Write an argumentative essay speculating about the causes of a phenomenon or trend.
The Writing Assignment: Write a 1,500 word (minimum) argumentative essay speculating about the causes of a phenomenon or trend. The goal is to explain why something happens (vaguely). For example, why are there so many super hero movies? Present the issue to readers, then develop a well-supported answer to the why question
Consider the following when preparing your essay: As defined in the old St. Martins Guide, a trend is a significant change that occurs over a period of time, while a phenomenon is a notable attitude or behavior among people (448)your task is to uncover the underlying causes both obvious and hidden of that selected trend or phenomena.
Consider your audience and what they know about the issue. For this paper, your audience is me and pretend that I know very little about the issue. You will need to give some general introductory materials to establish the topic. You must describe your phenomenon or trend in detail you have to prove that it actually exists.
Make sure you have plausible causes for your phenomenon or trend and that you provide sufficiently clear support for your causes. Remember, plausible causes are plausible because you can cite evidence to prove they are so.
Alternatively, these causes are speculative, meaning that an exact and direct cause and effect (where there is only ONE cause and it can be proven empirically) does not qualify for this paper.
Although you will consider multiple causes that contribute to this phenomenon or trend, you should identify a dominant cause.
Be sure to respond to alternative causes and objections that readers may have to the causes that you are proposing.
Write in a professional and academic tone, not casual, not overly emotional, not dispassionately. Narrow your topic! Do not try to write everything there is to say about your topic, be specific and write about a narrow topic and a specific cause.
You can focus your topic to a specific geographical area or community while also drawing upon large-scale resources. For example, explaining the causes behind why the UC wants to keep raising tuition and fees can use resources from the larger tuition increase debate.
Topics: For this essay, I want you to choose a topic that is interesting to you, not something Ive already pre-chosen for you. I created a list of topics and provided it below, but I would really encourage you to choose something that you like. Come to this list after thinking about stuff you might want to write about or if you are stuck. Perhaps you might find inspiration from The Windup Girl.
Climate Change (a wealth of topics, but be sure to specify ONE cause)
Increase in Food Deserts (urban areas without access to fresh food/groceries in predominately minority communities)
Increase in obesity rates (why are we getting fatter? Be sure to differentiate from the SMG article in ch. 9!)
Mass incarcerations/criminal justice system (how do we solve the mass incarceration of our society, education?)
Rising rates of ADHD among school children
Rising student debt
The broad appeal of a certain genre of film or television (romantic comedies, westerns, action movies, medical drama, crime scene investigation shows, reality T.V. shows)
The popularity of certain video games or video game platforms (e.g. Halo, Call of Duty, Diablo, Deus Ex)
Changes in demographics video games are marketed to (for instance, with the Wii or various genders)
The increase in reality television (e.g. Jersey Shore, Real Housewives, American Idol, Keeping up with the Kardashians)
The increase in the amount of streaming video available online (e.g. Netflix, hulu)
Rising or decreasing media piracy
Increasing or decreasing representations of violence, sexism, or racism.
The phenomenon of midnight movie showings, book releases, and video game releases
Changes in technology (iphone, ipod, blu-ray disks)
Viral marketing
Vampire fiction, movies, and television shows (e.g. True Blood, Twilight)
Zombie apocalypse fiction, movies, and television shows (e.g. The Walking Dead, Zombie land, Sean of the Dead, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)
Advertising trends (e.g. Axe, Dove, Victoria’s Secret, Carls Jr.)
Increases/decreases in the use of social networks (Facebook, twitter, reddit, 4chan)
Basic Features:
A Focused, Well-Presented Issue: Take a position on the issue. Then, present/introduce the issue to readers persuasively by framing your position, articulating a thesis that states your cause, providing reasons for your solution, and showing a forecasting statement.
A Well-Supported Causal Analysis: Learn more about the issue by conducting research to help establish your views/position on the issue and your cause. Then incorporate three sources into the paper to support your position and establish credibility (see below for source requirements).
An Effective Response to Objections and Alternatives: Acknowledge counterarguments and alternatives to your cause at some point in the essay. Either concede a part of your argument to the opposing side and/or refute the counterargument (usually using data/source).
A Clear Logical Organization: Be sure to use clear topic sentences in the beginning of paragraphs (or groups of paragraphs), reiterate key terms or phrases, and incorporate transitional words or phrases to link paragraphs and ideas.
Essential Elements: At least 1,500 words minimum
Three outside sources: two must be academic i.e. journal articles or books and one can be a reputable internet source (Atlantic, Times, Salon, Huffington Post, Forbes, Time, Newsweek, etc.)
Clear Organizational Structure
MLA Format, including a works cited properly formatted
Solid Command of Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, and Syntax
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Added on 01.11.2015 14:05
I attached a sample essay for this topic.
It might help you.
why_we_crave_horror_movies.doc(39,50 KiB)
