The Prompt
In 1500 – 2500 words, please write an essay that takes a position on a controversial issue related to a profession of your choice.
Understanding the Prompt
Be sure you’ve worked through the various steps outlined in this module, as the things you need to do to prepare for a successful essay — selecting the profession, identifying an issue, getting my approval, generating a research question, beginning your research, writing an Annotated Bibliography, and beginning your draft — are all dealt with in some detail there.
The essay asks you to take a position on the issue that you choose to write about. This essay is not an “objective” presentation of “both sides” (hint: there are often more than two sides). Rather, this is an argument in which you state your position and support that with evidence and reasoning. As such, your position may be complex — for example, you may not be 100% in favor of (or opposed to) an action. But you need to lay out your position clearly, acknowledging and explaining the complexities of the issue, as well as of your position.
The issue should be something about which reasonable people disagree. This means that simple matters of taste — “Is LeBron James the best basketball player ever?” — won’t work for this essay. Similarly, as I mentioned earlier in the module, issues of religious belief (“Is there a god?” or “Should women be ordained in the Catholic church?”) are off limits — not because religious questions are uninteresting, but because these arguments can only be solved withinthe framework of the religion in question.
Part of your job is to convince your reader that the issue you’ve chosen really is controversial. In the previous bullet, I mentioned that this essay is not an objective presentation of “both sides.” However, you will still need to present the range of views or positions related to that position — and you’ll need to do so fairly. You can’t misrepresent people’s views to make them seem more controversial than they are.
When you argue your position, you’ll want to make the case that your position is better than other positions. That will require that you not only acknowledge other positions (as the previous bullet point requires), but you’ll have to explain what makes your position better.
An effective essay will usually include most or all of the following components (though not necessarily in this order). You might use this list as a checklist to be sure you’ve done all you can to make your position clear and convincing:
An introduction that draws the reader in by showing that the issue you’ve chosen to write about is at least interesting, and hopefully important.
A definition of the issue
An explanation of context — e.g., historical or causal factors that have led to the controversy
An explanation of how this issue is controversial among reasonable people.
A statement of your position on this issue. (Where you put this position is a challenge all on its own. Do you state it early, and risk losing readers who disagree with you? Do you state it at the end, and risk readers misunderstanding your position throughout the rest of the essay?)
A conclusion that wraps up your essay, preferably without just repeating what you wrote in the rest of the essay. This might be speculation about how the issue might end up actually being resolved, or a proposal for how to resolve the issue (a “call to action”), or a look at what might happen if the issue can’t be resolved, etc.
Finally: remember that your readers haven’t done the research you have. Be sure you explain things I’ve mentioned above in a way that leads the reader through your argument. Don’t assume that we know everything you know.
MLA Format
Your paper should follow MLA Style. This has two components:
The format of the paper
In-text citation and a Works Cited page
Review the MLA section in in the Library Tutorial if you need to review this.
My research question is: how has the growing population in california impacted the housing market?
My profession is: Real Estate