UMICH The Use of Common Resources in The United States Argumentative Essay

Instructions

Write a formal argumentative essay of 1450-2200 words (*5-9 pages, double-spaced ) that argues a position and/or proposes a solution in response to a question that you develop within the course theme of Ecology of Place. The formal argument essay will answer a specific question at issue that you generate in response to our readings, homework and class discussion on the Ecology of Place the second half of the term. This argument will have either a Rogerian structure (Links to an external site.) or an Aristotelian (classical) structure (Links to an external site.), and the essay may support, refute, develop and/or challenge the ideas that you’ve encountered in the Ecology of Place bibliography readings and discussions. Regardless, you should contribute to the scholarly conversations you’ve encountered in the course articles/essays in a meaningful way, use paraphrases, and limit quotations. Your logically sound thesis must be written in the form of an enthymeme (claim + best reason), it must be supported by specific evidence from at least 2 sources from The Ecology of Place bibliography (See attached file) and no more than 5 scholarly/library supplemental research sources, and it should address at least one major counterargument.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The purpose of this essay is not to complete a “research” essay, although you may use a limited number of sources to support your own ideas, knowledge and experiences. One of the main purposes of the essay is to engage your discourse community and chosen audience in a formal, persuasive fact-based discussion.

• No more than 5 outside, scholarly/library sources may be used; the excess will be disregarded. Please do not ask me if more can be included.
• Only scholarly/library sources and any sources from the course bibliography may be used for support; outside sources which do not pass the evaluation criteria will be disregarded as support in the essay.
• Please check out our student library research resources on Canvas sidebar to be sure your three or less outside sources you choose fall within the “scholarly”/Library research category. Scroll down to “Finding Scholarly Articles”.

1. Essay 2.1 must be at least 5-9 pages, 1450-2200 words, double-spaced (not including the works cited list).

2. Your Essay 2.1 must include your works cited list as a final page(s), and every source used must be on it, even if it doesn’t contain all the sources you’ll eventually use.

Sources of Support and Evidence to Use in your Argumentative Essay

• Print and electronic sources
• observation
• Related personal experience
• Analogy
• Interviews

• Make sure to include a properly formatted Enthymeme (Reasoned Thesis) in your draft – either in the introduction or in the conclusion.
  • Put your Enthymeme (Reasoned Thesis) in bold font or highlighting so it stands out. This will be the sentence at the heart and soul of your essay that crystallizes your main idea.

  My enthymeme is : U.S. government needs to limit the use of common resources to prevent the tragedy of the commons because unlimited use of common resources will lead to the collapse of ecology and natural resources due to overuse.

• Required for a “Complete”: Include a Works Cited list at the end of the draft with a complete reference for the sources referenced in your essay. Include all sources you’ve used, so far.

Step 3: Feedback request

• At the very end of your essay, after your Works Cited list write a short paragraph of 5+ sentences letting your group members know three or more things you would like them to give you feedback on in their peer reviews. Put this in Bold font so that it stands out for people to see before they begin their peer review.

Criteria for Completion

To meet the above goals and earn a Complete for essays 2.1 & 2.2, your essays must:

• cite scholarly library and Ecology of Place bibliography sources (library & online research)
• identify a significant problem/question within an Ecology of Place theme
• narrow the topic, as necessary
• make a claim (in the form of an enthymeme)
• acknowledge multiple points of view
• analyze and synthesize sources
• develop supporting evidence with examples, logic, experience, analogy & research
• anticipate counterarguments and refute them (at least 1 counterargument; more if necessary)
• Smoothly and correctly integrate source support into your argument (bookending, strong, appropriate verbs)
• document all sources correctly using MLA, APA, or Chicago Style