Is College Education Worth the Cost?

Essay #5 Prompt (1700 words): Is College Education Worth the Cost?

Given the high financial cost of college, do the rewards of a college education—personal and intellectual as well as financial—balance the sacrifices that students make in time and money?

Write an argumentative research essay of at least 1700 words in which you answer the following question: Is college education worth the cost? Frame your thesis as a response to what others say in this debate, either agreeing, disagreeing, or some combination of both.

Your paper must be at least 1700 words and must include research from a minimum of 4 outside sources acquired through LAVC’s library. In addition, at least two of your sources must come from an academic journal or a book. You must include MLA-formatted in-text citations for these sources along with an annotated bibliography at the end of your essay. Importantly, you must quote, paraphrase, or summarize at least once from each of your sources in the body of your essay. It is not enough to throw a short quote into your intro or conclusion and consider that a use of research. The point is to use what these authors say to support the assertions you make and to have this dialogue continually. In other words, use what “they say” to support what “you say” since you are “entering a conversation” as we learned from the lectures.

It is okay (and highly encouraged!) to include your personal experience and observations as evidence to support your claims wherever it is relevant. However, this will not count as one of your four sources. You must still use four outside sources that you have gathered through library research.

Keep in mind that your research needs to come from LAVC’s library databases. The “Opposing Viewpoints in Context” database may be especially helpful for you as you begin your research. Other helpful databases include the CQ Researcher, ProQuest, and Academic OneFile among others.

My expectations for the essay

Here is what your research essay should include:

1. An accurate, unbiased summary of the issue or controversy in your introduction. What main arguments are those on either side of the debate making?
2. A thesis that clearly states your position on the issue relative to the points you just summarized (agree, disagree, or some combination of both along with why).
3. Topic sentences that directly state the main point or argument of each paragraph.
4. An effective use of your outside sources in your body paragraphs. You should weave quotes in with your own writing and avoid “hit and run” quotations. Provide your quotes with enough context, explain their importance thoroughly afterward, and make ties back to your thesis.
5. MLA-formatted in-text citations and an MLA-formatted Annotated Bibliography that lists all the sources you used in your paper. If you need to review MLA formatting, you can go to OWL PurdueLinks to an external site. online.
6. A variety of transitional words and phrases that link your sentences, paragraphs, and ultimately your argument together.
7. At least one counterargument, which you should summarize and then respond to.

Annotated Bibliography

For this research paper, you are also required to create an Annotated Bibliography. So, instead of only creating a Works Cited page, you will add more to it. Here are some more specific details:

A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, Web sites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. Bibliographies are sometimes called “References” or “Works Cited” depending on the style format you are using. MLA format calls them Works Cited pages. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).

An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources in the Works Cited page. For this project, your annotations must do the following:

• Summarize: First summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? Summarize the source in 2-3 sentences.
• Assess: After summarizing a source, it is helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources you used? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source? Assess the source in 2-3 sentences.
• Reflect: Once you have summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic? Reflect on your source in 2-3 sentences.

You must create an annotation that includes all 3 parts: a summary,

an assessment, and a reflection for each of the four sources you use in

your research paper. Here is an example of what an Annotated Bibliography

Download Annotated Bibliography

should look like. Also, if you use one of the articles we studied in class within your paper, you don’t have to annotate it, but you do have to cite it in your essay and Works Cited page

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