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OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS Please note the
following due dates: · Rough Draft Posted to
Writing Group—no later than midnight Sunday, May
25. · Responses to Writing
Group’s rough drafts—no later than midnight Thursday,
May 29. · Final Copy due at the end-of-the-quarter meeting on Tuesday, June 3 from 12:30 to 2:30. 6 Please print out the
following steps for easy reference and check them off as you complete
them. To be successful, it is CRITICAL
that you complete all steps IN ORDER and complete each step fully before
continuing on to the next. ____1. Go to the S.C.C. Library Home page. ____2. Click on ____3. If you are off-campus, enter your Student I.D. number in the box
where it asks for your library card number.
Click Continue. ____4. Scan the many topics in both columns. ____5. Pick several of topics of interest, click on them, and explore
each of them a bit. ____6. For each topic you explore, see if you can find two opposing
essays. For example,
under Alcoholism you will find one
essay entitled Alcoholism Should Be
Treated as a Disease (#2) and one essay entitled Alcoholism Is not a Disease (#5).
Under Creationism you will find an essay
entitled Creationism
Should Not Be Taught in Public Schools (#1) and another entitled Creationism Should Be Taught Alongside Evolution (#6). Under Nuclear Weapons you will find an
essay entitled Nuclear Deterrence Should Not Be Used to
Prevent Biological Warfare (#1)
and Nuclear Deterrence Can Prevent
Biological Warfare (#2). Under Narcotics
Legalization you will find an essay entitled Drugs Should Be Legalized (#1) and
another entitled Drug Should Not Be
Legalized (#8). Under Illegal
Immigrants you will find an essay entitled Illegal Immigrants Have the Right to
Receive U.S. Health Care (#1) and Illegal Immigrants Threaten U.S. Health Care (#2). You get the idea. ____7. Select one of the topics you explored and read both opposing
essays. ____8. Next, please read Chapter 10--Argumentation,
pp. 277-289 (273-285) in our text Steps
to Writing Well and the
student essay “Students, Take Note!” On pp. 293-295 (289-291). ____9. Decide which side of the topic you will support and defend. The
side you take will be the thesis of your essay. ____10. Write your thesis sentence. Below are some sample thesis
sentences—please note their style and content: ·
Participation in Alcoholics Anonymous is effective for
a majority of people. ·
I believe that the
Environmental Movement over the past two decades has been remarkably
ineffective. ·
Contrary to what many
politicians might tell you, the 2003 war in ·
There is little doubt that
Global Warming is the most serious threat to our continued existence on this
planet. ____11.
Turn to p. 281 (277) of Steps to Writing Well and study the
three organizational patterns presented.
Note the different organization of each. ____12. Choose either Pattern A, Pattern B, or
Pattern C to build your essay. [If you choose Pattern A or Pattern B,
you will need two points of support for your position and two opposing points
that you will refute (argue against). [If you choose Pattern C, you will need
three points of support for your position that will by inference refute three
points of your opposition. ____13. Following the organizational pattern you chose (Pattern A, B, or
C), brainstorm and list reasons, thoughts, persuasive details, examples,
etc., that you can use to develop your body paragraphs. Note: Have NO sources open in front of you when doing the above step or you
may become guilty of plagiarism. ____14. Write a rough draft of each of your body paragraphs. ____15. Refer to the opposing essays you collected in Step 7. Locate and highlight specific quotes you
could blend into your body paragraphs to add support and to make your
position stronger. If you chose
Pattern B or C, you can also locate specific quotes you could refute. EKeep the quotes you will borrow small
in number and short in words. ____16. Turn to p. 293 (289) of Steps
to Writing Well and re-read the first paragraph of the sample student
essay “Students, Take Note.” ENotice how this paragraph first
introduces and explains the issue and then ends with the author’s thesis—his
position on the issue. You will want
to do the same in yours. ____17. Write your introductory paragraph using this sample paragraph as
a model. [Place your thesis statement at the end
of this paragraph. (Make it the paragraph’s final sentence.) ____18. Turn to p. 295 (291) of Steps
to Writing Well and re-read the last
paragraph of the sample student essay “Students, Take Note.” ENotice the tone and content of this
conclusion. ____19. Write your concluding paragraph using this sample paragraph as a
model. ____20. Collect all the paragraphs you have written and stack them in the
proper sequence. Add any transitions
your reader will need to move comfortably from one paragraph to the next. CYou now have built the rough draft of
your essay, so take a break, relax, and celebrate for a bit. When you feel appropriately refreshed, go
on to the next step. ____21. Read ALOUD through
your rough draft. Revise and polish it as best as you can. ____22. Post this revised rough draft to your Writing Group no later than
midnight Sunday, May 25. This will earn 10 points. ____23. Respond to your Writing Group's rough drafts by midnight Thursday, May 29. As always, please
offer constructive comments and encouragement. This will earn 5
points. _____24. Make any final adjustments to your essay and bring it to our end-of-the-quarter
meeting (Tuesday, June 3) at the beginning of class—12:30 p.m. A competent essay can yield up to 100 points. |
