Important Guidelines
- Word Count: The reflection letter should be at least 500 words. The research essay should be at least 1900 words, including reference citations.
- Include a reflective letter that has two parts:
- Part 1: discusses your writing process, including how peer and instructor feedback played into revision decisions and giving specific examples of what you changed throughout the process
- Part 2: discusses, with specific examples from your writing and process, how this project has helped you progress towards the following Student Learning Outcomes: (2) Engage in responsible, systematic research practices informed by critical reading and rhetorical analysis, including locating and evaluating a range of materials and (3) Ethically synthesize and integrate the ideas of others using an appropriate citation style. (note: the current samples don’t include Part 2, so keep that in mind when using the samples as a model.)
- Early in the essay, you should offer your thesis statement, and the remainder of the paper should offer support for this position and persuade readers to support the position.
- Your position and justification should be supported by clear and credible research that adds to the rhetorical conversation.
- Cite at least six scholarly sources.
- Include a Works Cited page.
- Your Works Cited page and in-text citations should follow MLA or APA Format.
- Your paper should address a significant alternative viewpoint. Two additional criteria apply:
- You should cite, fairly summarize, and respond to a real alternative viewpoint. Don’t imagine what an opposing audience might argue—instead, find a real person who makes a real and sophisticated argument and address it.
- This doesn’t need to come at the end of your paper (i.e., before the conclusion). Though this can be effective, it is often more effective to address an alternative viewpoint early: “Here’s what’s missing from with the common approach; now let me outline a more promising approach…”
- It should focus on the readers’ needs—what do they already know about the rhetorical conversation? What do they need to know? How can you make complex ideas, context, and information clear and accessible to readers?
- It should be clearly organized.
Submission
Your submission, including the cover letter and references, should be at least 2400 words. The cover letter should be single-spaced but everything else should be double-spaced, following MLA or APA guidelines. Submit the assignment as a single .pdf, .doc, or .docx file.