Compare and Contrast Instructions
The table below provides an extensive list of topic options from which you must select, and we recommend that you choose one that you are interested in beyond this course. For instance, if you are a Finance or Business major, you might be interested in the Stocks v.
Bonds topic. If you are a Political Science major, you might choose Monarchy v. Presidency.
Or perhaps you're taking StraighterLine's Intro to Philosophy course, in which case you might opt for the Hobbes v. Locke topic. Note that you must use at least one credible source to support your ideas.
Additional helpful resources:
Choose one of the options above and write an essay comparing or contrasting the two topics in your selection using EITHER the point-by-point OR the subject-by-subject method to organize the details and specific examples.
Consider focusing on three to five subtopics and generate ideas through prewriting. Develop a strong thesis statement for your essay that includes your two topics from the list above; your three to five subtopics; and a claim about how they are similar, different, or both.
A. Reiterate your thesis (but do not simply restate it from the introduction)
B. Give your overall assessment-the "so what" factor-about your topic. For instance, is one topic better than the other for some reason? Is one topic misunderstood?
Here's an example of how you might organize using these methods for an essay about cats versus dogs as pets (remember, this topic is not one of the options for this essay).
The guidelines for this assignment are as follows:
Remember to apply the concepts you're learning in the course, including elements of grammar, punctuation, thesis development, and other skills.
Length: This assignment should be at least 500 words.
Sources: You need a bare minimum of one credible source for this assignment.
Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your writing assignment with the following information:
Your first and last name
Course Title (Composition I)
Assignment name (Comparison and Contrast)
Current Date
Format:
MLA style documentation (please see the tutorial in the course topic)
Last name and page number in upper-right corner of each page
Double-spacing throughout
Title, centered after heading
Standard font (Times New Roman or Calibri)
1" margins on all sides
Save the file as .docx or .doc format