^{English 101: Essay #4 – Causal Analysis Essay}

This assignment addresses the following course outcomes:

WRITING:

Demonstrate various invention practices: brainstorming, free writing; outlining, journaling, along with the phases of writing: draft, revision, final copy;
Demonstrate ability to write in various modes, in this case causal analysis.
Explore sources of writing: reading, thinking, analyzing, discussion;
Create a thesis statement that suggests the focus of the paper, does not point out the obvious, and is written as a sentence;
Develop and include sufficient details and examples to support the identified thesis and reinforce focus;
Demonstrate various patterns of organization and use chosen organization patterns that suit the identified purpose & audience;
Illustrate the concept of audience as well as artfully combine audience, purpose, and tone;
Choose a vocabulary appropriate to the subject and identified audience;
Begin and conclude effectively;
Show effective control of mechanics: paragraphing, punctuation, and spelling.

CRITICAL READING:

Differentiate between key ideas and supporting details;

GROUP FEEDBACK & SELF-EVALUATION:

Practice effective group skills, including providing useful feedback and making effective use of feedback received;

Develop and practice self-assessment skills.

SUSTAINABILITY

Become prepared to be a responsible citizen in a globally interconnected and diverse society;
Obtain an increased understanding regarding

* The link between food and culture

* The negative consequences of industrialized, processed, and profit-motivated food production

* The relationship between food and health

* The benefits and drawbacks of local and alternative food systems

* Local and world hunger

* Increased understanding of contemporary food movements such as locavorism, the slow food movement, biofabrication, veganism, etc.

* Ethical arguments and conscious choices regarding what to eat.

Assignment: In 800-1,000 words, analyze causes and/or effects as showcased in ONE of these Ted Talks:

Christa Orechio: “Food as Medicine”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKcm96l0uqE

Ron Finley: “Guerrilla Gardener in South Central Los Angeles“ http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la

All page references below refer to our required handbook, The Little, Brown Handbook (12^th edition), Pearson, 2012, which can be purchased through the Bellevue College Bookstore (http://store330.collegestoreonline.com/ePOS?form=shared3/gm/main.html&this_category=43&design=2012) , on Amazon.com, & through many other textbook retailers.

Tips:

Narrow your topic enough to allow yourself to go into depth about a few related causes or effects rather than spreading yourself thin.

Make sure that you provide more than a mere list of causes, instead ANALYZING causes or effects with the purpose of proving your thesis statement.

When seeking causes, you will have read critically and carefully. For example, many assert that a chief and immediate cause of today’s obesity epidemic is that portion sizes in restaurants have increased tremendously since the 1950s. However, there is conflicting evidence that while caloric input has remained relatively static, inactivity has increased. You will need to acknowledge this type of contradictory evidence, perhaps conceding to a point, saying something like “yes, inactivity does play a part in the obesity epidemic, but there is no denying that drinking a 56-ounce Big Gulp most days can wreak havoc on your body. After all, it contains 410 calories and is devoid of nutrients and fiber so you will not feeling ‘full’ after consuming it.”

For assistance with critical reading, please see Chapter 6, especially the guidelines at the bottom of page 154.

In addition to simply arguing the cause of a particular topic, you will need to backup your assertions with at least two (2) additional outside sources (online articles work fine; just make sure they are from legitimate websites) in addition to your chosen TedTalk. Conduct research to find evidence that helps you support your thesis related to causes, effects, or some of both; papers without research or citations (parenthetical citations and a works cited page) will earn a failing grade. You will cite your sources and quotes in MLA citation format.

For assistance with choosing a reliable and relevant source, read page 613 and 615, Questions for Evaluating Sources & websites. For help with direct quotations and paraphrases, see 43d on pages 633-643, with info on using choosing and integrating sources into your essay. Also, Chapter 44, Avoiding Plagiarism and Documenting Sources, will help keep you from accidentally plagiarizing. Everything you need to know about MLA Documentation and Format appears in Chapter 46 and Chapter 47, including two sample research papers with detailed annotations. Study these well. Owl at Purdue is another excellent resource for MLA documentation, and all other writing matters.

What am I supposed to write?

Your paper should:

Argue the causes of your particular topic, using researched evidence (including direct quotes) to support your claims. It should also distinguish between immediate and remote causes, focusing on immediate causes first. This can be done with making primary causes first and foremost, and leaving less relevant ones for the final paragraph of your paper. You may decide to omit remote causes as well.

Be typed according to MLA guidelines—12-point standard font, Your Name, Instructor Name, Course Name, Date in the upper LEFT hand corner. See pages 714-715 for help with proper MLA document format.

Pointers for Structuring Your Essay:

Introductory Paragraph & thesis:

Begin your essay by arousing the audience’s interest. Invest them in the problem or issue you are focusing on. This is the paragraph that must clearly establish the subject of your essay and a clear explanation of what has given rise to a particular phenomenon. Include a thesis statement that is one sentence long and that appears in the very last sentence of the introductory paragraph.

