Causal Analysis Essay
Assignment: Explain and argue the causes of a situation (an event, a phenomenon, or a trend) that interests you. Narrow your topic enough to treat it in some detail. When seeking causes, you must decide carefully between remote and immediate causes.
Purpose: The two main purposes for a Causal Analysis academic essay are:
- To prove a point
- To argue against a widely accepted belief
Topic: For this assignment, you have complete control of the topic of your essay, but your topic should not be general like abortion, gun control, the death penalty, global warming, etc. These are all weak topics unless you organize and focus them correctly for this paper. Here are some possible topics to consider, but you can choose your own:
What are the current top three causes of unemployment in Florida?
Why cheating in academics is on the rise at all levels of education.
What is causing the increase in college costs?
What is causing the average American couple to have children later in life than previous generations?
What are the immediate causes holding back the current 20-30 something generations from achieving the same levels of financial stability as their parents?
The cause of the spilt in favor of a particular political party (Republicans, Democratic etc.) in American politics.
Why students are choosing non-college based, trade careers in the current economy?
Research: In addition to simply arguing the causes for a topic, you will need to back-up your assertions with researched evidence. You must research your topic to find evidence that helps you argue your cause. Let me be clear—this part of the assignment is non-negotiable. Papers without research or citations will earn a failing grade. We will have time in the library for access to resources to help you find evidence to make your arguments. You will cite your sources and quotes in MLA citation format. Consequently, you must have a works cited page at the end of your paper, see page 168 of The Little Seagull Handbook.
Your paper should:
Be 5-8 pages long.
Argue the causes of your topic, and use researched evidence (including direct quotes) to support your claims
Remember, 3 is the magic number—assertion, evidence, importance.
Be typed according to MLA Guidelines—consult page 161of The Little Seagull Handbook.
Be proofread for basic errors and typos.
You need at least 3 sources from credible print or library database sources ONLY. Simple google searches or random internet pages will not be accepted.
