unit 2 essay instructions

1. Jamie Flathers English 101.50 and 56, Fall 2019 1
Assignment instructions for essay 2: Defining a Problem
Due Dates:
One stapled, paper copy of first draft due in class on Friday, 9/27/19
One stapled, paper copy of second draft due in class on Friday, 10/11/19
Overview:
Goal: to define a problem and identify its causes
Purpose: to inform
Audience: your fellow classmates
Observation or analysis: observation
Relationship to portfolio outcomes: this assignment will address both critical thinking and
information literacy by asking you to identify problems, use reading and composing as inquiry,
and evaluate whether your source material is credible and appropriate. It will also build on your
rhetorical awareness, since the voice, tone, style, and level of formality will be different from the
previous essay.
Prompt:
In the previous essay, you told a story about an event that had an impact on your life. This
assignment will build on that essay by asking you to write an informative piece in which you
identify and define a problem suggested by that experience. The problem can be large or small—
it might affect a single community, or it might affect an entire country or region of the world. In
order to define the problem, you will research its history and identify 2-3 of its causes.
To complete this assignment, your essay will need to contain the following:
1. A definition of the problem. When did it begin? What groups of people does it affect? In
what way(s) does it affect them? Are there particular people or groups of people who
bear more responsibility for the problem than others?
2. Identification of causes. Look at 2-3 potential causes for the problem. It’s likely that these
causes will be interrelated, so think about the ways in which one cause can lead to
another. Also remember that you are not responsible for delineating every single cause;
as the writer, you may need to decide which information you’re going to leave out.
While it’s true that your own opinions about the causes of a problem will necessarily influence
the information you present in this paper, your role here is a neutral one. It isn’t your job to
convince the reader that one cause is more prevalent than another, or to pass judgment on those
with whom you disagree.
Specs:
- Essays should be between 1600-2000 words, or approximately 5-7 pages—by which I
mean full pages.
- They should include at least five credible sources, all of which are relevant to your topic
and influenced by your audience (your fellow college students). One of these sources
should be scholarly. This means you will need both in-text citations and a Works Cited
page (we’ll talk about this more in class).

2. Jamie Flathers English 101.50 and 56, Fall 2019 2
- They should be in proper MLA format (see “MLA Format Checklist” on Blackboard).
- They should also be in 12-point Times New Roman, or some other serif font. My
eyesight is poor, and sans-serifs fonts can be difficult for me to read.
- Essays should be double-spaced, and you should remove spaces between paragraphs of
the same style (I’ll show you how to do this in class).
- Both first and second drafts should be printed AND STAPLED, BEFORE YOU COME
TO CLASS. I do not carry a stapler, so don’t ask. Five points will be deducted from the
final grade of any unstapled essay. Five points will also be deducted if you have to leave
class to print.