Weighting: 30% of your final grade
Description:
A commodity is generally defined as anything (including objects, animal, people, etc…) that are bought and sold in the global economy. Blackboard contains folders with documentaries and other resources to help you explore some commodities that have negative effects on the environment, humans and/or animals. You need to write an essay of 1000 to 1200 words on one of these commodities (if you want to choose another commodity, check with your instructor first). Your essay must inform and persuade, using ethos, pathos and/or logos, your readers to stop supporting (buying) this commodity, the demand for which is resulting in negative impacts on humans, animals, and/or the environment.
Your essay is due at the end of the semester and is worth 30% of your final grade. It must follow APA conventions (document formatting, in-text citations and a reference list), include a minimum of 4 sources and submitted to Safe Assignment in Blackboard.
Marking: All students’ work will be graded using the common Col 145 assessment criteria.
Checklist Before Submitting Your Final Draft
- Check your word count. Is your essay between 1000 and 1200 words?
- Do you have a minimum of 4 sources in your text?
- Does each source have accurate in-text citations?
- Does each source have the correct reference list entry?
- If you used directly quoted material, is your quoted material 10% of your text or less?
- Does your thesis statement state an opinion (and not a fact), and is it in the introduction?
- Does each paragraph have a topic sentence, a concluding sentence and supporting ideas?
- Is each of your supporting ideas developed with details, examples, statistics, expert opinions, etc…?
- Does your introductory paragraph have a hook that grabs your reader’s attention?
- Does your concluding paragraph restate the thesis and communicate the purpose of the essay by offering a recommendation, making a prediction, using a relevant quote or asking a rhetorical question?
- Does your essay make at least two types of appeals (emotional, logical, and/or moral character)?
- Does your essay contain any run-ons or fragments?
- Does your essay contain mistakes in subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, spelling, capitalization, etc…?
- Is all your text in a Times New Roman, size 12 font?
- Is every first line of each paragraph indented?
- Does the title page contain all the information required (your name, ID#, instructor’s name, course, date, etc…)?
