Assignment #3--Cause and Effect: A Research-based Argument

Subject: Write an essay in which you report and discuss some of the causes of a specific event. In this case, the event is the assassination of President Kennedy on 22 November 1963 in Dallas, TX. Then, form a carefully constructed, specific research question beginning with the word "Why." With your question in hand, head to the library, or computer, to find some outside sources, some "assistant writers," that help you formulate an answer to your question.

Purpose:
For this essay, your primary purpose is to inform your audience--to convey information. Since you will become an expert of sorts, the tone--defined as the attitude you convey about the subject you are writing about--should be serious, academic, and knowledgeable. What writing techniques can you use to achieve this tone?

To successfully complete this assignment, you must
  • think critically about the event,
  • collect evidence from your own observations/experiences AND from 2-4 outside sources,
  • analyze and evaluate the evidence you've gathered (especially the web resources),
  • determine who you think may be responsible for the assassination of the president, and
  • write a well-organized, 3-5 page essay reporting and discussing some of the causes of the event so that you and your audience (you, your classmates, and your professor) understand the subject more clearly
Requirements:
1 You must cite 2-4 outside sources, sources "outside" of your own observations and experiences with the death of President Kennedy. I strongly suggest you locate your sources through MC's library, a quality search engine (i.e. google), or the class assassination website, rather than through popular search engines like yahoo, askjeeves, or aol.
  • At least one source must be a newspaper, journal, or magazine article
  • Other sources may be anything printed: more articles, books, pamphlets, Web sites, etc.
  • Optional: A personal interview of an "expert" may also be used as one outside source
2 MLA in-text documentation will be used for quotations, summaries, and paraphrases--consult the MLA documentation section of your Hacker book.

3 You will reference your sources on a Works Cited page formatted in MLA style

4 You will type a brief outline of your essay to turn in with the final draft

5 As usual, the final draft will be typed or word processed, double spaced, titled, and will follow MC Composition Folder format guidelines

Grading:
Your grade will be based on how well you
  • introduce your topic in an introductory paragraph that creates interest--for example, defines terms, provides background, and/or describes a person/scene.
  • articulate a thesis statement--clearly state the main point of your essay and map out the essay's parts in a logical order at the end of the introductory paragraph.
  • include specific evidence from personal experience and from outside sources (facts, statistics, expert testimony, examples) in each body paragraph to support each topic sentence
  • organize your ideas--arrange paragraphs in a thoughtful, logical order and connect them with transitional sentences, phrases, or words
  • avoid plagarism and document the sources you quote and paraphrase using MLA documentation
  • handle grammar and punctuation
Due Dates:
First Draft 6/20
Rough Draft Workshop 6/22
Second Draft 6/23