Your final essay must meet all of these standards to pass:

1. Minimum 5 pages
2. contain a bibliography at the end, which contains at least ten sources, none of them wikipedia or similar non-college-level sources;
3. all quotes and paraphrasing and the bibliography must be in strictly MLA format;
4. must quote from a minimum of two different essays or other materials you were assigned to read and/or watch throughout this quarter (these include all the readings from American Earth, as well as the interviews with writers, the New York Times article, the videos, and so forth); the quotes you use must be relevant and used as evidence to support your argument;
5. must state a clear thesis—which is a conclusion of your argument in that it states your position on your issue/topic—in the introduction
6. must use a variety of types of reasons for supporting your conclusion/thesis, including statistics, research findings, case examples, and authoritative sources; you may also use personal experience and testimony, but those cannot be your only evidence;
7. must conclude with a prescriptive assumption—that is, a closing statement about how the world MUST be in the future.

TOPICS:

You must choose a topic from one of these topics:

1. a) the world’s oceans
2. b) the global oil industry
3. c) industrial farming practices

7.5 pages

15 Sources