1000-1200 Word History Essay
Essay 3: Clash of CivilizationsFor the third essay, the student must read The Clash of Civilizations by Samuel Huntington and analyze his argument. For this essay, you will pick a position supporting or opposing Huntington’s article about conflict between civilizations and applying it to the current debate on immigration into the U.S. For your argument use at least two other scholarly sources.
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INSTRUCTIONS
Read the document “The Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington as preparation for writing this essay.
Reviewing Chapter 15 of the textbook by Martin and Wasserman, “Everyday Life after 1959,” especially the sections on urban growth and migration, will prove helpful in addressing the topic for this essay.
Read the viewpoint of Patrick Buchanan in the document: “La Reconquista,” Taken from Chapter 6 of Buchanan’s 1982 book, The Death of the West.
Read the policy statement from Bernie Sanders.com “Immigration Reform.”
Use at least two outside sources from the above readings to support your argument (with appropriate citations), or find two additional peer-reviewed sources.
For this essay, choose one of the following prompts and develop a thesis based argument for your essay
Agree or disagree with the following statement: Since the U.S. took Southwest states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California from Mexico, it is only right that those states become heavily Hispanic through Mexican and Hispanic immigration.
Page Ref: 246-251
Topic: Immigration, Mexico, U.S.-Mexican War
Agree or disagree with the following statement: The U.S. border with Mexico is a fault-line of the clash of civilizations, in accordance with the article by Samuel Huntington
Page Ref: 274
Topic: Migration, Hispanidad, U.S.-Mexico relations
Agree or disagree with the following statement: Just like every other nation, the United States has the right to protect its borders and control the flow of immigration.
Page Ref: 246-251
Topic: Immigration, Mexico, U.S.-Mexican War
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For this essay, you should follow these guidelines:
Your essay should be 1000-1200 words and your argument should be supported with information from the article and from two scholarly sources (see below). Use 12-point font, New Times Roman, 1-inch margins and double-space. In every Gordon Rule course at FIU, students must demonstrate “college-level writing skills.” College-level writing must exhibit the following characteristics:
It has a clear thesis. The thesis is supported with adequate reasons and evidence.
It shows sustained analysis and critical thought.
It is organized clearly and logically.
It shows knowledge of standard written English in regard to content, style, format, and citation.
Thesis Statement:
The thesis is the central idea of your paper around which all your evidence and claims are organized. The thesis should be stated as clearly as possible in the first paragraph. Every single paragraph should be dedicated in a clear way to proving your thesis. A vivid thesis statement will announce the steps of its argument, not just provide a flat statement of the essay's ultimate goal. Think of the thesis as a roadmap that gives directions to your reader rather than as a picture of your final destination.
When your thesis is too easy to prove, your essay can become repetitive and you may feel that you do not have enough to write about. A complex thesis, on the other hand, requires you to convince your reader that your argument is logical and will reveal ideas that cannot be easily anticipated. A worthwhile thesis will always outline an argument with which a reader can readily disagree. Then, the body of the paper will give evidence that convinces the reader of your point of view.
Here are two links to guide you to write a good thesis statement:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html
When reading your essays, I will be looking at three different elements: Content, Style, and Research. Each element is worth 30 points.
Content refers to the information in your paper. Is it correct? Is it detailed? Do you provide at least three examples as evidence supporting your thesis? Is it clear to me that you read the article and carefully thought about your position? Do you make sure the reader can follow your argument and that you don’t leave them hanging with unanswered questions?
Style refers to how that information is presented. This includes the way the information is organized and writing skills such as formatting, spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Does your introduction include the thesis statement and an essay plan in order to quickly orient the reader? Does the conclusion reinforce the thesis and wrap the essay up neatly?
Research refers to the quality and quantity of your research. You must use at least two academic sources in addition to the article itself to support your thesis position.Sources might include the class textbook, other scholarly books and articles, reliable and accurate websites, etc. Do not use Wikipedia or student papers as sources.
A Works Cited page must be included with each paper. You may use whichever citation style you like (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.), but you must use one correctly and consistently. Reminder: Similarity may not be more than 35% (see syllabus).
NOTE: This essay is not a draft but your final version. Please review your work carefully. Read aloud to catch awkward wording. Make an appointment with the Writing Center for help. Ask a friend to read your paper and make suggestions. Use spell check!
