Argument Analysis-Evaluation Essay Directions
WR 122 Handout -  Fall 2010 - Prof. Cora Agatucci 

TOPIC CHOICE:   Choose one of the Approved Argument Topic Choices as the topic of your Argument Analysis-Evaluation Essay.
--See Approved Argument Topic Choices for Argument Analysis-Evaluation Essay in MLA Style Works Cited Format -WR 122 - Fall 2010
URL: http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/wr122/TopicChoicesMLAstyle.htm

SUGGESTED LENGTH: Approximately 4-to-6 word-processed, double-spaced pages (approximately 1000-1500 words) . . . OR as long as your paper needs to be to meet assignment requirements and get the job done well!  NOTE that in order to avoid plagiarism, your assignment must include MLA-style in-text citations where needed throughout your paper and a separate MLA-style Works Cited page placed at the end of your paper.

MANUSCRIPT FORM:  Review the Example Student Argument Analysis-Evaluation Essay provided in our Blackboard course as a good model of the manuscript format your should follow in preparing the final draft of this assignment.  See also WR 122 Syllabus and other directions given in class and handouts relevant to this assignment. 

PART ONE: Directions (2 paragraphs)

--Paragraph 1.  Introduce and Summarize the Argument: Write a one-paragraph summary identifying the argument’s thesis/central claim, including any relevant qualifications, exceptions, & definitions of key terms; major supporting reasons and significant refutations. 

Use skills you have learned from Ch. 3 Toulmin-style analysis and from writing Formal Academic Summary, but NOTE that the MLA-style bibliographical entry for the published argument should NOT be placed at the beginning of your paper: see Works Cited directions below.

--Paragraph 2.  Identify the Aim/s of the Argument: Use Crusius and Channell’s descriptive definitions of the four main aims/types of arguments to classify the aim/s of your chosen argument, and then briefly explain your classification by citing Crusius and Channell and aspects of the argument as justification.

 
PART TWO Directions (at least 4 paragraphs)

--Paragraph 1: Your Essay Thesis & Main Point Preview  Part Two is an Analysis-Evaluation Essay, so the first paragraph of Part Two should (a) state your thesis and (b) preview your main supporting points (i.e. argument strength/s and weakness/es) listed in the same order you will address them in Part Two body paragraphs. 

*NOTE WELL: I’m NOT asking you to argue for or against the author’s or authors’ position.  Instead, I’m asking you to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of how the argument is written, deliberately using relevant analytical tools and evaluation criteria that you have learned about so far in WR 122 from relevant textbook readings, class discussions, handouts, and assignments.
*Writing Tip: You will want to draft and organize the selected argument's Strength/s and Weakness/es that you will be addressing in Part Two Body Paragraphs (described below) before you finalize your Part Two paragraph 1 Essay Thesis and Main Point Preview.

--Body Paragraphs 2, 3, 4 (+),  should be consistent with your Paragraph 1 Thesis and Main Point Preview, and should address the requirements, but NOT necessarily in this order:

--At Least One STRENGTH: one Part Two Body Paragraph must identify, illustrate, and explain a STRENGTH in the way your chosen argument is written.

• This body paragraph must have a clear topic sentence (which may be expressed in more than one sentence) accurately identifying the argument strength and the presenting the evaluation criterion you used to judge this aspect of the argument a strength. 
  --NOTE: If you use any of Crusius and Channell's analytical tools and/or evaluation criteria in this body paragraph, you should quote/paraphrase/cite Crusius and Channell to avoid plagiarism, as well as to show that you are trying to apply what you have learned so far in this class.

• This body paragraph should be well developed:
  --Illustrate the strength with one or more carefully selected specific examples (i.e. quotations and/or paraphrases) from the argument itself.
  --Cite all quotation/s and/or paraphrase/s from the argument using MLA-style in-text citation to avoid plagiarism.
  --Comment on every quotation and/or paraphrase from the argument that you cite to illustrate the strength. Do NOT expect examples to speak for themselves! Rather, it is your job to explain how/why you consider cited quotation/s and/or paraphrase/s to be well-selected illustration/s of the argument's strength and evaluation criterion identified in your topic sentence.

