ENG 103 Essay #4: Analyzing an Argument or Event; Length 4 Full Pages; Points – 100

As this final stage of our ENG 103 course involves understanding the weaknesses of human thinking that often infiltrate arguments, for Essay #4 you will be applying your understanding to a real-life scenario. The goal is to uncover arguments that one should be suspicious of regarding the topic or event. Please select one option from the following:

1) You may choose a common topic of debateanything from taxes, abortion, religious freedom, marijuana, police tactics, the border issue, to LBGTQ rightsor, and perhaps preferably, more low-key issues that many do not consider, OR a controversial public movement like #Metoo or organized group of people.

2) You may select an actual event, such as a particular court case, a police incident, a crime, even an election, or another controversy (e.g. the Duke Lacrosse incident), about which you must be absolutely specific in addressing.

You will THEN examine and analyze the topic in the following ways:

a)    Basic intro

b)    Provide some background info on the specific point of the controversy (such as the details of the event under discussion or the precise outlook of the movement discussed) but dont let it consume your essayat most a half-page beyond the intro.

c)    Explain, using a few (3 or 4) of the errors we have discussed some of the fallacies involved in how the topic has been treated or handled. It could be by the media or by people involved. This will be a full paragraph for each error that is committed, including supporting details for how you suspect that particular error was committed. You dont need to define the fallacy but just explain how it is present in the event/topic you are discussing. This has to be provided with concrete support. Section b should comprise the bulk of your essay, ideally 2 3 pages.

d)    Close your essay by reiterating the basic points and including a brief one-sentence suggestion on how an issue like yours could be dealt with more productively in the future.

NOTE: Your goal in this essay is not to take a side on an issue. If a specific issue is involved, I naturally expect you to be more sympathetic to a certain side than another, which I will allow for, but blatantly taking a one-sided view for this assignment would likely end up only defeating the purpose of it.

Example case: The infamous Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman shooting incident of 2012. 

Immediately after the shooting, Zimmerman was initially not charged with any crime. However, following increased public outrage, he was eventually charged with 2nd degree murder, which many legal experts immediately warned was impossible to prove and, after an easy not guilty verdict, would only further incite the public against the legal system. That is ultimately what happened. 

One could make the argument that the D.A. in the case relinquished to mindless conformity by giving into what the public expected of her rather than following legal logic and either letting Zimmerman off or perhaps charging him with a lesser crime. Many other such errors were committed by the publicon both sidesin handling this case, including either/or thinkingwhere the public either total sided with Zimmerman or with Martin (ignoring that it is possible both made mistakes in handling the situation). Others, like ethnocentric thinking, where whom one supported mainly came down to which one the public identified with racially or ethnically, were also in play. An example like this is rife with errors worth discussing.

Research

Reference to at least two outside, non-textbook sources is required for this essay. 

NOTE: Failure to use a single academic source will result in no better than a D-level grade on the essay. Most likely, each body paragraph should have a citation of an outside source. Sticking in quotes just for the sake of fulfilling the source requirement would not be helpful to your essay grade.

Basic Requirements (Checklist):

o MLA style heading in the top left corner 

o A title (center of the page below heading and above essay text DOUBLE 

    SPACED only)

o An introductory paragraph with a thesis   

o At least three well-developed body paragraphs containing and supporting 

    your main ideas 

o A clear topic sentence for each body paragraph

o Concrete supporting evidence for the body paragraphs that focus on 

    supporting the topic 

o Transitions (first, next, in addition, finally, etc. where needed) 

o A concluding paragraph reviewing the thesis and main ideas

o Correct grammar, punctuation and mechanics (Visit the TLC if this is not a 

    strength of yours)

o 12-point standard font (Times New Roman or Arielnothing fancy, please); 

    double spaced, 1 margins on both sides and top & bottom

o Please place page numbers at the top right corner of each page with your last 

    name preceding the number.

*IMPORTANT NOTEfailure to include In-text citations (direct or indirect) and a Works Cited page will automatically result in a failing grade for the essay.   

Academic Sources on the Web

-Any source from ProQuest or any academic research database

-Any source with edu or gov in the URL

-Any source from a reputable publication, newspaper, magazine 

-The page of the website has NO advertisements on it

* GoogleScholar is a search engine that includes only academic articles on its search hits

Plagiarism on this assignment will result in an automatic ZERO and a possible referral to the Dean of Students

 

Website Citation:

Last name, first. Title of article. Title of Website. Website Administrator.

    Date of publication. 

URL. 

    * Date must be in the following format: 20 Mar 2019

LIBRARY RESEARCH

If you experience any problems, please contact the reference desk at 661-362-3362 or 661-362-3358 or email: ron.karlin@canyons.edu

General Outline Format: 

Title

    I.  Intro

      A. Thesis (This essay discusses the problems concerning)     

1. Main idea #1 (An error involved in the treatment of this issue or 

topic is…) [briefly stated]

2. Main idea #2 (A second error involved in the treatment of this issue or 

topic is…) [briefly stated]

3. Main idea #3 (A third error involved in the treatment of this issue or 

topic is…) [briefly stated]

4. (A solution for preventing this from continuing is to)  [briefly stated]

     II. Body        

       A. Background info – Provide info and cite relevant sources in establishing it

                1.  Supporting detail #1 (break down the event or topic into manageable parts)

                2.  Supporting detail #2

      3.  Supporting detail #3     

        B. Error #1 – Support in its own paragraph how an error is involved in the  

                               Treatment of the issue

        C. Error #2 – Support how a second error is involved 

        D. Error #3 – Support how a third error is involved 

III. Conclusion

         A.    (Review the issue and the errors afflicting its treatment)

         B.    (Review your ideas for a better approach down the road) 

         C.    (Final thoughts) 

*Any topic can have more than one paragraph devoted to it. Just make sure the topic of each paragraph is very clear.