American dream

The American Dream: Argumentative Essay 1
Your goal for this essay is the elegant integration of source material to support your original ideas and assertions on the general topic of the American Dream. Your challenge will be to maintain an objective argument and support your ideas with credible sources that is recent within the past year. For this essay only I have included sources that you are encouraged to use.

Step 1: Review The American Dream Brainstorm and Pre-write (50).
You will come to find your interpretation of the phrase The American Dream as a result of thorough brainstorming.
Step 2: Read the following articles:
The Hoarding of the American Dream (Links to an external site.)

Is This The End Of The American Dream? (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)

The Cost of the American Dream (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)

The Transformation of the ‘American Dream’ (Links to an external site.)

Take notes while you read, look for examples, concepts, or quotes that stand out for you. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH as much as possible. After reading all of the articles look at your notes. Has a theme emerged? Good! That might be your essay topic!

If a theme does not emerge, go back to Step 1.

Step 3: Explore your theme, wrangle it into a thesis statement and post it the thesis statement assignment, discussion.

Step 4: Write your essay! Plan your time so that you can write a rough draft, take a day away from it, then revise it into an excellent essay: 3-5 pages in length, error free, MLA format, properly formatted Works Cited page.

READ THIS CAREFULLY:
Guidelines for essays:

Please underline your thesis statement or change it to red font.

All essays are research-based argument essays. Your job is to identify a viewpoint, find recent sources to support the viewpoint, and express the viewpoint objectively and specifically starting with a thesis statement and following with examples, details and specifics from sources and from your viewpoint that has resulted from reading a variety of recent sources.
As these are not narrative essays, the use of I statements and personal anecdotes are not appropriate.
Information in essays must be current. Sources must be recent.
Essays must be at least 3 full pages in length up to 5 full pages, not counting Works Cited page.
MLA Format

Source information correctly cited as in-text citations in your essay

Sources properly formatted in a Works Cited page that is not counted as part of the minimum page count.

Rubric
? 100-point Essay Rubric (1) (2) (2)
? 100-point Essay Rubric (1) (2) (2)
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeA: Thesis statement
✔️Thesis statement is strong, clear, specific, and provides focus for the essay. ✔️Thesis statement is not a list. ✔️Thesis statement is not an announcement. ✔️Thesis statement is indicated by red font or underline.
20.0 to >1.0 pts
1.0 to >0 pts
20.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeB: Research
✔️Sources are recent within the past 6 months, college-level, appropriate and relevant. ✔️Information included from sources features events or situations that occurred within the previous 6 months. ✔️Source information is smoothly integrated into the essay with proper MLA in-text citation format including correct parenthetical citation information.
20.0 to >1.0 pts
1.0 to >0 pts
20.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeC: Format
✔️Font is Arial size 12. ✔️Correct identifying information is included on the first page of the essay. ✔️Title is properly formatted in plain text: ✔️Not bold. ✔️Not underlined. ✔️Not a different sized font. ✔️Not italicized. ✔️Page numbers have been inserted correctly. ✔️Proper header is present on each page. ✔️Paper is evenly double-spaced throughout. ✔️First line of each paragraph is indented. ✔️Margins are 1″ all around. ✔️Works Cited is cross-referenced with in-text citations so that every citation in the essay begins with a name or word that is the first word in the Works Cited list, and every entry in the Works Cited is referenced in essay. ✔️Works Cited is properly formatted. ✔️Essay is at least three full pages long (not counting quoted material) and no longer than five full pages (not counting Works Cited page).
20.0 to >1.0 pts
1.0 to >0 pts
20.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeD: Organization, Voice, and Audience.
✔️Essay is organized into developed paragraphs that support the thesis. ✔️Topic of essay is covered thoroughly. ✔️Transitions are elegant. ✔️Essay features an appropriate ratio of original ideas, examples, quotes, paraphrases and summaries. ✔️Writer’s voice is correct for the task at hand, 3rd person, authoritative. ✔️Writer maintains formal voice. ✔️Writer’s awareness of audience limits over-explanation and reliance on common knowledge.
15.0 to >1.0 pts
1.0 to >0 pts
15.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeE: Content
✔️Essay is on-topic and topic is covered thoroughly. ✔️Each aspect of the essay prompt is addressed. ✔️Examples are specific and vivid. ✔️Essay does not include history or background and focuses instead on events occurring within the previous 6 months. ✔️Clear evidence that the essay has been edited and proofread and is not a rough draft. I is consistently capitalized. ✔️Punctuation is properly executed.[☑️When required: Assigned course texts are skillfully integrated into the essay as support for analysis.]
15.0 to >1.0 pts
1.0 to >0 pts
15.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeF: Evidence of familiarity with course modules and submission checklist
✔️Student “shows” argument points through examples and source information rather than just “telling” in an unsubstantiated narrative. ✔️There is a meaningful title. ✔️Information is written in declarative statements with no questions. ✔️Words and phrases to be avoided have been avoided. ✔️No use of you, your, our, us, I, we. ✔️Paper is free of common grammar and punctuation errors.
10.0 to >1.0 pts
1.0 to >0 pts
10.0 pts