English

This essay should be between 900 and 1000 words, excluding the required annotated bibliography.
The Toulmin essay will help you practice what you have learned so far  in this course. First, you will choose a topic of interest. Make sure  that you choose a topic with two opposing sides. Then, you need to  research that topic in order to specify the topic’s scope, so it can be  easily discussed in 1000 word essay. For example, you may be interested  in learning more about traffic issues in the United States. However,  that topic is too large to cover in a 1000 word essay. After researching  peer reviewed articles that discuss US traffic issues in general, you  may discover that the metro system in the District of Columbia is  underfunded and underutilized.  Through your research, you found that  you could make a claim that more funds should be made available in order  to upgrade the metro system, which would improve traffic issues in the  District of Columbia. This would make for a stronger, specific argument.
This essay must include a minimum of five sources. Three should be peer-reviewed sources, preferably from the APUS databases. From  the library welcome page, click on Advanced Search at the bottom of the  page and then check the “peer reviewed” sources box filter.

This video will hopefully clarify the term, “peer-reviewed”: http://youtu.be/rOCQZ7QnoN0.  You  may use eBooks; however, as discussed in your textbook, books generally  are not as current as peer-reviewed articles.  You may also use primary  sources (interviews, statistics, etc); however, these primary sources  should be obtained from experts within that field.  If you cannot find  strong sources for your chosen topic, then change your topic. If you  have a question about the validity of a source, please email me, or post  your question to the open forum.

Note: Consider your audience as laymen in the field with only general knowledge of your topic.
Make sure to include the following sections in your essay:
an introduction and claim,
background,
body,
and a conclusion.
Within the body of your essay, make sure to include the following in any order:
support for your claim,
opposing or alternate views,
the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents’ claims,
and your rebuttals of their claims.
After you have written your essay, please make sure to revise the  content of your essay. Lastly, be sure to edit your essay by checking  grammar, format, and smaller technical details. Please make sure your  essay is written in third person.
The Annotated Bibliography
An annotated Bibliography (AB) is due with your Toulmin essay. Using  the MLA guide, list each source as it will appear on the Works Cited  page of your essay. Summarize each source in two or three  grammatically-correct  sentences. These short summaries are the  “annotations.”

The following is a sample of an “annotated bibliography.”

Annotated Bibliography (Centered)
Clark, Irene L. The Genre of Argument. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1998. Print.
Clark’s textbook identifies the major steps to developing a  well-researched and well-written argumentative essay. Professional  essays are included in the text as models.
Ward, Russ. Logical Argument in the Research Paper. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1997. Print.
Augmenting the steps to writing an argumentative research paper is  information about proper documentation. The Toulmin System, an important  aspect of a well-planned paper, should be studied carefully.

The essay should be about how to change corruption in the prison system please read the instructions carefully