Questions we Can Help you to Answer

Paper Instructions:

Please carefully read the following assignment details in its entirety. There are many components to this particular assignment, and each component is graded.

This essay should be between 900 and 1000 words.  It must include an annotated bibliography. 

The Toulmin essay will help you practice what you have learned so far in this course. First, you will choose a topic of interest. Make sure that you choose a topic with two opposing sides. Then, you need to research that topic in order to specify the topic’s scope, so it can be easily discussed in 1000 word essay. For example, you may be interested in learning more about traffic issues in the United States. However, that topic is too large to cover in a 1000 word essay. After researching peer reviewed articles that discuss US traffic issues in general, you may discover that the metro system in the District of Columbia is underfunded and underutilized.  Through your research, you found that you could make a claim that more funds should be made available in order to upgrade the metro system, which would improve traffic issues in the District of Columbia. This would make for a stronger, specific argument.

The following overused topics may not be used in your essay:

gun control,
abortion,
capital punishment,
gay marriage,
gays in the military,
mandatory drug testing,
euthanasia,
childhood obesity,
women in the military,
diets (including the Palio diet),
workout regiments (including CrossFit),
underage drinking,
dangers of smoking
and the legalization of marijuana. 

This essay must include a minimum of five sources.  Three should peer-reviewed sources, preferably from the APUS databases.  You may use eBooks; however, as discussed in your textbook, books generally are not as current as peer-reviewed articles.  You may also use primary sources (interviews, statistics, etc); however, these primary sources should be obtained from experts within that field.