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Essay 4: Final Essay: Critical Response

A research-based essay that describes the debate surrounding a current and debatable issue.

[Download Essay 4 handout (PDF)]

The basics

Description

Your final and most important writing assignment in this class requires you to describe a current and debatable issue or topic and at least three competing viewpoints regarding it, then support the position you find most reasonable. You will first choose a somewhat general topic, then a specific debatable issue that interests you and that you will research carefully. Your goal is to be able to describe fairly and reasonably at least three positions on that issue and their justification.

Multi-stage process

You will complete the following steps for this assignment. Failing to complete any of these steps will have a negative affect on your grade:

The final paper in English 101 will allow you to demonstrate all that you have learned in this course this semester, including the following:

Finding a Topic Worth Doing

What not to do

What to do

These topics are a bad idea