- 8-10 pages
- 5 sources (and they better be good sources)
- Related to Religion or ethics
- Perfect MLA citations
- An argument (not just a statement of fact)
- Addresses counterarguments
Outline
- Hook the reader
- State your objective ("I want to convince you that...")
- Give an overview of the issue
- Define your terms
- Make your arguments
- Address counterarguments
- Conclude (tie this to the hook)
NOTE: You're required to have subheadings throughout your essay.
- You should have some expertise on your topic even without doing any research.
- Find an expert on your topic--whether it be a professor, a friend, a parent, or a subject librarian. They'll help you get to the good stuff quickly.
- Start with a specific topic, and if you run out of material, expand your topic (but only slightly). This works much better than starting broad and trying to narrow it as you write.
- Make sure your essay is divided into sections with headings.
- If you pair up with someone on a topic, it will help your research and your argument. (You'll still write two separate papers though.)
- Have 5 credible sources. (Finding five simple websites on Google isn't enough.)
- Make sure it follows MLA standards perfectly. (See Penguin 67-105.)
- Write a useful summary. (Describe the author, audience, argument. Then explain how the source helps your argument.)
