Instructions
For this assignment you are asked to apply all of the skills we have covered in lectures and workshop this
semester to produce a major argumentative research paper. It is highly recommended that your final paper
builds off of and improves upon your first draft.*
Please see the Argumentative Research Paper Rubric for assessment criteria.
Format & Layout: MLA 8th edition. Double-spaced 12 pt. Times New Roman Font, 1-inch margins all
around, aligned left. Ensure that you follow all MLA formatting, layout, and citation rules.*
Length: 6 pages minimum, 7 pages maximum
• This is a polished draft of your work. It should reflect the criteria for essay-composition covered in the
course.
• You are required to make any necessary edits and revisions to the thesis statement and argument in
your first draft (or formulate a new thesis, using the feedback provided on the first draft, that addresses
an original topic on David Chariandy’s Soucouyant).
• It should have an introduction. This introduction should include a hook, a transition, and an
argumentative thesis that contains an original claim, an effective strategy, and an answer to a “so what”
question (the significance).
• It should be organized into unified and coherent analytical body paragraphs.
• It must incorporate secondary research. You must cite and integrate at least two (2) scholarly sources.
• One (1) of the secondary sources must be a critical article from a peer-reviewed academic
journal
• You may cite Asha Jeffers’ article as one (1) of your (2) sources but it does not count as the required critical
article source.
• It should meet the requirement of 6 full pages, excluding works cited.
• It should include a works cited page that properly cites the novel and the secondary research in MLA
8th edition format.
• It should follow the MLA 8th edition style and format.†
• See “First Draft Rubric” for assessment criteria.
* This is not an absolute requirement, but it is strongly recommended. However, if you feel you would be better positioned
to write a paper on a new topic, you may do so. Your topic must meet the same criteria required for the topic and thesis in
the First Draft assignment with the addition of secondary research and a critical framework, and it must address our primary