Overview

In this assignment you will undertake multiple research and writing tasks to engage policy action at the local level (a purview including campus, municipal, and state concerns). The assignment's three deliverables will be submitted as one complete electronic file in a common format (such as Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, or .pdf).

Deliverables

Annotated Bibliography (5 points):

The Annotated Bibliography is a compilation of documented sources about your chosen topic with associated commentary. Your Annotated Bibliography will help you explore your subject and better understand the conversation around it. It is a productive way to identify and engage sources that you may (but are not obligated to) use in your Researched Argument. (Also keep in mind that you can check sources' bibliographies to find related works.) See the Purdue OWL's information about annotated bibliographies for more details.

Your annotated bibliography should contain five sources, at least two of which should be scholarly. (The associated Researched Argument calls for two scholarly sources, but you also can incorporate appropriate journalistic and popular works.) The structure for each of your entries is as follows:

1. Full MLA citation
2. two or three sentences of summary that identify the work's main points
3. two or three sentences of assessment that discuss the source's credibility and orientation to the subject
4. two or three sentences of reflection that discuss how the source might contribute to your Researched Argument

 

Researched Argument (50 points)

The Researched Argument is a document of approximately 1,500 words that proposes, supports, or opposes a specific local policy action. The document should forward a complete thesis (assertion because reasoning) and practice ethical argumentation as it has been presented in the context of the course. The document should be in MLA format and include at least four sources (two of which should be scholarly).

 

Argument Analysis (5 points)

The Argument Analysis is a document of approximately 900 words that references concrete examples in the corresponding Researched Argument to reveal how it positions its audience, suits its context, and advances its purpose. To do this, the document should discuss how and to what ends the Researched Argument, for example, uses enthymemes, addresses stasis questions, incorporates research, engages counter-arguments, invokes appeals, and leverages arrangements. The goal of this document is to break down how the corresponding Researched Argument functions; it should not dwell upon your motivations or composition process.