Essay
Write a persuasive, 1000-word essay that a) educates your audience about an issue that needs changing, b) invites them to your point of view, c) acknowledges and refutes opposing arguments, and d) motivates readers to act in specific ways. Your essay should work directly to effect change on the given issue. You must include specific actions that your audience members may consider to correct this problem. Use at least four sources to develop your argument including one that appropriately represents an opposing view.
In other words, you should be writing a paper that:
ESSAY OUTLINE (example)
Intro: get readers’ attention
Another example is available here.
In other words, you should be writing a paper that:
- educates
- persuade an audience into action
- utilizes the rhetorical techniques learnt up until this point (addressing counterargument, developing ethos, problematizing societal messages)
- provides a clear path for practice
ESSAY OUTLINE (example)
Intro: get readers’ attention
- fun facts
- anecdote
- rhetorical questions
- what’s being done
- contextualize-- why it’s not enough
- introduce both sides
- thesis: should do two things-- invite the reader to join in action and explain why this action is necessary (see the examples for how to include both)
- Claim about your action-- why it’s important and why it works for your issue
- Outside evidence as support
- Present your social action: pros
- counterargument
- outside support of counterargument and contextualization
- refutation of counterargument (holes in argument/research or contextualization)
- summarize important points (if not repetitive)
- final appeal to pathos: values, emotions, motivations
- identify with the audience and call them to action
Another example is available here.