ENG-106 English Composition II Causal Essay Guidelines
ENG-106 English Composition II Causal Essay Guidelines
ENG-106 English Composition IICausalEssay GuidelinesWriting PromptForthis assignment, you will research and write a 750-1,000 word causal (Note:That is “causal,†as in “causes of,â€) essay. The goal of a causal essay is to prove a cause/effect relationshipbetween two elements. As stated in Mauk and Metz (2012), “The search for acause begins with a question: Why did something happen? Why does somethingcontinue? What causes some phenomenon?â€
Essay Guidelines1)Address the following in youressay:a.Identify a particular problem(i.e., a behavior, event, or trend).b.Identify a possible cause (orequal causes) of the problem.2)Develop a causal argument. Acausal argument is a reason (or point of view) put forth to explain theunderlying cause for a particular problem.3)Your argument should includethe following:a.A main claim/thesisb.Supportc.Counterargumentd.Concession4)Create a thesis statement. Yourthesis must meet one or more of the following requirements:i)Argue for a particular cause.ii)Argue that several factorsequally cause the phenomenon.iii)Argue against an apparent causeor widely held belief in favor of another cause.iv)Argue that a series of causesled to the problem.5) Integrate at least five reliablesources into the essay.
Theassignment is separated into four parts. Each part will be due in a differentmodule and graded separately.
Causal Essay Part I: Outline (Module 5)1)Review the Causal EssayGuidelines.2)Research using the GCU eLibraryto locate 5 sources for use in support of your essay.3)Begin composing your CausalEssay by using the 5 sources to construct an outline of your essay.4)Use the “Causal Essay OutlineTemplate†to complete the assignment.5)Your outline should be aparagraph-by-paragraph breakdown of your paper to help you clarify itsstructure.6)GCU style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.Causal Essay Part II: Rough Draft(Module 5)1)Review the Causal EssayGuidelines.2)Use the feedback you receivefrom your outline to write the rough draft of your essay. Your essay should beat least 750-1000 words.3)Your essay should include:a.A thesis statement. Your thesis must meet one or more of the followingrequirements:·Argue for a particular cause.·Argue that several factors equally cause the phenomenon.·Argue against an apparent cause or widely held belief in favor of anothercause.·Argue that a series of causes led to the problem.·Supporting Paragraphs.4) At least five reliable sources that support your explanation of a cause/effect relationship between twoelements. As stated in Mauk and Metz (2012), “The search for a cause beginswith a question: Why did something happen? Why does something continue? Whatcauses some phenomenon?â€5) A Reference List in GCU citation style.6) Prepare this assignment accordingto the guidelines found in the GCU Style Guide, located in the Student SuccessCenter.7) After submitting the Rough Draft of your essay, also post it to thePeer Review forum in Module 6. You should label your paper with your first nameand last name (e.g., Karen Palmer’s Paper).Causal Essay Part III: Peer Review (Module6)1)Review the first draft of theperson who posted his/her response directly below yours in the Peer Reviewforum. If your draft is the last posted, review the first draft posted.2)Complete the “Peer ReviewWorksheet.”3)Copy and paste the completedPeer Review to the peer review forum as a “reply” to the initial postof your peer’s first draft. Do not post the worksheet as an attachment.4)Review the grading checklistfor this assignment included in the worksheet to ensure successful completion.5)Use the feedback you receivedfrom the Peer Review to revise your essay. Begin to construct the final draftof the essay.Causal Essay Part IV: Final Draft(Module 6)1)Review the Causal EssayGuidelines.2)Use the feedback from the PeerReview and your instructor to revise and finalize your essay.3)Complete the following beforesubmitting your final essay:a)Read your paper aloud (toyourself or someone else) to “hear†issues with your grammar and sentencestructure.b)Polish the issues found bysmoothing out your language.c)Run spell check and grammarcheck (as a backup) before submitting to your instructor.d)Be sure to properly cite yoursources both in-text and in a References section at the end of your paper.2)Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the GCUStyle Guide, located in the Student Success Center.3)This assignment uses a grading rubric that can be viewed at theassignmentâ€s drop box. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade theassignment, so students should review the rubric prior to beginning theassignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations forsuccessful completion of the assignment.