Restricted/Forbidden Topics
Essays submitted on the following topics will be rejected and you will be required to repeat the assignment:
abortion, changing the drinking age, right to die cases, gay marriage, capital punishment, gun control, immigration reform, religion, the legalization of marijuana, video game violence, media violence, athlete salary (professional and college), political alignment, the upcoming election, vaccines, the border wall, or police brutality.
These topics have already been discussed in the press ad nauseam or have such heavily biased information that valid academic argument would be difficult if not impossible.
Essay 1: Social Issue Argument
Requirements:
The finished essay should be at least four-five full pages, double space, in 12 point Times New Roman font with 1” margins. 3rd person only. Essays that fail to meet length requirements will be subject to a substantial penalty. Late essays will be penalized according to the course guidelines on late work.
Final Draft: Due by midnight via Blackboard on September 13th
Assignment:
Write a research-based argument based on a contemporary social issue. This essay must establish a clear line of argument. The issue should address a social, academic, and/or political issue of concern to a large percentage of the population. An understanding of the issue must be apparent and must work to persuade the reader to view the issue in a particular light or advocate a strong course of action. Please note the restricted topics when choosing a topic.
You should use at least four sources for this paper. Using Internet sources is permissible, but all sources must be valid in terms of academic argument, timely, and relevant to the topic at hand. Do NOT use Wikipedia as a primary source, although you can certainly use it to gather information and find other sources to cite from. All sources should be cited in proper MLA style format.