Essay 4 Requirements
 
(Items in red are new to Essay 3.)
1.    Takes a position on affirmative action (or closely related topic) and argues for it by taking into account and citing at least two essays in Speculations and by citing a source that you find by yourself

2.    Takes a position that is complex and intriguing in some way. 

3.    Has an introduction that pulls readers into your issue/position and gives them a general but clear sense of what will follow.

4.    Has stories and observations that help explain this idea, combined with sections in which you reveal your thinking about the idea. You must also use an idea from the essay of your choice (from Speculations or handout) in a substantive way to introduce, develop, or challenge your own idea.

5.    Leads the reader through the parts of the essay in a way that the reader sees where you're headed and gives the reader a sense of having arrived somewhere by the conclusion.

6.    Conveys a sense of your writer's voice--without being too informal and "talky."  That is, the style of the essay has a certain enlivening energy to it.  Do not use "I" in this essay.  In other words, you may be present as a thinker but not as a character.

7.    Follows MLA format, 3-4 pages long, with metatext and Works Cited page, submitted to Learning Space and submitted as a printed copy.  Cites page numbers using MLA in-text format.

8.    Write for a reader who will not necessarily agree with you.  Use writing strategies that make you seem reasonable and credible.

Although there are several requirements for this essay, there is really just one that is fundamental:  You need to deeply understand two or three perspectives on the issue of affirmative action and, representing them fairly, you need to establish your own position on the subject, persuasively arguing your point.