Essay 3, we will add research to the writing skills you’ve been building over the course of the semester. You will find 2-3 credible sources through your own research to support your argument. One of these sources must be a scholarly (peer-reviewed) source.

In addition to the sources that you find through your own research, you must support your argument using evidence from two of the following works we have read in the course:

Issue 1: Technology, Authenticity, & Language

• Adam Alter, “Why our screens make us less happy” (TED Talk)
• Beth McMurtrie, “Cheating Has Become Normal”
• Brooke Erin Duffy and Ysabel Gerrard, “BeReal and the Doomed Quest for Online Authenticity”
• Kenneth Goldsmith, “Go Ahead: Waste Time on the Internet”
• Benjamin Horne, “Fake News Starts with the Title” (see Module 3)

Issue 2: Gender & Language

• Chimamanda Adichie, “Happy Feminist” (TED Talk)
• Roxane Gay, “The Careless Language of Sexual Violence”
• Sherryl Kleinman, Matthew Ezzell, and A. Corey Frost, “The Social Harms of Bitch”
• bell hooks, “Feminist Masculinity”
• Michael Kimmel, “Bros before Hoes: The Guy Code”

Issue 3: Identity & Language (see Module 1)

• Curtis Carroll, “How I learned to read—and trade stocks—in prison” (TED Talk)
• Ta-Nehisi Coates, from The Message
• Jamila Lyiscott, “3 Ways to Speak English” (TED Talk)
• Meredith McCarroll, “Appalachian Accent and Academic Power”
• Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue”
• Sherman Alexie, “Superman and Me”

Guidelines

Your essay should be 5-6 pages in length (at least 5 full pages) and should be formatted according to MLA guidelines.

Additionally, because you are writing for an academic audience, follow the conventions of academic writing. This means having a clear introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs with clear main ideas and evidence, analysis that evaluates how and why the evidence supports the overall argument, and a formal tone throughout with proper MLA documentation of evidence and sources.

Your Works Cited Page should include 4-5 sources:

• 1 scholarly/peer-reviewed source you find through your own research
• 1-2 additional sources that you find through your own research (these can also be scholarly)
• 2 sources from the course readings listed above

Essay Reflection Essay

Please respond thoughtfully to the following questions in the form of a reflection essay. 

• This semester we have discussed several broad topics. Some of them include: literacy, gender, advertising, technology, and lying. Which did you enjoy most? Why? Which did you enjoy least? Why? 
• Think about your writing over the course of the semester. Do you think you have changed as a writer over the course of this semester? If so, in what way? If not, why not?
• What have you learned about the writing process over the course of this semester? 
•  This class involves quite a bit of reading and writing. Now that we are at the end of the semester, what are you most proud of in this class? What could you have done better, or how could you have improved? 

Guidelines

• Your reflection essay should by 2-3 pages in length and should be formatted following MLA formatting guidelines.