Essay 3: Research Argument (Synthesis) – 1500 words minimum; worth 25% of your grade

Rhetorical Situation – You are writing for a general audience that you would like to educate about relevant issues.

Assignment Objectives: There were many social issues raised in Ta–Nehisi Coates: “Letter to My Son”, Ariel Felton: “A Letter to My Niece”, and George Tillman’s film The Hate U Give. Please note that I am aware that due to our current circumstances, access to the film might not be available for everyone. Therefore, in addition to the clip that you viewed in the discussion forum, here are some interviews in which various topics related to the film are discussed. Between these clips and the two letters, there should be enough reference points for your essay. You still need to find secondary sources such as news articles, journal articles, or recorded interviews from reliable sources.

Write an essay that examines the issues raised in all three pieces. Consider focusing on one or more of the following topics:

• The practice of “code switching” and the impact it has on a person’s sense of identity.
• Stereotypes—based on race, gender, and social class.
• Drug-related crime.
• Race relations and the law.
• Community organizing and development.
• The use of voice, as a community or an individual, to promote social justice.
• Or any other topic that comes to mind related to these pieces.

Your essay should:

• have a thesis statement
• support the argument presented in the thesis by synthesizing at least five sources that you have found and evaluated as credible or otherwise worthy of attention
• summarize, paraphrase, and quote from these sources adequately to complete the task.

Rationale

The simplest explanation of this essay’s purpose is that by completing it, you will write an essay that answers your research question. Ultimately, however, the purpose of this assignment is to enter a scholarly conversation. By applying the skills in research, source evaluation, and synthesis that you have been practicing through the term, you will contribute to an existing conversation by presenting your own original argument. That argument will speak to the exciting conversation by using sources to support your argument (either as evidence, by extending or modifying your sources’ arguments, or by refuting sources’ arguments). The most important thing to remember as you work on this essay is that you cannot simply parrot the information or arguments that you find in your sources. Rather, this essay will be driven by your unique argument answering your research question. Your essay must be a persuasive argument that allows you as a young scholar to enter and contribute to the ongoing conversation on your topic.

Assignment

In short, this assignment requires you to write a thesis-driven essay that makes an argument answering your research question that cites at least five sources to support your claims and show your thesis’s relationship to the existing conversation on your topic.

Do I need a Works Cited Page?

Because you will be quoting, paraphrase, and summarizing from your sources, you will need to parenthetically cite them in your essay. You will also need an MLA works cited page which lists all sources. Please ask if you have questions regarding citation, and remember that all essays will go through the Turnitin Originality Check in the D2L Dropbox.