English 101: Why Bother by Michael Pollen

PREVIEW ESSAY FOUR: "Why Bother?" Due THURSDAY, May 1, by MIDNIGHT.

This final essay will be an accumulation of all you've learned in this course. Since it's a research essay, it’s also a sample of what you can expect to be writing in ENG 102. Your essay will be based on the concepts outlined in "Why Bother?" by Michael Pollan on pg. 764 in From Inquiry to Academic Writing, and by any one of the other readings in Chapter 18 - Sustainability and Environmental Studies -- and by considering:

Like Pollan, other writers in this chapter argue that changing our daily habits can improve our health and the health of the planet. Compose an essay in which you connect Pollan's ideas about changing our habits to any one of the other readings in Chapter 18. Use key ideas and examples from your chosen texts to build an argument about which changes are most pressing, given the evidence you have gleaned. What challenges do you see and what benefits? Essay MUST contain a personal perspective, as it's what YOU can do, not society at large.

To start this essay, focus on a larger, specific, environmental issue, for example, like factory farming or commercial meat production. Explain what that issue is, and how it can damage the ecosystem. Then bring it down to a personal level, such as buying local, or perhaps exploring vegetarian. REMEMBER: it's what YOU can do.

This will be a minimum FIVE to SEVEN (5-7) page essay, with a minimum of SIX (6) sources:

• at least one other reading from the texts in Chapter 18 to complement "Why Bother?"
• Two (2) from any acceptable Internet sites that score high on the CRAAP test
• Two (2) from Library Databases
• All sources MUST be within the last two years, the more current, the better
• An MLA-formatted Works Cited will be REQUIRED for this essay

To reenforce your instruction, I also have a short exercise on database searching they need to complete during class time:

From the Library Databases, find:

1. A recent (within the last two years) article on climate change.
2. Write a sentence integrating a quote and MLA in-text citation, using signal phrasing to introduce the quote.
3. Write a Works Cited citation for the article.

4. This assignment will ONLY be available during the Library Class, and will not be available after. If not completed during this time, your grade will be a zero. Even so, the Librarian will be available during class time to assist you in the assignment.

"healthy eating" AND "climate change"

"buy local" AND "organic food"

"factory farming" AND "environmental impact"

or use your own search using the six tips for creating a search