Cause and Effect

Essay Assignment Sheet

Purpose

• To learn the development and structure of a cause and effect essay including, but not limited to:
  • creating a thesis statement
  • writing introduction, supporting, and conclusion paragraphs
  • integrating quotes
  • properly using/formatting MLA citations and a Works Cited page

Task

• For this assignment, you will write a cause and effect essay based on ONE of the writing prompts below:
  • What do you see as the major cause of any one of these problems: binge drinking among college students, voter apathy, school shootings, childhood obesity, or academic cheating? Based on your identification of its cause, formulate some specific solutions for the problem you select.
  • Write an essay considering the likely effects of a severe, protracted shortage of one of the following commodities: clean water, rental housing, cell phones, flu vaccine, or books. You may consider a community-, city-, or statewide shortage or a nation- or worldwide crisis.
  • Lack of powerin our own lives, in our position in society, in politics, in opposition to an issueis a significant motivator. It can motivate us to feel fear, to change our behavior, or to take action. We have seen examples of these reactions through the articles in the textbook and our discussion board(s). Sometimes these reactions are helpful to enact change in the power structure, but sometimes they are harmful to the cause, to ourselves, or to other people. How can people understand powerlessness, and how can they understand the most appropriate ways to gain power or change their situations?

• The majority of the essay should be your own words and thoughts, but you need to look for support. You may use the articles we read from the textbook and/or one reliable website. Particularly look for statements about human behavior, power, human limits, etc.  Remember, this is not a research essay, so only look for a few quotes for support.
  • These essays include: “Why Rational People Buy into Conspiracy Theories” pg 338+, “What Motivates Terrorists?” pg 344+, and “Photos That Change History” pg 356+.
• Your essay may focus on causes, effects, or both. You should write your essay in response to one of the assigned writing prompts, and then use words, phrases, sentences, examples, etc. to quote from to support your position.

To start working on this essay, first read the textbook essays thoroughly. Read the prompts and start thinking about which one you would like to answer. Then re-read the textbook essays and look specifically for ideas that you can apply to your topic. A sample outline is provided in the course content.

Remember: The quoted material of an essay should be about 20%. Most of the writing, 80%, should be your thinking. I want to see YOUR discussion, not someone elses.

Criteria

• The essay must have a defined introduction ending in a thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion. At least three major points (either causes or effects) need to be evident within the essay.
• The thesis must present an idea of purpose for the essay. It needs to answer the essay prompt directly, and it needs to indicate whether the focus will be on causes, effects, or both causes and effects equally. It needs to indicate an argumentative element. (See your textbook and thesis information in the course content.)
• The paragraphs must be well-developed with details that support the thesis and topic sentences. The sentences must be connected as a cohesive unit within the paragraphs, as well as the essay as a whole.
• The essay should be typed and in standard MLA format (including heading, in-text citations, and Works Cited page).
• Standard rules of English grammar, punctuation, and spelling apply.
• Writing should be in third person (avoid first and second person pronouns as well as referring to vague groupings of people – e.g. I, me, you, we, us, etc.).
• Finished essay should be a minimum of 600 words (not including the heading or Works Cited page).  Remember, there is no upper limit, but make sure the essay is focused and concise.
• Source material should not constitute more than about 20% of your essay.
• There should be support for each side of your cause/effect argument. You may use the article(s) we read from the textbook and/or ONE reliable website. If you have questions about a sources credibility and/or how to cite properly, ask your instructor before submitting the essay. More information about these components is provided within the course.

Extra Credit

For extra credit on your essay, submit documentation that shows evidence of meeting with a tutor (TLC or Tutor.com session) or an instructor (ENGL 0900 or ENGL 1010), and where and how you have applied the advice directly to your essay. You can submit files, screen shots, pictures from your phone, or scans of handwritten documents into the Extra Credit Dropbox for this essay.

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