Thesis Statement:

Make sure your thesis is a supportable statement of your opinion, NOT a question. For help with composing and revising thesis statements, see pages 36-41. Watch the video a few times, then begin jotting down questions. Conduct research (fact checking, using word groups such as “food as medicine” or “inner-city gardening” as key word searches. Your thesis is what will guide your entire paper, so it needs to be supportable, convey your purpose, and narrow your subject down to a manageable size for an 800-1,000 word paper. It also helps the reader know what the essay will be “proving.”

Sample thesis statement for a causal analysis essay on teaching inner city kids to grow and prepare their own food:

When children are empowered with knowledge and hands-on experience about what to eat and drink, they not only increase their chances of becoming healthy adults, free of heart disease and diabetes, but more prepared to break the cycle of poverty, opening the door for a promising economic future.”

Note: tthis thesis does not include the words “cause” of “effect.” However, but it definitely WILL analyze causes and effects. Please refrain from having a thesis statement that goes something like this: "There are many causes and effects when it comes to obesity. This paper will share some of those." Your thesis must be more than an announcement about causes and effects, and it must have some meat to it - what are you trying to show with your specific details (quotations, facts, stats) and analysis of them? Also, never announce in your thesis what your paper will be 'about.' Instead, share your supportable opinion.

Sample outline for paper with thesis statement above:

Main Causes:

Inner cities are food deserts.

Most schools do not teach food education, serve fast and processed food.

People are sick due to not having access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Quote Ron Finley about “dialysis centers popping up here like Starbucks.”

Transitional paragraph: A change is happening – people like Finley are teaching kids to grow their own food and eat it.

2nd part of paper: Effects of growing and eating own food:

Paragraphs about effects:

Teaches kids they have power over their own bodies, over the ‘system’ that keeps them down with processed, high sugar and fatty foods.

Encourages innovation—they work at building food structures and food delivery systems.

Gardening is both defiant and therapeutic.

Gives kids confidence while providing more nutrients to their bodies.

Eating green is good for the human body, but the benefits do not stop there. Learning to eat well might actually break the poverty cycle and put inner city kids to work, using the job skills they learned from growing food for themselves and their community.

Cause effect diagram.jpg

2. Main Body:

In the main body of your essay, create a paragraph for each of your causes and/or effects. Make sure each paragraph contains a topic sentence and at least one quotation or paraphrase that serves to support your claim/s. Limit body paragraphs to ONE main idea (cause or effect) unless you are writing about a causal chain (a series of causes leading to one effect).

See Chapter 2 for help with outlining your essay; for achieving paragraph unity/coherence/development, see Chapter 4. When writing about causality, use words that show cause and effect, including “to this end,” “consequently” and “as a result.” A complete list appears on the top of page 95. You must use transitions between paragraphs to signal that you are writing about a new cause or effect. Your objective is to link the paragraphs together smoothly.

Consider how to order the main body paragraphs. For example, within the immediate causes section, you might arrange the 3-4 paragraphs by the most serious reasons to the least serious causes. Alternatively, you could order the paragraphs according to are considered the most common effects of eating a poor diet. You will have several main body paragraphs, but the number will vary depending on your thesis. Each paragraph, though, should start off with a topic sentence that indicates the next cause you will be explaining.

Remember to include analysis in each of your body paragraphs. You cannot merely write about what causes X to happen; you have to explain why it happens and why it is important.

Always keep your thesis/focus in view – each body paragraph should support your main thesis, and each paragraph should illustrate the topic sentence of that paragraph.

3. Conclusion

Your concluding paragraph brings your essay to a satisfying and convincing close. While you do not need to restate each cause or effect, you might want to restate your essay's purpose/thesis. You might also choose to predict what the future holds (a worsening health crisis, higher health care costs, increased opportunity for inner city kids, improved health, reduction in obesity, etc.) or end with an inspirational or particularly convincing quotation, fact, or statistic. More on conclusions here: http://www1.aucegypt.edu/academic/writers/conclusion.htm.

Reminders:

Give your essay a unique title. Don’t call it the "Causal-Analysis Essay" or "Essay #4.” Instead, make it descriptive and catchy: “Going Green in the Ghetto: How Shovels & Spades Can Become Tools for Positive Change.”

Audience considerations: Your audience is college-aged and academic; assume they are aware but not fully knowledgeable about the causes or effects you are analyzing. Do not assume your reader has viewed the TedTalk you are writing about.

Point of view: The point of view for this essay will be in the third person, so you will be using the“he/she/it/they pronouns frequently. Refrain from using 1^st or 2^nd person point of view (“I” or “you”).

Avoid rhetorical questions, such as “Do Americans really think they can continue to eat buckets of “bottomless” French fries and not end up with health issues?”

Use Standard American English (SAE):

Your paper must follow the basic conventions of standard American written English, employing correct mechanics, usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. If you are not sure what constitutes “Standard American English,” please consult Little Brown and/or make an appointment with a tutor at the BC Writing Lab to receive additional help with ensuring that your paper adheres to these guidelines and is carefully edited and proofread.