Argumentative Essay/Research Paper Fall 2011 English 101 Instructor: Andrea Phillips Assignment: Research one of the current

controversial ways that our legal system (either Maryland, US, or another state) handles convicted criminals. Some suggestions include: Capitol Punishment Three Strikes Law Life Sentencing Administrative Segregation White Collar Prisons Sex Offender Registry Chemical Castration Mandatory Jail Time for Drunk Driving Offense Intent to Distribute Sentencing Automatic Appeals for Non-DNA Convictions Retroactive Crack Cocaine Sentencing Double Convictions for Death of Pregnant Woman Safe-Haven Surrender Laws (Response to Neonaticide) Restricted Right to Vote for Convicted Felons State-Funded Degrees for Inmates

These are just a few possible research topics. If there is another controversial sentencing issue not mentioned above, you are free to use it as the topic for your paper, as long as you have received my approval first. Should you choose your own topic, please make sure that the law, sentencing practice, or legal issue has been in use long enough for there to be articles and books about it. Structure of your assignment: Your paper must in 12pt Times New Roman font with the correct MLA heading and your last name and page number on every page. Your Works Cited page will be last and it must also have your last name and page number at the top. Your paper should be 6 to 8 pages in length. This does not include your Works Cited page. Detailed MLA formatting information is available in your textbook, or at www.MLA.org. This includes information on properly citing sources for your Works Cited page, however, you may also use www.easybib.com for reference. Argument Essay Introduction---introduce your topic, and give a brief summary of the controversial legal issue you have chosen. Build to a thesis that will show that the issue you have chosen is or is not an effective way of rehabilitating and or punishing criminals. Your thesis should be a supportable statement. Make sure your introduction flows well and has transition words to connect sentences and ideas. Body Sections 1, 2 and 3. Divide your thesis up into manageable sections. Create strong topic sentences with transitional phrases to introduce new topics. In each of these three sections discuss why the legal issue you have chosen is or is not an effective means of handling convicted criminals. Each of these sections should only be about ONE aspect of your chosen legal issue. Make sure all information in each paragraph relates back to the topic sentence and that the topic sentence works to prove the thesis. You need to have quotes and paraphrases from your sources in each section to prove your points.

Counter Argument---In this section of your essay state the major argument AGAINST your point of view. If you are for a certain legal issue, focus on the main reason that your opponents are against it. It is best to focus on only the best or strongest argument against your topic. A way to start this section could be Some may argue... . You will need to have quotes and paraphrases in this section to prove your point. Rebuttal---In this section, you will disprove the counter argument. This is often the strongest point of your research paper. It should speak directly to the counter argument and prove why it is not a valid point of contention. Again, you need to have quotes and paraphrases in this section to prove your point. Conclusion-- Restate you thesis and sum up your paper. You should be using definite language, as you have fully proven your point. DO NOT introduce any new material in this section. In general for the sections of your paper where you are using your sources, DO NOT just summarize what your sources say. Make a point and then use the source to prove that you are correct. Give a quote or paraphrase and then summarizes and relate that information to your paper. The source material should help prove the specifics of your essay. Also, do not rely too heavily on one or two sources. Make sure that you are using all the sources from your work cited page. Research: You must have at least 4 sources for your paper to support your argument and 2 sources for your counter argument; that is a total of 6 sources. Please dont be afraid to use actual books, our library has an excellent collection of books on this subject. We will be touring the library as a class on Friday, October 7 th for a tutorial on how to use the library resources. Any source you find on the school library database is fine to use for your paper. Any source that DOES NOT come directly from a book or magazine in the library or our schools database, must be approved by the instructor. If you do not get your source approved, your paper will receive ZERO points and you will not be given the option to revise this essay.

Wikipedia is NOT a valid source.

Your Works Cited page should be the very last page of your essay. It does not count as part of your six to eight pages. This page must be checked by your instructor/librarian/Writing Center staff to make sure your form is correct MLA. Papers with incorrect MLA format error on the Works Cited page will be marked off 5 points for every error!