English 101—Dr. Koch (Bob)

PAPER #5

Please employ all that you know about composition to write an argumentative essay on one of the following topics:

1. Do you agree that American automobile companies are responsible for their own decline? Support your position with reasoning and evidence.

2. Do you think that women who use cosmetics are encouraging men to think that the only thing important about women is their appearance? Support your position with reasoning and evidence.

3. Do you believe that former Vice President Gore should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? Support your position with reasoning and evidence.

4. Should students learn to write argumentative essays? Support your position with reasoning and evidence.

The paper should be at least 500 words. It should be typed or word-processed and double-spaced. Please leave at least a one-inch margin for my comments.

Bring your draft to class on November 19, or take a grade-letter reduction on the paper. The final version is due November 24.

Your paper will be graded as follows:

30% on development.

Have you written a clear and defensible thesis?

Have you adequately supported the points in your argument?

Have you reasoned well?

Have you defined ambiguous or controversial terms important to your argument?

Does one idea lead naturally to the next?

Have you dealt with possible objections?

If you have made motivational appeals, are they justified by the facts?

10% on interest and depth.

Have you provided your audience new information?

Have you improved your audience’s understanding of your subject matter?

Have you discussed your topic with some depth, going beyond the obvious or superficial?

10% on organization.

Do you have a good introduction, containing your claim statement, and a satisfying conclusion?

Have you divided your materials logically into paragraphs?

Have you written unified paragraphs?

Have you made the topic of each paragraph clear by writing a topic sentence or by other means?

50% on grammar and style.

Have you written any sentence fragments or comma splices?

Does your paper contain any subject-verb agreement errors?

Have you achieved variety in vocabulary and sentence structure?

Have you selected the words that best express your thoughts?

Have you avoided verbosity and redundancy?

The questions above cover the main points but not everything that might affect your grade.

Late papers will receive reduced grades, as described on the syllabus.