Problem: Argument Essay
"To live an ethical life is to be held accountable to history," Cathy Park Hong wrote. In an argumentative essay, answer the following prompt: What are the three developments in the last sixty years of American history that have most shaped our lives in the present-day United States? And why these and not others?
Support your point using evidence pulled from sources assigned in curated class modules.
Be as specific as you can and seek some breadth in your developments. consider the effects on diverse groups of people. Also, think about how people and the US overall have been impacted by a variety of developments (political, economic, technological, social, cultural).
Criteria for Essay
1) Argument:
a) Does your essay have a clear and specific argument that answers the question?
b) Do you clearly communicate why you made the choices you made for the top three changes from the last sixty years of US history?
c) Do your choices reflect a consideration of a variety of developments (political, economic, technological, social, cultural)?
2) Evidence:
a) Do you use evidence to defend your argument?
b) Is the evidence thorough?
c) Do you use a range of evidence -- like historians/experts (represented in American Yawp and videos) as well as primary sources (words/drawings/photos produced during the last sixty years of US history)?
3) Clarity:
a) Does your paper flow clearly?
b) Is your writing clear and free of distracting technical errors (such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation)?
c) Is this paper written mostly in your own words (rather than a series of block quotes)?
d) If the essay uses informal language, is it blended intentionally with an academic purpose?