Mass incarceration is the new slavery

Your ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY will be a continuation of this process you’ve already begun. Now that you’ve immersed yourself fully into the literature that’s already out there on your topic, it’s time to take a stance and to develop an argument to support your stance. You will begin by synthesizing your sources, placing them into conversation with one another, and, from this, you will formulate an informed THESIS STATEMENT.

In other words, your thesis statement will not be based upon your opinion, assumptions or hunches, but will be informed by and derived from your research. If you did a thorough evaluation of your sources for the annotated bibliography, you should have at your disposal a collection of reliable and relevant sources.

Your thesis statement should be some kind of an answer to your research question, and it should also serve as a road map to your argumentative essay. It should, in a single sentence, explain to your reader what you’re arguing. Your thesis statement is also your MAIN CLAIM, and it should connect to and anticipate all of the upcoming SUBCLAIMS or PARAGRAPH CLAIMS.

You will ultimately develop, out of your previous and continued research, a series of CLAIMS supported by specific EVIDENCE and sound REASONING. These claims, when chained together, will, ideally, persuade your reader of the validity and truth of your thesis statement. The paper must be 5-7 pages or 1250-1750 words in length.

Must make use of at least 6 sources, minimum.

Must make use of at least one opposing argument. This can be a source which disagrees with one or more of your supporting sources, or it can be your own acknowledgement of possible doubts your reader may have or limitations to your evidence. But, regardless, you must address counterarguments or opposing viewpoints in your essay.

Must include a works cited page and in-text citations in proper MLA format.

MUST utilize sources from your annotated bibliography. You may NOT change your research question at the last minute, as this assignment requires you to use the sources you have already gathered to argue something about your topic.