Description
Getting Started
For Touchstone 2 you will be writing an argumentative essay on a topic of your choice. The topic you choose must be debatable and you must take a clear stand on one side of the issue. Your topic must also be on a small enough scale that it is appropriately narrow for a 3-5 page essay. Your essay must include a title, an introductory paragraph, which contains your argumentative thesis statement, at least three body paragraphs, which provide support for your argument and a conclusion paragraph. Research from at least two outside sources is required to provide evidence and support for your argument. Research must be cited using APA style. You must include a reference page, which lists the specific sources you used and properly cite the sources within your essay. An example essay is provided below for reference. Please read this before writing your essay.

In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the touchstone.

Choosing a Topic
You may choose any topic you wish as long as the topic has two clear sides and is not agreed upon by most of society. Your topic should be current and should have a narrow focus appropriate for a 3-5 page essay. 

Essay Guidelines
Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until your essay meets all guidelines.  We also suggest reading the complete sample essay before you begin writing.

Argumentative Thesis Statement and Focus
Does the topic of the argument have two clear sides?
Do you take a clear position on the argument in your thesis statement?
Is the topic appropriately narrow for a 3-5 page essay?
Development and Support
Are all details relevant to the argumentative thesis statement?
Is your position supported through use of rhetorical appeals?
Is your position supported through evidence?
Essay Structure and Organization
Does your essay have an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement?
Does your essay have at least three body paragraphs, which support your thesis statement?
Does your essay have a conclusion paragraph that wraps up the essay?
Are the essay paragraphs logically sequenced?
Have you used transitions to connect ideas between sentences and paragraphs?
Is it easy to follow the argument?
Style
Have you checked your essay for redundancies and imprecise language?
Does your essay employ a formal style and objective tone?
Sources and Citations
Have you referenced at least two outside sources as evidence for your argument?
Are your sources current and credible?
Have you properly cited the sources using APA style within your essay and included a reference page?
Conventions
Have you checked your essay for grammatical errors?
Have you used Spell-Check or another method to check spelling?
Have you used punctuation correctly?
Have you checked your essay for sentence run-ons and sentence fragments?
Reflection
Have you answered all of the reflection questions thoughtfully and thoroughly?
Are your answers to the reflection questions included on a separate page below your essay?
Have you met or exceeded the required length for each reflection response?
Before You Submit
Have you given your essay a title?
Have you included your name, date, and course at the top left of the page?
Is your essay between 3-5 pages (1,000-1,500 words)?
Reflection Questions
How did your purpose and audience shape the way in which you wrote your argument? (1-2 sentences)
What was the most difficult part of writing your argumentative essay? (2-3 sentences)
Which appeals did you use and how do you think they strengthened your argument? (3-4 sentences)
How has your understanding of argumentative writing changed after completing this unit? (2-3 sentences)
Scoring
Your composition and reflection will be scored according to the Touchstone 2 Rubric, which considers your essay structure, essay organization, argumentative claim and focus, development and support for your argument, style and conventions.

Sources and Citations
You are required to use at least two outside sources as evidence for your argument. The sources an author uses can either build or degrade his/her credibility. In addition, improper citation of sources is a form of plagiarism and is not acceptable in academic writing. Be sure the sources you choose are credible and unbiased. As a general rule of thumb- online sources that end in .edu, .gov or .org are usually more reliable than websites that end in .com. However, online news sources or online encyclopedias are credible sources as well. See the tutorials on credible research and research citation linked in the helpful tutorials section below for a reminder on how to properly cite sources in APA style and how to find online sources that are credible.

Should you choose to use a source that is not an online source and you need additional assistance on how to cite such a source, please visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab via this link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Helpful Tutorials
Introductions and Thesis Statements
Body Paragraphs and Transitions
Conclusions
Argumentative Essays
Rhetorical Appeals
Writing an Effective Argumentative Essay
Types of Evidence
Applying Evidence
Analysis of Evidence
Requirements
Your essay, excluding your reference page and reflection questions, should be 1,000-1,500 words (approximately 3-5 pages) in length.
Double-space the essay and use 1-inch margins.
Use a readable 12-point font.
All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
All writing must be original and written for this assignment. Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.
Submission must include your argumentative essay, your reference page with at least two outside sources and your answers to the reflection questions on a separate page.
Submit a single file only, including all assignment components.
Acceptable file formats include .doc, and .docx.