• This body paragraph (like any strong body paragraph) should be unified, well organized and coherent. 
  --By unified, I mean that everything included in this body paragraph should be relevant to its topic sentence/s and contribute to achieving its purpose
  --By well-organized and coherent, I mean that the internal content of this body paragraph should be presented in a logical and effective order, effective transitions should be provided where needed to point out connections among and move readers smoothly through its parts, and written communication throughout should be clear (and correct). 

--At Least One WEAKNESS: one Part Two Body Paragraph must identify, illustrate, and explain a WEAKNESS in the way your chosen argument is written.

• This body paragraph must have a clear topic sentence (which may be expressed in more than one sentence) accurately identifying the argument WEAKNESS and the presenting the evaluation criterion you used to judge this aspect of the argument a weakness. 
  --NOTE: If you use any of Crusius and Channell's analytical tools and/or evaluation criteria in this body paragraph, you should quote/paraphrase/cite Crusius and Channell to avoid plagiarism, as well as to show that you are trying to apply what you have learned so far in this class.

• This body paragraph should be well developed:
  --Illustrate the weakness with one or more carefully selected specific examples (i.e. quotations and/or paraphrases) from the argument itself.
  --Cite all quotation/s and/or paraphrase/s from the argument using MLA-style in-text citation to avoid plagiarism.
  --Comment on every quotation and/or paraphrase from the argument that you cite to illustrate the weakness. Do NOT expect examples to speak for themselves! Rather, it is your job to explain how/why you consider cited quotation/s and/or paraphrase/s to be well-selected illustration/s of the argument's weakness and evaluation criterion identified in your topic sentence.

• This body paragraph (like any strong body paragraph) should be unified, well organized and coherent. 
  --By unified, I mean that everything included in this body paragraph should be relevant to its topic sentence/s and contribute to achieving its purpose
  --By well-organized and coherent, I mean that the internal content of this body paragraph should be presented in a logical and effective order, effective transitions should be provided where needed to point out connections among and move readers smoothly through its parts, and written communication throughout should be clear (and grammatically correct). 

--At Least One Additional Strength OR Weakness: At least one Part Two Body Paragraph must identify, illustrate, and explain either a second STRENGTH or a second WEAKNESS in the way your chosen argument is written. The expectations described above also apply to this body paragraph:

• Clear Topic Sentence/s

• Well Developed

• Unified, Well Organized and Coherent

PART THREE Directions (at least 1 paragraph)

--Conclusion paragraph: Identify and explain at least two useful lessons you have learned about writing effective arguments from analyzing and evaluating the strength/s and weakness/es of the selected argument for this assignment.

WORKS CITED

Directions: Prepare a separate page, placed at the end of your assignment, entitled Works Cited,  in which you provide an alphabetized, doubled-spaced, hanging indented list of your sources, giving full bibliographical information correctly formatted in MLA style on each source cited in your paper.  This page should include a running page header in the top right-hand corner, the page title Works Cited should be centered, and should include at least two MLA-style bibliographical entries: one for your selected argument and one for Crusius and Channell.

Please also review the Example Student Argument Analysis-Evaluation Essay provided in our Blackboard course

FALL 2010 WR 122  Syllabus | Course Plan | WR 122 Course Home Page

You are here:  Argument Analysis-Evaluation Essay Directions  - WR 122 Handout -  Fall 2010 - Prof. Cora Agatucci 
URL of this webpage: http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/wr122/ArgumentAnalysisEvaluationDir.htm
Last Updated: 06 October 2010

© 2010, Cora Agatucci, Professor of English
Humanities Department, Central Oregon Community College
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