1. A thesis statement to the end of your Introduction paragraph. The thesis needs to include a quote from your chosen anchor essay from our course textbook (the essay that prompted your exploration into your essay topic). The essays you chose from include those by Obama (race relations), Tutu (forgiveness), Madison (church/state or tyranny), or Aquinas (military service). The quote should caputure a compelling or controversial aspect of your topic so that you frame the different viewpoints on your topic that you are presenting in your body paragraphs. For example, you could write your thesis in the following format: When James Madison wrote "[insert direct quote from Madison's essay]" he called into question the _____________________. Make sure, of course, that your thesis relates back to the rest of your Introduction so that it doesn't seem out of place. If you need to tweak the wording of your introduction to make a smooth transition into your thesis statement, that is fine. 2. An additional source summary, turned into a body paragraph; ideally, this source should build on or add to your last body paragraph so that you don't have to stick it in the middle of your essay, thereby interrupting the flow you already have going. On the other hand, you might know you need an additional source somewhere inside your existing essay body to reinforce or further explain a point you've already made. In that case, inserting this additional source into your existing essay body might seem perfectly logical. The decision is up to you. If you do no yet have a book or journal article source in your essay, make one your 5th source. We will go over how to find a decent book or journal source in class on Tuesday, Nov. 15. 3. A concluding paragraph. In your conclusion, summarize the main points you have made in response to your thesis statement, focusing on opposing or controversial viewpoints on your essay topic. Your last sentence should reflect a sound conclusion, based on your consideration of these varied viewpoints. That is, make a statement that reflects what you think people or government should do in the face of the problem you've identified in your thesis. Remember not to use the personal pronoun "I" when making claims in this essay. Your claims should refelct a societal outlook and not your own. Examples: Avoid an "I think" statement such as: I think we should change the way we look at race in this country, so that hate crimes related to race do not occur. Try instead opening up the problem to a local, national, or global society: The United States federal and local governments need to take a serious look at how long-standing law and order procedures have made it difficult not to be racist within the justice system, and then they need to enact new policies to change business as usual for police department employees.

1. A thesis statement to the end of your Introduction paragraph. The thesis needs to include a quote from your chosen anchor essay from our course textbook (the essay that prompted your exploration into your essay topic). The essays you chose from include those by Obama (race relations), Tutu (forgiveness), Madison (church/state or tyranny), or Aquinas (military service). The quote should caputure a compelling or controversial aspect of your topic so that you frame the different viewpoints on your topic that you are presenting in your body paragraphs. For example, you could write your thesis in the following format: When James Madison wrote "[insert direct quote from Madison's essay]" he called into question the _____________________. Make sure, of course, that your thesis relates back to the rest of your Introduction so that it doesn't seem out of place. If you need to tweak the wording of your introduction to make a smooth transition into your thesis statement, that is fine. 2. An additional source summary, turned into a body paragraph; ideally, this source should build on or add to your last body paragraph so that you don't have to stick it in the middle of your essay, thereby interrupting the flow you already have going. On the other hand, you might know you need an additional source somewhere inside your existing essay body to reinforce or further explain a point you've already made. In that case, inserting this additional source into your existing essay body might seem perfectly logical. The decision is up to you. If you do no yet have a book or journal article source in your essay, make one your 5th source. We will go over how to find a decent book or journal source in class on Tuesday, Nov. 15. 3. A concluding paragraph. In your conclusion, summarize the main points you have made in response to your thesis statement, focusing on opposing or controversial viewpoints on your essay topic. Your last sentence should reflect a sound conclusion, based on your consideration of these varied viewpoints. That is, make a statement that reflects what you think people or government should do in the face of the problem you've identified in your thesis. Remember not to use the personal pronoun "I" when making claims in this essay. Your claims should refelct a societal outlook and not your own. Examples: Avoid an "I think" statement such as: I think we should change the way we look at race in this country, so that hate crimes related to race do not occur. Try instead opening up the problem to a local, national, or global society: The United States federal and local governments need to take a serious look at how long-standing law and order procedures have made it difficult not to be racist within the justice system, and then they need to enact new policies to change business as usual for police department employees.