Write an essay investigating the causes or effects of a current trend, event, or
phenomenon. You might, for example, seek to explain the popularity of superhero movie franchises, or
the continued relevance of a particular work, such as Little Women; alternatively, you might consider the
effects of social media use on mental health; or the effects of the declining number of honeybees; you
might examine the causes of mass shootings, or of the opioid epidemic, or the effects of marijuana
legalization. Whatever topic you select, your essay should strive to push beyond the obvious, revealing
new insights.
• Provide adequate background information regarding the trend, event, or phenomenon you are
discussing. This may include a description of the topic, a brief history of the topic, a discussion of
what makes the topic significant, and an enumeration of some of the causes or effects proposed
by others.
• Establish your position vis a vis the causes or effects of your topic in a clear thesis statement.
• Support the thesis with detailed discussions of relevant evidence, while also accounting for and
responding to possible objections.
• Conclude by summarizing your position, discussing its significance, and offering a powerful
emotional appeal.
Learning Objectives:
• To provide experience researching and thinking critically about cause and effect.
• To provide experience with engaging an on-going conversation conducted in and through written
texts.
• To provide practice with the strategies of academic writing, including close reading and critical
analysis, crafting thesis statements, crafting supporting paragraphs, responding to objections, and
incorporating sources
Sample Solution