Spring 2022 – Essay 2 Prompt
Sanpietro
English 102
Essay 2: A guided argument.
Your second major writing assignment this term is an argumentative synthesis of these articles
along with at least four other sources:
The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board. “Schools Must Take a Zero-Tolerance Approach to Threats
of Violence.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/PUJBOE527571413/OVIC?u=tmcc_main&sid=bookmark-
OVIC&xid=12fda07e. Accessed 27 Feb. 2022. Originally published as “Zero tolerance
on school threats needed,” Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2018.
Black, Derek W. “Zero tolerance discipline policies won’t fix school shootings.” Gale Opposing
Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/PVBVDR045574687/OVIC?u=tmcc_main&sid=bookmark-
OVIC&xid=cc366300. Accessed 27 Feb. 2022. Originally published as “Zero tolerance
discipline policies won’t fix school shootings,” The Conversation, 15 Mar. 2018.
From the overview on this topic, “Zero-tolerance policies refer to disciplinary approaches through which an organization or entity declares that certain behaviors and rule infractions will
not be permitted to any degree. In US public schools, zero-tolerance policies involve attaching
mandatory and often strict punishments, such as suspension and expulsion, to specified
behavioral violations. The infractions covered by zero-tolerance policies differ from school to
school, but they generally include acts of violence, possession of weapons or illegal substances,
and forms of disruptive or dangerous behavior. Initially introduced in the 1980s during the
federal government’s “War on Drugs,” zero-tolerance policies gained increasing prominence in
public schools during the 1990s in response to a wave of violent incidents and school shootings.”
Your prompt: Are zero-tolerance policies effective deterrence to the behavior they are in place
to mitigate?
What is an argumentative synthesis? In an argumentative synthesis, you present information as
fairly as possible (as you did in the first essay) but your evaluation of the sources (your critique)
will help you take a position on the issue that they address. You will be arguing for a position on
the basis of a reasonable consideration of the information and arguments presented by your
sources. Be mindful that your own argument will require that you make an explicit claim, present
adequate support for it, and articulate your assumption so that the relationship between your
claim and itssupport is apparent.
This major writing assignment requires that you put into practice the other skills you have
already acquired. In your essay, you will be expected to present information from these sources
accurately and briefly (summarize), explain how the sources relate to each other (synthesize),and evaluate the rhetorical elements that the sources use to persuade readers (critique).
Moreover, you will now look to promote a particular position, or argue for it. Your support for a
particular position should be based on the overall consideration of the reasonableness of the
argument your sources present and on your awareness of the consequences that position may
entail.
This essay also requires that you contribute original ideas to inform the debate or enhance the
understanding of your research topic. You do this by gathering information, considering its
validity, endorsing it or rejecting it accordingly, and challenging those sources with your own
questions on the matter. This rhetorical stance should lead you to take an active role in
establishing the direction of the “conversation” and communicating the importance of the
research to your readers. You will be evaluating sources on the basis of the information and
arguments they presented, but you will also be trying to ask and to answer questions your
sources are not considering but should.
The Particulars:
• MLA 9th Edition Style Paper
• 6-8 pages double spaced. (Papers who are short will have their grade brought down by
the percentage the paper is short. So if you hand in half the requirement (3 pages, you
will receive half the grade)
• 6 or more sources (I have provided the first two sources, and you are required to use
them. All sources must be from the library database or have an accompanying “proof of
reliability” sheet turned in by March 23 via email to me)
• The goal here is to present the information and lead the reader to your conclusion. By
doing this, you will have to present at least two sides and prove how one is superior to the
other.
• Your audience is someone who believes that zero-tolerance policies are necessary.
Due Dates:
Optional Essay 2 Prewrite: Due Saturday, March 5, 2022
Essay 2 Half Draft (at least three pages, but the more you submit, the more I can comment on)
Due Saturday, March 12, 2022.
Essay 2 Optional Individual Meeting to Go over your draft. 3/20-3/24. Email me to make an
appointment.
Essay 2 Half Draft Returned Friday, March 18
Final Essay 2: Saturday, March 26, 2022
Essays Returned: Friday, March 31, 2022
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