Engagement Points Guide

Most weeks, you will complete engagement points, including submitting drafts of your Essay
Components for 1 point each. For each Essay Component, you will complete a piece of writing
that will contribute to your final essay submission.

Engagement points are graded on a 0 (not completed OR not completed to

satisfaction/mastery) or 1 (completed to satisfaction/mastery). If you are confused by your
feedback or need more support, it is your responsibility to ask your TA or instructor for
assistance!

Detailed instructions and deadlines for each Engagement Point are listed below and included in
weekly posted content on eClass. Every week we will review the necessary related content and
material you will need to think about to complete each essay component more specifically.

Due May 13th to 17th, 11:59pm:

 Pre-class survey and reflection (1 pt)
 Essay Component 1 and 2
o EC1: Brainstorming: brief description of your topic(s) (~100 words or a short
paragraph).
 Tell us about your possible essay topic idea. If you have multiple ideas you are
considering – tell us about all of them.
o It can be vague at this point – you don’t need a hyper-specific topic
yet. Just something to get you started on conducting research next
week.
o Think about: What makes you interested in this topic? What kind of
evidence or research do you think you might need to look for? Why is
this topic important to you?
 Note: you should not have a definitive position on your topic yet! This means
you should not have already decided “I am going to argue that A causes B” –
we have not yet conducted research, so you don’t have any evidence to
support an argument yet.
 You do not need to use any sources for EC1.
 The purpose of this exercise is to make sure your ideas are on the right track,
not to judge whether your possible topics are ‘good’ or not – a topic is good is
it if meets the course requirements and will keep you interested all semester.
As long as it is interesting to you, it is fair game.
 EC2: Working annotated bibliography of possible supporting evidence related
to your topic of interest. Find at least 4 scholarly references related to your
topic. For each of the 4 sources you must:
 provide the full citation in correct APA format
 summarize the source in your own words (may include some or all of
the following: hypotheses, methodology, results, implications)
  note how the source is related to at least one of your other sources
(make links among your sources – for example: do they reach the
same or conflicting findings? Are they exploring a similar question but
in different populations? Is there a similar theme or concern being
addressed?)
o You do not need to link ALL articles together – for example,
article 1 is related to article 3, article 2 is related to article 3,
article 1 and 4 come to opposing conclusions, etc.
 Each article summary and connections can be 1-2 paragraphs,
depending on how much you want to include.
 Remember these summaries will inform your next Essay Component
(writing your supporting evidence) so the more work you do now to
understand the evidence on your topic, the easier the coming weeks
will be!

Due May 22nd, during class time, 9-11:30am

 In-class live grading and peer review exercise of EC 3 and 4 (1 pt)
 BONUS 1 pt: submit a full, complete EC3-4 to me by Tuesday, May 21 at 4pm as a
possible live grading recipient. Send to me via email.
o Note: this must be a complete draft. No half-done submissions will be given
credit.

Due May 20 – May 24th, 11:59pm

 Essay Component 3 and 4 (1 pt each = 2 pts)
 EC3: Claim and summary of your supporting evidence (~500-800 words)
 Based on the evidence so far, what is your working claim?
o “I will argue that….”
o “My essay will make the claim that…”
o Note the phrasing above are just suggestions to get you started, you do not
have to use them – you can use your own words, as long as you are making a
clear argumentative statement.
o Format your claim in 1-2 sentences.
 Next, describe the supporting evidence you have found so far. Write about the
evidence like it was your final essay.
o Use proper paragraphs and in-text citation.
o Ensure you describe how the evidence supports your claim – do not assume
your reader will make those connections!
o Go beyond mere summary – interpret the evidence and tell us why it matters
for your claim. Why are you including it in your essay?
o Absolutely no quotes! Use your own words and summarize/paraphrase the
evidence you are using.
  EC4: Counter-claims to either your claim, supporting evidence, or both. You need 2
counter-claims and each counter-claim requires at least 1 source to support it. For
each counter-claim, you need a rebuttal, and your rebuttal also requires at least 1
source. (~500 words; can be longer if you need/want to)
 Describe your 2 counterclaims (with arguments and evidence to support each, why
would someone believe/think these counterclaims in the first place? What is the
evidence for them?)
o Ensure each counter-claim has a source – you cannot invent a counter-claim!
 Provide a rebuttal to each counterclaim using evidence. The rebuttals must describe
how your supporting evidence and/or claim are stronger or more convincing than
the counter-claim.
 Write out your counter-claims and rebuttals like they were going into your final
essay.
o Use proper paragraphs and in-text citation.
o Like your supporting evidence, ensure you go beyond mere summary –
interpret the evidence and rebuttals and make clear how they are relevant
for your claim/supporting evidence, and why your claim still stands despite
the counter-claims.
 Integrate your counter-claims and rebuttals into your claim and supporting evidence
from EC3! This will help us understand your counter-claims.

Due between June 3 and June 7, 11:59pm

 Essay Component 5 and 6 (1 pt each = 2 pts)
 EC5: Context/Introduction (~300-400 words)
 Provide the introduction and relevant context for your essay.
  Why is your topic and claim important? Why should we care?
 When necessary, define terms in your essay (e.g. an important theory or concept
relevant to your claim and topic) and provide citations for any information that is
not your own.
 Write your introduction in proper paragraph format, using in-text citations as
needed.
 Don’t forget your claim – it should come close to the end of your introduction.
EC6: Conclusion of your essay (~200-400 words)
 Your conclusion should guide the reader out of the essay. This is where you briefly
restate your claim/evidence and then put your claim again into the larger context of
your topic. What are the new possibilities now that your claim has been established?
If necessary, acknowledge limits to your argument without under-cutting yourself
(e.g. “We still need to learn more about X…”)
 Include implications of your argument – what can we do with this information? Who
would it matter to? Implications should be the largest part of your conclusion.
 Ensure your conclusion has a brief wrap-up statement(s) about your topic.
 It is not sufficient to merely summarize your entire essay – this is not a conclusion!

Due June 10th, in-class 9:00-10:30am

 Peer review (1 pt) – you will be matched with a peer to complete peer review.
o Note you MUST submit a full draft. No half-done work will be shared with a peer.
o You receive credit for completing peer review, not just uploading a draft to
share.

Due June 12th, in-class 9:00-11:00am

 Attend final writing group and participate in goal-setting and reflection while completing
your final essay (1 pt)

Due June 17th, 11:59pm

 Submit your final essay by 11:59pm so you can go on and enjoy your summer!