Length: 1,000 words Outcomes we are working on in this essay: Understand academic writing conventions and make appropriate decisions about grammar, usage, punctuation, word choice, and style; know how to identify and evaluate sources; quote, paraphrase, and summarize a text; use parenthetical references to cite sources according to an established documentation system; understand and avoid plagiarism. For this assignment, you will choose one problem that exists within the following areas: food and health issues, the digital world, education, law enforcement, issues in sports, and issues in human rights. By “problem,” I mean an issue that you see or have heard about from the broad categories I`ve given you that needs a solution. So, for example, you might choose the problem of high levels of student debt for college students. Or the problem of doping among Olympic athletes. Or perhaps high levels of diabetes among children. Choose something that interests you because you will write Essay #3 AND #4 on this subject. Once you have your topic, you can begin to research. Your job is to find four sources total on the problem you have chosen. I would like you to use at least two sources from the library databases. Your other two sources can also be from the databases (recommended!) or they can be from the open web or in print, but you should make sure each one is reliable. Your task in Essay #3, then, is to write a report on your four sources. A report is different from a persuasive essay. Rather than attempting to persuade an audience, a report aims to inform and explain information for its readers. Additionally, reports are written with a neutral tone and the writer`s job is to be impartial and unbiased. Your report should contain the following four elements: 1. A brief introduction that introduces your topic (the problem you are researching); 2. A section that discusses your sources one by one, summarizing what the sources say; and 3. A brief conclusion that summarizes the results of your research (bring all the sources together and draw some conclusions about what you have learned). 4. A works cited page citing all your sources. I will grade your essay based on the following: Meeting the required word count of at least 1,000 words; Presence of an introduction that clearly introduces the topic; Use of four sources that are relevant and reliable; A clear, relevant summary of each source in the body of the essay with quotations and paraphrases as appropriate; Use of a formal, neutral tone and a clear effort to be impartial in the discussion of sources; Correct grammar and punctuation with only minor errors that do not impede the meaning; Correct use of MLA format, with in-text citations and a works cited page. (The topic chosen is Cheating/Doping in MMA and other fight sports. For example, MMA, Boxing)
