Studyportal

For this essay, your objective will be to use the resources provided to write a well-informed, carefully 

considered persuasive essay which discusses an on-going conversation about a controversial issue about 

education. Your audience for this essay will be scholars (your classmates, teacher, other) who are interested in your topic. Some readers may be aware of the texts, thinkers, 

and arguments frequently cited within that conversation; some may not. These academic readers may 

appreciate definitions of unfamiliar terms. They respect well-read participants in the conversation, so you 

should use reliable textual support, as well as data found in credible websites, as a way of establishing 

credibility. 

 

Take a few minutes to reread your previous exercises and review some of the points your academic audience 

will expect you to make as you write your essay. Your readers will expect you to discuss established claims 

already being discussed within the conversation, and they will expect you to give these ideas a full and fair 

trial. But most of all your readers are interested in your response, and in your contribution to the 

conversation. As before, keep in mind that while your evidence provides the foundation for your work, you 

need to keep your voice and your thinking front and center. 

 

Protect your ethos: remember that academic readers like a calm and methodical consideration of ideas; 

making an argument does not mean being argumentative or shouting or belittling the opposition. Even 

though you may criticize another scholar’s position, your readers will not respond favorably to a strident or 

sarcastic tone. Repetition will not convince your reader, either; solid reasoning, current and pertinent 

information, and a reasonable tone will win over your readers. 

 

notes: Your essay should be no more than 4 or 5 pages, 12-pt font, double-spaced, and use MLA 

documentation with a Works Cited. Edit thoroughly and proofread carefully.