COMM1016: Essay Proposal Assignment

This assignment’s goal is to help you clearly understand what you will write about in your essay. Upon completion, you should be able to (1) clearly state your thesis, (2) provide three supporting arguments, (3) explain counterarguments to your thesis, and (4) have more sources for your final essay. If done properly, this assignment can act as a BASIC outline for your final essay.

Part One (4 Marks):

Provide a brief explanation of the issue that you are researching for your essay. Clearly state your topic and provide some context and/or background information for your topic. (For example, you could answer questions such as: what is your topic? What information might be needed to understand your topic? History of topic? Why is your topic an issue today?) In addition to this brief explanation, you are required to find three credible sources that are about your TOPIC and list them out as FULL REFERENCES in APA style. You can choose between using books, journal articles, and/or websites/videos as your sources.

Write your brief introduction in 5 - 10 sentences, and then list your three sources underneath your summary.

Part Two (4 marks):

Briefly discuss the opposing side to your position. This section should be written as a “reflection” and, therefore, it does not require any research. In other words, it should be written based on your own opinion. In this section, you should answer the following questions: Are there people who disagree with my point of view? What are the different reasons they might disagree? Are there any merits to these counterarguments?

This section should be 5 – 10 sentences long. Again, it does not require any research or references

Part Three (2 marks):

Write down a tentative simple thesis statement for your essay. The thesis should reflect the topic and your position on the topic.

The thesis should be 1-2 sentences.

Part Four (5 marks):

Write down the three supporting arguments that you will use in your essay. (Reminder: make sure they are separate arguments; if they are very similar, then they should be in the same paragraph). For each of the three supporting arguments, explain why you think it is a relevant and good argument. Also, for each of the supporting arguments, find one source that you can you use that supports your point of view and list it out as a FULLL REFERENCE in APA style. You can choose between a (credible) book, journal article, or video; however; you cannot use the same type of source twice. For example, if you use a video for your first supporting argument, then you have to choose between a book or journal article or a website for your second supporting argument.

Part four should be 10 -15 sentences long in total