peers – college students whose lives W r i t i n g

Consider the Broader Question — Is it possible to find optimism in times of social isolation?

Audience: Your peers – college students whose lives have been affected by COVID-19. Purpose: To DEFINE, EXPLAIN, DISCUSS and ARGUE that the current state of social distancing is a (POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE OR BOTH) condition for humanity. Remember: Social isolation and social distancing may be two different degrees of the same concept. Your task is to:

Your introduction: Provide some historical background on topic (Is this the first time in history? Whose idea? How has society responded before? Public’s reactions? What was 1918 Flu?

Transition to –Provide your personal experience on the situation so far (Current day – What are you and your family experiencing? Similar to/different from others? Economic/social hardships?

o Transition to –Explain the similarities and differences between social isolation and social distancing.

o Transition to — STATE YOUR POSITION/THESIS:

Possibilities  e.g., Experiencing X for extended period of time can be detrimental to our health and well-being in that it causes X, Y and Z. Therefore, X should be carefully implemented and monitored so that Y and Z successfully occur.

Your Body 3-? paragraphs, 3-4 pages – Discuss the broader implications/effects – socially, psychologically, legally — on you, your loved ones, your friends, our nation, and our society.

You are required to: Argue FOR with support for your claim  Argue AGAINST with support for this claim  Your Support should include: Citing research from at least 5 sources, 2 from scholarly journals, in which you: 1) summarize the research/results 2) directly quote from at least one source 3) paraphrase (in your own words) from at least one source

 In-text citations (MLA)  Works Cited page (MLA)  At least 5 pages, double-spaced, excluding Works Cited page

Your Conclusion

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Your conclusion should not simply restate your intro paragraph. If your conclusion says almost the exact same thing as your introduction, it may indicate that you have not done enough critical thinking during your writing process (since you ended up right where you started).

 Your conclusion should tell us why we should care about your paper. What is the significance of your claim? Why is it important to you as the writer or to me as the reader? What information should you or I take away from this?

 Your conclusion should create a sense of movement to a more complex understanding of the subject of your paper. By the end of your essay, you should have worked through your ideas enough so that your reader understands what you have argued and is ready to hear the larger point (i.e. the “so what”) you want to make about your topic.

 Your conclusion should serve as the climax of your paper. So, save your strongest analytical points for the end of your essay, and use them to drive your conclusion.