Formal Assignment 1: Argument Paper
Version 1 - February 8
Conferences - February 15 & 16
Version 2 - February 24
In your opinion, is a successful city beautiful, culturally stimulating, architecturally impressive, densely populated, easy to get around, or racially, ethnically and otherwise diverse? Or, is a successful city a combination of these and other factors? Write a paper that explains your definition of a successful city. Once you have established 3 or 4 criteria you find essential, rank these in order of priority and argue the merits of your selection. You will need to define your criteria and explain their relevance based on your own experience and beliefs.
Spend time developing your opinions before you begin writing. Try jotting down your ideas with pen and paper; think about the relationships and similarities between your criteria. Also think about your own biases. What influenced you to select these issues? You might consider discussing these prejudices in your conclusion. After pre-writing and thinking, begin writing the body of your paper; wait to write the introduction until you have finished writing and have read the paper at least once. Be sure to proofread and edit carefully.
Your paper must have an introduction, conclusion and at least one body paragraph devoted to each of your criteria. Also, try to reduce or eliminate the first person.
Paper length: 1200 - 1700 words
Practice:
1. Writing concise prose free of grammatical and mechanical errors.
2. Writing a clear thesis.
3. Expressing your opinions.
4. Thinking creatively and critically.
5. Defining and explaining the validity of your analytical terms and
criteria.
6. Structuring an argument and using evidence effectively.
Grading Criteria:
How well you:
1. Edited and proofread toward eliminating wordiness and grammatical
and mechanical errors.
2. Articulated your thesis.
3. Expressed and explained your opinions.
4. Developed methods of analyzing the problem of good urban design.
5. Explained your terms and criteria to the reader as well as their
relevance and validity.
6. Organized and used evidence to support your argument.
Policy on late drafts/papers: One plus or minus grade for every
day late.
Policy on missed conferences: One plus or minus grade for every
missed conference without 24 hours prior phone or email notice.
Writing Center (898 8525), Writing Advisors (drop in), writeme@english(24 hour)