Topic
Your assignment is to invent an activist campaign and argue in support of your cause in a 5-7 page essay. My hope is that your choice of activism will spring from your own interests, but social justice topics seem to work best and are best supported by our readings and examples. In any case, avoid the obvious (smoking, abortion, three strikes law, legalizing marijuana, steroids, stem cell research, and so on). You may be inspired by the texts we read, or you may already have some ideas about how you can contribute to a more just and equitable world. Thus, the following examples are intended only to demonstrate the range of what might be available, not to limit your choices in any way. You might think of organizing a letter-writing campaign to protest a social injustice either locally, nationally, or globally; you might become involved in an event to honor Women's History Month in March; you might advocate support for a community-based organization which works on problems of literacy, homelessness, immigration issues, domestic violence, local or overseas working conditions; you might organize a public presentation to introduce others to some of the authors we are reading or the issues they raise; you might encourage participation in a public protest (war, government spending, animal rights)—and so on. You may choose to work individually or you may form a group with some of your classmates. Note that this is a three-part project, involving designing campaign materials, making a presentation and writing an argumentative essay; all parts are equally important.
 
Part 1: Argumentative Essay (5-7 pages) (200 points)
Your argumentative essay should be done individually, written for and academic audience, well-researched with at least 6 outside sources (see "Key Features" below), and in MLA format, providing the specific documentation and supporting evidence that your campaign materials may have discussed only superficially.  Your goal is to convince your readers that they need to take action and that apathy, ignorance, and other points of view are wrong. 
Part 2: Campaign Materials (At least two contributions per person) (50 points)
You must also submit some graphic or printed materials which would form the basis of your campaign; for example, you might create media (a flyer, pamphlet, poster, newspaper article, or TV/radio commercial spot, news feature, website, or other more creative argumentative strategy) that argues the issue and challenges the audience to action. You might also consider staging some dramatic event or spectacle (street theater, political rally, picketing) that would draw attention to your cause, in which case you might write a brief description of the plan for the event and create the promotional materials you would use to encourage attendance.  Both quality and quantity are important here, so consider the audience to which you want to appeal, and the variety of appeals that you might make.  Above all, be creative and convincing! You might try using an infographic design site, like canva.com or infogram.com. 
Part 3: Presentation (3-5 minutes) (50 points)
For a live audience, design a presentation that communicates your message using storytelling or interactive presentation strategies. You can film yourself and upload the file or audio recording, or write out the speech you would give during your presentation (which should not simply be a summary of your research paper, but instead be an interactive activity or one that uses storytelling or an example to illustrate your point), or design a PowerPoint with your recorded narration--or some combination of those approaches. 
Key Features for Argumentative Essay:
1. An introduction that gives needed background information about the topic and appeals to your audience. 
2. A thesis statement that takes a clear position on the issue that you’ve chosen: tell readers what you want them to do and why.
3. Clear reasons and sufficient evidence to support the claim in your thesis. This evidence can come from personal experience, fieldwork, articles from the textbook, or library/Internet research. It is best to have a mix of different types of evidence.
4. Quotes or paraphrases from at least four articles from a library source, such as Proquest or EBSCO. At least two should be from academic journal articles.
5. Quotes or paraphrases from at least two reliable Internet sources.
6. Appropriate organization and paragraphing, including use of clear topic sentences. The paragraphs should be in a logical order and use transitions to show links between ideas.
7. At least one example of counterargument – one or more objections to your own argument that are fairly represented and then refuted.
8. A conclusion that provides closure to the essay and considers the implications of the argument.
9. Consistent, correct use of MLA style.
10. Observance of the conventions of standard written English.