6.3: Writing a Cause/Effect or Problem-Solution Essay About Unconscious Bias--Assignment

Argumentative Essay on Unconscious Bias

 

Purpose: to reflect and write about the impact of unconscious bias in various settings with the goal of writing an argumentative essay examining the causes and/or effects or exploring a problem-solution to the issue, based on personal experience and researched information.

 

Read and watch the required following texts and videos:

 

Read  “Unconscious Bias: Definition and Examples.”

 

Watch video: “Concepts Unwrapped: Implicit Bias”

 

Read “Unconscious Bias: It Affects Us More Than We Know”

 

To explore the topic further,  choose one or more of the following partial listing of texts about situations involving unconscious bias: 

 

Read “Can Health Care Be Cured of Racial Bias?” ( this text also includes an audio recording)

 

 

Read “Opinion: Why College Majors Are Another Form of Implicit Bias in Higher Education” 

 

Read “Howard Shultz says Starbucks manager showed her own ‘unconscious bias’ and possible ‘racial profiling” 

 

Read “Ageism is one of the last socially acceptable prejudices. Psychologists are working to change that”

            

Read “Beauty bias Is Real and Devastating: I Felt it Firsthand”  

 

 

Writing Prompt: prepare a 5-to-6-page argumentative essay about one specific type of unconscious bias in a specific situation (i.e. the workplace, college classroom, heath care, etc.). Other examples of unconscious bias you may consider can be found here: “19 unconscious biases to overcome and help promote inclusivity.”

 

Once you identify your chosen unconscious bias in a specific situation, explore your position by answering the following questions:

 

What claim do you want to state about your selected unconscious bias?

 

Who is the audience for your argument?

 

List a minimum of three reasons you will use to support your claim

What are the counterarguments to your claim?

 

 

What are possible solutions to address the issue?

 

 

As you prepare the write the essay, the paper should use one of the following structures:

 

Causes and/or effects (you can focus on a specific cause, a specific effect, or examine both)

Writing for Success: Cause and Effect provides an overview

 

Problem-Solution (identify the problem and argue for a specific, practical solution to address the issues) Problem-Solution Essay Outline provides an overview

 

Additionally, your essay must use at least three to five reputable sources. Sources may include interviews, journal articles, books, articles, etc. A Works Cited Page using current MLA guidelines is required. 

 

Rubric: 

Criteria	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Needs Improvement	Unacceptable
Introduction/Thesis Statement	Exceptionally clear,strong, well-written intro that captures the reader’s interest.   Thesis statement is clearly worded, arguable, and focused.	Introduction captures the reader’s interest and provides an overview of the topic.   Thesis statement is strong and clear	Adequate introductory paragraph that announces the paper’s focus   Thesis statement is somewhat clear and arguable but requires rewording to sharpen the focus	Weak introductory paragraph that does not clearly announce the paper’s focus   Thesis statement is vaguely worded and unclear	Introductory paragraph is missing or is not focused on a specific topic (too broad or multiple topics)   Thesis statement is not arguable, too factual, or missing
Organization/Development of Ideas	All main points are exceptionally well-developed in five or more pages of text   Writer provides specific,effective textual examples   Writer demonstrates a thorough, logical,insightful analysis of the image.   Clear transition usage between all paragraphs	Main points are well-developed in five pages of text minimum   Writer provides some appropriate details and examples   Writer demonstrates a logical analysis of the image which includes some insight   Effective transition usage between most paragraphs	Main points are fairly well-explained though additional textual evidence is needed to strengthen the analysis   Writer occasionally states unsupported generalizations or unimportant details   Writer demonstrates abasic understanding of the topic with limited insight   Most ideas are signaled by paragraph divisions and transition usage	Lack of consistent paragraph usage indicates writer’s inability to effectively organize ideas   Several main points are not adequately developed   Writer frequently uses irrelevant or redundant ideas   Writer offers minimal understanding of the topic with insufficient insight   Infrequent usage of transitions	Writer fails to explain all main points; the relationship between ideas is unclear, undeveloped, or vague   Writer does not demonstrate an understanding of the topic   No transition usage
Style/Language Awareness	Precise, appropriate word choice   Writer’s style illustrates strong control of sentence structure	Writer uses clear language and usually appropriate word choice   Essay illustrates writer’s good control of sentence structure	Writer uses generally appropriate vocabulary   Essay illustrates simple and/or complex sentences with few errors in syntax usages	Writer consistently uses inappropriate language, given the assignment’s context   Significant problems with sentence structure results in an unclear expression of ideas	Writer uses confused and/or vague language resulting in an unreadable essay   Tangled or unclear sentence structure
Grammar, Spelling,and Punctuation	Correct grammar,spelling, and punctuation   1 or 2 typos or careless errors	With few exceptions,correct grammar,spelling, and punctuation   3 to 4 typos or careless errors	Usually correct grammar, spelling,and punctuation   5 to 7 typos or careless errors   One to three serious errors (run-ons, fragments, comma splices, subject- verb agreement, verb form concerns)	Recurrent grammar and/or punctuation concerns (run- ons, fragments, comma splices, subject-verb agreement, verb form errors) that disrupts the expression of ideas   Recurrent misspellings   Pattern of typos or careless errors ( 8 to 10)	Excessive and/or disruptive errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation results in an unclear expression of ideas—the essay is unreadable   Writer fails to proofread the essay (11 or more typos or careless errors)
Conclusion	Excellent summary of topic with no introduction of new information   Writer concludes the analysis on a strong note	Conclusion is clear,strong, and provides a summation of the topic   Answers the “so what?” question	To some extent, the conclusion brings closure to the essay   A more forceful ending is required	The conclusion is incomplete or does not answer the “so what?” question	Writer fails to provide a conclusion   The essay ends abruptly   The writer introduces one or more new topics