critical thinking essay

  
Student_______________
Instructor____________
English 1302 – _________
Date
Critical Thinking Essay
Title your Research/Argumentative Essay 
Write an Argumentative/Research essay of four or five fully typed pages (double spaced) that addresses a literary topic of your choosing. Formulate a thesis statement that targets a debatable topic or prompt in fiction, poetry, drama, or a combination of these genres by an author. Develop an Outline to reflect the direction and structure of your paper before using it to develop an Argumentative (Research) essay.   
Alternative prompts are listed below. Please one of these prompts only if you are not able to generate a unique topic. Examples include, but are not limited to:
· Analyze the actions of any major characters in Hamlet, applying two tests which any ethical action must pass: (1) The Golden Rule and (2) universality (Would the person taking the action want all persons to act the same way in a similar situation?).
· Appraise the values of at least one character in The Metamorphosis. Was this character(s) justified in his or her treatment or reaction to Gregor Samsa’s condition?  Defend your reasoning. 
· Analyze several works from one of the authors studied this semester. How does the author’s own ethics resonate with his or her work? 
· Analyze several characters created by one of the authors studied this semester. Evaluate the extent to which the author’s own ethics resonates with each individual character. Describe the impact on the finality of this particular piece. 
· Formulate a thesis involving an answer to an ethical question as it relates to an author or characters from a larger body of works.  
As always, the answer to the question–your thesis–should be defended with at least three points.
Evaluation criteria follow:
Explanation of issues: Issue/problem to be considered critically is stated clearly and described comprehensively, delivering all relevant information necessary for full understanding. 
· Evidence: Information is taken from source(s) with enough interpretation/evaluation to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of experts are questioned thoroughly. 
· Position: Specific position is imaginative, taking into account the complexities of an issue. (This means that you have written a sophisticated thesis.) Limits of position are acknowledged. Others’ points of view are synthesized within position (Basically, these two things are the discussion of the opposing view and rebuttal.) 
· Conclusions and related outcomes: (Other terms might be “implications and consequences”) Conclusions and related outcomes are logical and reflect student’s informed evaluation and ability to place evidence and perspectives discussed in priority order.
· Additionally, your essay will earn the highest points in the component area of written communication if it meets the following criteria.
· Context of and Purpose for Writing: Demonstrate a thorough understanding of context, audience, and purpose of a proposal essay.
· Content Development: Use appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to illustrate mastery of a proposal essay.
· Genre and Disciplinary Conventions: Properly format and organize the essay in MLA style.
· Sources and Evidence: Incorporate at least three citations (at least one source from the library database sources).
· Control of Syntax and Mechanics: Use graceful language that skillfully communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency, making almost no errors.
The essay should demonstrate the following ENGL 1302 outcomes: 

College level spelling and punctuation      skills
MLA format for margins, header, personal      information, paragraph indention, double spacing
In-text citations
Works Cited page
Clearly stated thesis statement
Topic sentences that flows from thesis      statement
Sentence variety
No egregious grammar mistakes

YOU MUST SUBMIT AN OUTLINE
5% of your Final Exam Grade: Visual Component. 
In your essay, you must accomplish the following in order to receive credit for the visual interpretation component of the assignment.
· Description: Describe the physical image comprehensively demonstrating a full understanding of significant elements of the image.
· Explanation: Provide a well-developed explanation of the meaning or purpose of the image, fully supported by the evidence within the image.
· Consequences & Implications: Presents a detailed, sophisticated discussion of consequences and/or implications of the visual image’s meaning. How does your image connect with the content or subject of your essay?