Rogerian Essay

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, excluding the required annotated bibliography.

First, you will choose a topic of interest that has at least two opposing sides (please do not reuse your Toulmin essay topic on school uniforms). 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.

Note: Consider your audience as laymen in the field who have only general knowledge of your topic.

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 Paleo diet),
workout regimens (including CrossFit),
underage drinking,

dangers of smoking (including e-cigarettes and synthetic marijuana)
and the legalization of marijuana.

This essay must include a minimum of five sources.  Three should be peer-reviewed sources, preferably from the APUS databases.  From the library welcome page, click on Advanced Search at the bottom of the page and then check the “peer reviewed” sources box filter.

The following should clarify the term “peer-reviewed”:  http://youtu.be/rOCQZ7QnoN0. 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.

Make sure to include the following sections in your essay:

an introduction and claim,
background,
body,
and a conclusion.

Within the body of your essay, make sure to include the following in any order:

The background for your chosen topic,
the opposition – use an academic tone, and do not show bias,
the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents’ claims,
scholarly research,
your claim — use an academic tone, and do not show bias,
discuss the warrants for your claim and the opposition in order to find the common ground,
and show the common ground between your opponents’ claim and your claim.

Please make sure your essay is written in third person.

The Annotated Bibliography

An annotated Bibliography (AB) is due with your Rogerian essay. Using the MLA guide, list each source as it will appear on the Works Cited page of your essay. Summarize each source in two or three grammatically-correct  sentences. These short summaries are the “annotations.”