Wikipedia as a Valuable Source of Information

develop a thesis for an argumentative essay

 use claims and evidence to support an argument

 practice entering into a critical conversation

 practice common methods of using sources in academic writing

 practice using common formats and conventions (e.g., structure, tone, mechanics, citation) for an academic argument

TASK:To complete this assignment, compose an essay, between about 1200 words, that expresses your position on the value of Wikipedia for college students. Assume that your readers are college students and college professors. As you write, show your readers that you understand the “critical conversation” around Wikipedia by including references to this unit’s reading assignments and the perspectives offered in our class discussion. And, make sure to make a persuasive case for why your readers should share your perspective on Wikipedia.

One of your goals in this assignment should be to make careful use of reasons to support your claims. As you learned in your reading and this unit’s mini-lectures, reasons can take many forms. You might think about including relevant anecdotes from your own experience, describing your observations, using explicit logic and reasoning, creating a striking comparison, or analyzing patterns of facts and data. You may use outside sources, provided that they add to your argument in some way. Remember that experienced writers use outside sources to provide context to their own perspectives.

As always, you may use any of the material from your Writer’s Journal or our class discussions as a starting point for your assignment.

COVER LETTER: When you submit this assignment, include a brief cover letter (no more than 300 words) that answers the following questions:

What is your purpose in this assignment? What is it you are trying to do or say in this piece of writing?
What are you proud of about this assignment?
What challenges did you face while completing this assignment?
What sorts of feedback do you want from your instructor on this assignment?

Include your cover letter as a comment with your upload — not as a separate document. Your cover letter will not count for or against your grade, but will help your instructor respond best to your writing.

LENGTH, DESIGN, & FORMATTING: Your assignment should be between 1200 words. Make sure to fully argue your position, using development strategies that help you support, clarify, and extend your argument.

Use MLA guidelines for document design. This includes using 1-inch margins, double-spaced type, a page number in the upper right corner, and a Works Cited page.

Give your work a unique title — not “Wikipedia Argument.”

Answer preview……….

apa 1438 words