Assignment: Thesis-Driven Essay
900-1100 words
The Thesis-Driven Essay represents 24% of the final grade and includes the following LOs:
#thesis, #organisation, #evidencebased, #composition, #sourcequality, #professionalism.
For this assignment, you must individually write a well-supported, well-organised, thesis-driven
argumentative essay (between 900-1100 words) exploring the complexities of personal identity.
The Thesis-Driven Essay can focus on one specific aspect of personal identity and demonstrate
how it is more complex than it initially appears, or it can take a broader view and look at
personal identity in general and why it is complex. For example, possible areas of focus may
include academic identity, national identity, religious identity, gender identity, generational
identity, hobbies, family relationships, psychological identity, political identity, etc.
To strengthen your argument, incorporate at least one example from your life and consider
multiple perspectives. While you can draw upon your experiences or family, you must maintain a
persuasive stance throughout the whole essay. The essay must also include at least five credible
sources, which must be cited and referenced per the APA Style.
Dos and Don'ts
Dos:
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Do make complex, quality claims, bringing in evidence from your own background (or
case studies).
Do prepare an outline and a reverse outline, keeping the principles of #organisation in
mind.
Do proofread and revise (as many times as necessary).
Do hand in the following parts of the assignment in one single document to get the full
score (see template):
1. Thesis with rationale
2. Annotated bibliography
3. The complete essay in APA with references
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Do try to include at least one academic article in your research.
Do include an annotated bibliography.
Do format the entire document in APA style. This template may be used as a guidance for the Thesis-Driven Essay: Download the template
and save it to your computer. When complete, save it as a PDF and submit to
Forum. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OHLVyk6m6Zonc-
JkiGaWmvct BLAIxJbA9mzdXs8Pmw/edit?usp=sharing
Don'ts
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Footnote Requirement
Add footnotes to draw attention to your most prominent applications of LOs (especially
those mentioned in the LOs to be graded: #thesis, #organization, #evidencebased,
#composition, #sourcequality, #professionalism.
In the footnote text (at the bottom of the page), provide the hashtag of the LO and a brief
explanation (at least 2-3-sentences) of your application. Help the professor understand
precisely why this constitutes a robust application.
Remember that the use of #thesis should be within the paper itself; the footnote is merely
there to show how you believe you applied it well in the text. For each LO, footnote what
you believe your strongest application of the LO is.
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Do not quote big chunks of text. Instead, paraphrase arguments. Quote minimally.
Do not collaborate and do not share your essay electronically with others. This is an
individual assignment. It does not matter if other students are from your country, your
family and experiences are unique. You can discuss the project with others and ask for
feedback, but you must write your own essay.
a strong application. For samples of effective annotations, refer to the footnotes that go
along with each LO example written in square brackets.
Using APA7 Conventions for Formatting an Annotated Bibliography
The text and the reference list should be double-spaced.
Use Times New Roman, size 12.
Each paragraph should be indented.
Reference list entries must have a hanging indent.
References should be organised alphabetically.
Assignment Information
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Do not abuse ChatGPT and other AI tools. Instead, use AI tools critically and responsibly
and follow your instructor's guidelines (e.g., footnotes).
Do not plagiarise. Use legitimate sources and cite them properly.
Do not fail to hand in the different components of the assignment. Revise your work
before the submission to avoid unnecessary penalisations.
Do not start at the last minute.
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Footnote text does not count towards the target length of the assignment.
Including footnotes is an important part of reflecting on your learning. It should be an
occasion for #professionalism. Help the professor understand exactly why this constitutes
Length:
900-1100 words. Please indicate the word count (not including footnotes or references) at the
end of the body of your essay. Weight:
24%
Learning Outcomes Added
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Composition: Communicate with a clear and precise style.
Effective communication requires a clear and precise style that reflects the voice
of the communicator and that is appropriate for the intended audience.
Communicators should use the fewest words necessary (they should respect the
principle of “parsimony”) and should select words carefully to be as clear as
possible and to facilitate transitions from one idea to the next. Avoid passive
voice, stilted diction, elaborate structure, and imprecision; write and speak
simply, directly, and sincerely. Understand when to use paraphrase, quotation, or
summary to incorporate necessary information smoothly into your
communication.
Thesis: Write a clear declarative sentence that takes a firm position on the topic under
consideration and serves to organize the rest of the work.
Written and spoken communications that are intended to convey a message should
present a clear, well-defined central claim. Thesis statements should be substantial,
precise, arguable, relevant, and concise. This overarching message should serve as the
organizing principle of the communication.
Organization: Effectively organize communications.
A written, spoken, or visual communication should be organized in a way that will be
easy for the intended audience to understand and remember. The organization should
reflect the purpose of the document or presentation, and accentuate what is most
important.
EvidenceBased: Identify and appropriately structure the information needed to support an
argument effectively.
A written or spoken communication that is intended to make a specific point should
clearly present relevant and persuasive evidence. Doing this well is a two-step process.
First, one must identify the evidence relevant to supporting the conclusion. The
argument must be formulated to be consistent with the supporting evidence and should
address apparent contradictions. Second, one must arrange evidence effectively. This
means anticipating where one's audience will notice a need for evidence, determining
how much evidence will be needed given the strength of the conclusion, and deciding
on how best to present the evidence (e.g., as a set of claims, a figure, a quote, or a
paraphrase). In all cases, written and ken, evidence should support underlying
assumptions and show that implications of the argument are consistent with established
facts and principles.
SourceQuality: Distinguish between categories and types of information to determine
source quality.
Sources can be categorized and ordered in terms of their relevance, currency, accuracy,
authority, and purpose. One should be able to check how information is vetted and
verified, and whether there is a means to correct errors. Based on these criteria, one
● should be able to assign different types of information to hierarchies of source quality for
the purposes of one's work.
Professionalism: Ensure that your communication follows established guidelines and use
a careful editing process.
Part of effective communication involves presenting yourself and your work in an
appropriate and professional manner. To communicate effectively, consider the
norms for presenting yourself to others, including tone, forms of address, and the
use of slang or informal speech. Always proofread written work for errors,
properly attribute quotations, ideas, data and other sources, and follow
conventional practices regarding attribution and formatting for the type of
communication you are crafting. Different academic disciplines have different
formatting conventions, and it is important to use the expected standards. More
broadly, ensure that your approach to communication, whether verbal or written,
meets or surpasses the expectations relevant to the context.
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