For this assignment, enter the Education Conversation and respond to the following: In the 21st century, does a college education matter? Why or Why not? You must support your argument with two sources in the “What’s College For” section of They Say I Say with Readings, 5th edition textbook. Only essays from this section will be accepted.
Things to Think About:
Your task is not as simple as agreeing or disagreeing with one of the authors we’ve read. Rather, you need to figure out for yourself whether or not a college education matters in the 21st century and then support your point-of-view effectively.
Review what the authors have to say. Make sure you understand and can summarize their arguments. Then think about whether you agree or disagree with their positions and why. How do their ideas influence your own point-of-view? Mark passages that reinforce your ideas―in agreement or disagreement―as you read.
Next, consider how these ideas are similar to each other, but also consider how they are different. Think about how using them together provides a fuller picture of the point you want to make.
Finally, bring these ideas together to form your argument (your Thesis). This argument should summarize the point you want to make in your paper, the conclusion you want your reader to reach with you, the goal you hope to accomplish.
Each of your Body Paragraphs should clearly help you prove/support your argument. Don’t forget about P.I.E. Use quotations to define terms and concepts and to offer examples/support of those ideas that reinforce your position.
Things I’ll be looking for:
~Whether or not your paper responds to the prompt.
~Context. Does your introduction make clear what conversation you’re entering and why? ~Introduction of author(s)/essay(s): Always introduce the essay title and author’s full name the first time you reference them. Refer to the author by last name throughout the rest of the paper.
~A clear argument (Thesis). Have you developed an angle? Are you specific? Does your paper follow that thesis (main point of the entire conversation) all the way through to the end? Does your Thesis answer the “so what?” question?
~Appropriate examples/quotations to support your argument.
~Whether or not you have defended your point-of-view successfully.
~Clean, proofread language and proper MLA essay format.
~3rd Person, Present Tense.
Requirements:
~The first draft must be a minimum of 3 pages. This does not mean that your first draft should be incomplete. The difference in page length between the first and last drafts takes into consideration the growth/further development of your argument and supporting materials through the revision process. Your first draft should be the very best that you can accomplish at the time that it is due; if you had to turn it in for a grade, you would feel confident doing so? Use the assistance from the SLC to help you answer this question very confidently.
~The final draft must be 3 full pages and your Works Cited page as the 4th page.
~A Title
~A Works Cited page (your WC page does not count in the page requirement). Remember, you will lose 1/2 a letter grade if the WC page is missing from the final draft you turn in to me.
~Quotations—use MLA citation for all quotations. Refer to the Seagull Handbook or Purdue OWL (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/) for help on MLA format.
~All drafts must be double spaced, printed in standard 12pt font, and proofread for error. Your name, my name, date, and course # will appear on the first page, left-hand side. Your last name and page number will appear in the right header of every page.
