Saving the Innocent

Saving the Innocent

DescriptionFor this assignment, you will write an essay that takes the form of a proposal: specifically, I am asking that you describe a significant problem and propose your recommended solution. You may use the topic you used for the synthesis and/or argument essay, or you may choose a new topic. Choose your topic carefully, as it will need to support extensive library research and a paper of at least 3,000 words.

This assignment requires you to identify a local, national, or global problem that could be solved by an organization, or the government, or some other organized collective. The problem should not be one that is personal; it needs to be a social problem, the kind that affects many people. In some cases, you might need to persuade your audience that something is a problem before you can argue for a solution – for instance, many farmers in Idaho don’t recognize field burning as a problem, while others think it is, and still others have no idea it’s even a controversy. Take care to select a problem that is specific enough that you can deal with it within the confines of this assignment but big enough that you can do extensive library research on it and write at least 3,000 words on it.

In your essay, you need to describe the problem and convince your readers that the topic you have selected really is a problem. Next, you need to propose a solution for it and argue for that solution. It is usually necessary to argue for one solution (or solutions) while also arguing against another solution. In other words, your task is to convince your readers that the solution that you propose is the best one. Thus, not only do you need to deal with counter-arguments (as in your argument essay), but you also need to deal with counter-solutions. Here are some of the qualities of an effective problem/solution essay:

• A clearly defined problem
• An awareness of what your audience knows and doesn’t know about the problem and the solution
• A well-explained solution
• Evidence for why your solution will be effective
• An explanation of counterarguments against your proposed solution or the articulation of the problem (if it may not be universally recognized as a problem)
• A review and rebuttal of alternative solutions
• Concessions/qualifiers
• A call to action (if appropriate, and not in the 2nd person)

Basic Assignment Criteria:
• Use of at least 7 academically credible sources, preferably found primarily via the South Library resource site and catalog (not via a general web search)
o At least four sources must be books from credible publishers (preferably university presses) and/or articles from peer-reviewed journals
o At least one source must be non-written. This means field research (personally conducted research, such as an interview, survey, lecture/talk attendance, etc.) or a non-print source such as a (credible) documentary, television or radio broadcast (e.g., an NPR broadcast), online video (e.g., a TED Talk), etc.
• At least 3,000 words
• Use of proper APA essay format, including an abstract, but not including sub-headings
• Proper APA in-text citations and corresponding references list

Remember that a problem/solution essay is a specialized form of argumentative or persuasive writing. You will use the synthesis skills and argument skills you learned for your previous essays, as well as your skills in selecting, using, and citing source material.