Issue Essay

In general, there are two types of essay: expository essays and rhetorical essays. An expository essay is an essay which seeks to explain something, while a rhetorical essay seeks to persuade the reader of something. The “issue essay” you will be writing falls into the latter category. In this essay, you must take a position regarding an issue relevant to your field of study and defend that position.

Before beginning to write, you should do some research on your topic. Find and read at least two articles that support the point of view that you will be expressing. The easiest way to find the articles is probably by searching the internet, but you could also make use of books, newspapers, or journals. The final draft of your essay must be accompanied by a bibliography which documents the articles that you have used. For information on how to produce a proper bibliography, read the “Research Bibliography” section in the appendix of this manual.

Before writing, you should read through the “Essay Stucture” and “DO’S and DON’Ts” guidelines found in the appendix of this manual. Included in the first section is information on how to produce an outline for your essay, and the second details some important rules of thumb. Make sure to read the section about writing a thesis statement carefully; a good thesis statement is the key to a good essay.

Note that ALL ESSAYS MUST BE DOUBLE-SPACED.

SCHEDULE

• the outline for your issue essay is due in WEEK 3.
• the first draft of your essay (DOUBLE-SPACED PLEASE) is due in WEEK 4
• the final draft of your essay (TYPED AND DOUBLE-SPACED) is due in WEEK 7

Please bear in mind that an ‘issue’ is not the same thing as a ‘thesis’. An issue simply means a ‘controversial topic’, while a thesis is a specific position (i.e. ‘for’ or ‘against’ something).

For example, if your field of study is cinema, you might choose the issue: “violence in cinema.” This is not a thesis. A thesis should take a position with regard to this issue. For example, you could argue that: “Because people are influenced by what they see, violence in cinema promotes violence in society” (you would be taking a stand against violence in cinema).

The issue essay must be a minimum of 600 words, and your mark will be based (in equal proportions) on the following:

• the content of the essay (Have you argued your points effectively? Are your arguments well supported by facts, evidence, statistics, etc.?)
• the structure of your essay (Does your essay have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion? Does it have a well-constructed thesis statement and thesis restatement?)
• the accuracy of your language (grammar, vocabulary, spelling, syntax, etc.)
• your corrections (Have you properly corrected all of the errors pointed out by your teacher in the first draft?)