Essay genre: Causal Argument

Topic: For this essay, you are free to choose your own topic. You are also welcome to choose a
topic that we discuss in class, such as the food industry, pollution, etc.
Regardless of what you choose to write about, it is important that you use the genre of a causal essay for this assignment: you must, through your writing, establish a cause-effect relationship, as well as demonstrate an understanding of immediate and remote causes, precipitating and contributing causes, events, constraints, and/or necessary and sufficient causes. You should avoid the fallacies that are typically associated with these types of arguments. You must also utilize research in order to provide grounds and backing for your claims and reasons. This paper must go beyond your opinion or what you think you know – it must be grounded in research.
Audience: the student body of OU
Requirements:
? 5-8 pages, double-spaced (a paper that does not meet the minimum length of 5 full pages
will receive an automatic grade of D or below)
? 12 pt. Times New Roman font; 1” margins on all sides
? MLA format with a Works Cited page (does not count towards the page length)
? Minimum of 5 credible/reliable research sources
? 3rd person (no 2nd or 1st person)
? academic language – no vernacular (slang), contractions, clichés, etc.
? effective use of pathos, ethos, logos
? A qualified, arguable thesis
? Evidence for every part of the argument
? Consideration of alternative views and counterarguments, such as any objections that a
reader might have to the claim, criteria, or evidence [rebuttals]
? You should choose a topic that you have not written a paper about before. In other words,
submitting work that you have completed for a previous class—in part or in whole—is expressly forbidden.
Full rough draft due Wednesday, October 16—upload a copy to the D2L Dropbox before class, and bring a hard copy to class for peer review.
Final essay due Monday, October 21—you must upload a copy to the Dropbox on D2L by 11:59 pm (one minute before midnight).
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC CLICK HERE