Comparison/Contrast Essay
(Total Value: 10%)
Due Date:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Class: 9/28/07
Monday/Wednesday
Class: 9/26/07
General
Guidelines:
- Page count: 2 full
pages minimum to 3 full pages maximum, plus an additional page, which is
the works cited page. If your paper falls short of the minimum required
page count the grade will certainly suffer.
- Make certain that the essay has a thesis.
- Use the formatting guidelines established during
class lectures.
- Use MLA Style Guidelines.
- Title your essay in the form of a two-part
title. The two parts should be separated by a colon, and neither part
should read “comparison/contrast essay.”
- Your assignment is to write an argumentative
essay about the opposing views surrounding the September 11th
attacks, and you must make a convincing case that advances one of the two
following views:
A)
The attacks happened the way the government suggests.
B)
It is more likely that conspiracy theorists have uncovered the truth.
About the
comparison/contrast essay:
- The final sentence of your introductory
paragraph, of course, will be your thesis statement.
- The remainder of your essay will persuasively
argue to prove that your thesis is probably correct.
- At its heart, this
assignment is argumentative, so your focus should be on advancing a
persuasive argument. You will compare and contrast opposing views, but
further, you will use the conclusions you draw from that
comparison/contrast to advance your argument.
Background,
sources, and further requirements:
- Your topic/problem is the controversy
surrounding 9/11 attacks. The US government claims that these were the
acts of Al Qaeda, and that the US government certainly knew nothing of the
impending disaster. However, many people believe that the US government had
foreknowledge of the impending attacks and allowed them to occur, and that
the US government engaged in a cover-up.
- Many websites
supporting the conspiracy theories have cropped up on the web, and the US
government also has a cite that includes The 9/11 Commission Report.
- I will provide some
sources, and you will locate one additional source on the web.
- You will engage the
following websites:
Your Works Cited
page:
- Your works cited page will certainly have at least three citations, for you
will cite the two websites listed above, and the outside source on the web
that you locate on your own.
- I will provide
instructions during class to help you compose the citations.
Important:
- During class
there will be much direct instruction from me, so you must attend class to
be successful in this assignment. I will also assist you during peer
revisions and I am available for questions via E-mail and before and after
class.
How to turn in this essay: a paper copy is due during class on the due date.
Additionally, an electronic copy is due, prior
to the beginning of class, on the due date, and it must be turned in to
TurnItIn.com as
a MS
Word doc file. Use the TurnItIn.com “file upload” method on the submit screen.
You will be instructed during class about how to create a TurnItIn.com account,
and how to turn in your work. Your essays will be considered late until both
the paper copy and the electronic copies are turned in. All other rules for
late work, as delineated in section six of the course syllabus, also apply.
Moreover, your electronic turn-in must be an exact
duplicate of the paper copy. In other words, no further corrections or
revisions will be accepted. Also, if the electronic
and paper copies do not match up it will have a negative impact on the assignment’s
grade.
Some important points:
- Remember to have a strong introductory paragraph
that frames the topic of your paper.
- Remember that the final sentence of your
introductory paragraph should be your thesis statement.
Due Date:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Class: 9/28/07
Monday/Wednesday
Class: 9/26/07