15.3: Sample Student Essays
- Page ID
- 126010
The essays below are intended as models for students' own writing in college.
Summaries
- In "Spread Feminism, Not Germs," student Gizem Gur summarizes the Atlantic Magazine article "The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism." Annotations point out the structure of the summary and the strategies Gur uses.
- In "Typography and Identity," Saramanda Swigart summarizes the New York Times article “A Debate Over Identity and Race Asks, Are African-Americans ‘Black’ or ‘black’?” Annotations point out the structure of the summary and the strategies Swigart uses.
Summary and Assessment Essays (Critical Analyses)
- In "Spread Feminism, Not Germs," student Gizem Gur summarizes and assesses the Atlantic Magazine article "The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism." Annotations point out how Gur structures the summary and assessment.
- In "Typography and Identity," Saramanda Swigart summarizes and assesses the New York Times article “A Debate Over Identity and Race Asks, Are African-Americans ‘Black’ or ‘black’?” Annotations point out how Swigart structures the summary and assessment.
Summary, Assessment, and Response Essays
- In "Spread Feminism, Not Germs," student Gizem Gur summarizes, assesses, and responds to the Atlantic Magazine article "The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism." Annotations point out how Gur structures the response paper.
- In "Typography and Identity," Saramanda Swigart summarizes, assesses, and responds to the New York Times article “A Debate Over Identity and Race Asks, Are African-Americans ‘Black’ or ‘black’?” Annotations point out how Swigart structures the response paper.
Compare-and-Contrast Essays
The essay "Contested Territory" compares and contrasts two arguments on immigration: "Wouldn't We All Cross the Border" by Anna Mills and "The Weight of the World" by Saramanda Swigart. Annotations point out how the author structures the comparison.
Argument Analysis Essays (Rhetorical Analysis)
The brief essay "Henig's Perspective on the Gender Revolution" by student Jun Stephens can serve as an example of argument analysis.
- Sample argument analysis essay "Henig's Perspective on the Gender Revolution" in PDF with margin notes
- Sample argument analysis essay "Henig's Perspective on the Gender Revolution" accessible version with notes in parentheses
The essay "Argument Analysis of Cory Doctorow’s 'Why I Won’t Buy an iPad (and Think You Shouldn’t, Either)'" can serve as an example.
- Sample argument analysis essay "Argument Analysis of Cory Doctorow’s “Why I Won’t Buy an iPad (and Think You Shouldn’t, Either) " in PDF with margin notes
- Sample argument analysis essay "Argument Analysis of Cory Doctorow’s “Why I Won’t Buy an iPad (and Think You Shouldn’t, Either) " accessible version with notes in parentheses
Visual Argument Analysis Essays
The essay "An Image Is Worth a Thousand Calls to Arms" by Saramanda Swigart analyzes a visual argument.
Research Papers
Research-Based Definition Arguments
- The student essay "Defining Stereotypes" by Imanol Juarez gives a brief definition as a basis for a critique of stereotypes. Annotations point out how Juarez uses several definition argument strategies.
- “Trust” by Chris Thurman. This five-paragraph student essay defines the concept of trust and discusses its fragility and complications. (CC BY-SA)
- “Mass Incarceration: The Real Trends of the United States Justice System” by Darius Porter. This nine-paragraph student essay defines the concept of justice through the lens of America’s war on drugs resulting in mass incarcerations. The author discusses the impact of mandatory sentencing laws designed to target people based on race and/or income level in order to enrich the current private prison industry. Source: Successful College Composition by Kathryn Crowther et al., provided by Galileo, Georgia's Virtual Library. CC-NC-SA-4.0.
Research-Based Evaluation Arguments
- The essay "Universal Health Care Coverage for the United States" argues that the benefits of this method of paying for health care outweigh any disadvantages. Annotations point out how the author uses several evaluation argument strategies.
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“The Story of My Working Thesis Malfunction” by Amanda Kenger. The author walks the reader through her process of writing a thesis on Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction. The author wrote four essays trying to define the focus of the final essay: A proposal essay, a critique essay, an antithesis essay, and a categorization essay. The author discusses the development of research skills and evaluates the writing process and final thesis. (CC BY-NC-SA)
Research-Based Causal Arguments
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The article "Climate Explained: Why Carbon Dioxide Has Such Outsized Influence on Earth’s Climate" by Jason West, published in The Conversation, explains why scientists are convinced that carbon dioxide causes climate change. Annotations point out how the author uses several causal argument strategies.
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“Effects of Video Game Addiction.” This six-paragraph student essay focuses on the potential negative impact of excessive video game playing. Concerns mentioned are disruption in the player’s career, decline in overall health and hygiene, and a loss of valuable socialization. While video game players may perceive that they are involved in e-based communities, the author points out that these forms of communication rarely translate to face-to-face social interaction. (English Composition I: Rhetorical Methods-Based, CC BY-NC-SA)
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“Crossing the Line: Remembering September 11” by Theresa Henkes. This seven-paragraph student essay discusses the negative impact of commercialization of September 11th by the entertainment industry. The author mentions special features, movies, magazines, and video games all designed to make money rather than help the nation mourn and heal. In contrast, voluntary and reverent memorials and museums offer the opportunity to reflect on the tragedy without the motive of financial gain. (Excelsior OWL, CC BY 4.0)
Research-Based Proposal Arguments
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The sample essay "Why We Should Open Our Borders" by student Laurent Wenjun Jiang makes a brief, general proposal argument. Annotations point out how Jiang uses several proposal argument strategies.
- “Rethinking Recycling: Why Reusing Needs to Be User Friendly” by Emily Hanna. This seven-paragraph student essay, in APA format, proposes colleges and communities adopt a recycling approach currently being used by the University of Maryland. This approach uses numerous color-coded bins, in a uniform manner across the entire campus, making the process of recycling easier thereby attracting more participants. Citing the cost of resources to produce new materials and the lack of landfill space, the author encourages other colleges to adopt a similar recycling approach. (Excelsior OWL, CC BY 4.0)