Category: English

For this part of the assignment, I just want to see ONE PARAGRAPH of your essay (with a References page at the end containing at least TWO different sources) – Due 10/18

Length: 4 pages and one References page
Due date: One draft paragraph due 10/18; Final Draft of full paper due 10/25

Opioid Crisis

Write a paper on an aspect of your choice with regard to the current opioid crisis in the United States.

You might consider the following issues: deaths of despair, the overdose epidemic, synthetic opioids (Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocet, Subsys, fentanyl, nitazenes), drug companies (Purdue Pharma, Insys, McKesson), drug executives (John Kapoor, the Sackler family), drug companies’ lobbying of the government against regulation of opioids, the Opium Wars of 1839-42 and 1856-60 and China’s role in the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl in the U.S., former FDA officials working later for the drug companies they used to regulate, the role of Mexican cartels in the manufacture of illegal drugs, gender differences in opioid overdoses, new addiction treatments, geographic differences in overdoses, economic downturns and overdoses, the incentives to doctors to prescribe opioids, the role of pharmacies and doctors in the opioid crisis, the mental health crisis and overdoses, and racial differences and overdoses.

The choice is yours (and you are allowed to combine some of the topics above) but make sure your paper is unified and that all your body paragraphs are clearly supporting your chosen thesis. For instance, I would consider writing about the healthcare system’s role in the opioid epidemic (for that I would focus on the drug companies [introduction] and their relationship with doctors [body paragraph 1] and pharmacies [body paragraph 2] to increase their profits [body paragraph 3] while ignoring the effects of addiction [body paragraph 4] to their drugs among the American populace [conclusion]).

You are required to cite at least 3 sources, listed at the end of your paper in a References list.

As always, you can get an “A” on this assignment only if you cite two pieces of evidence in every one of your body paragraphs.

Activity: Applying the Four Elements
of Greek Argumentation
• Scenario 1:Scenario 1:
• Jonathan, A 19-year-old Shell employee who is new to the professional standards
and conduct requirements of the workplace has been disciplined under the
company’s sexual harassment policy for making sexually explicit comments to
another employee.
• Using Logos, Pathos, Ethos, and Kairos, portray the role of the upper management
team and make an argument to this teen educating him on why this type of behavior
in the professional workplace is unprofessional, and well as dangerous.
• Scenario 2:
• Dr. Justin Smith, a six-year English professor at Austin Community College was
recently denied a promotion to “Assistant Dean of Students” due to an extensive
record of student complaints, student failure rate, and an unwillingness to embrace
the diverse ideas of others.
• Using Logos, Pathos, Ethos, and Kairos Portray the role of upper administration and
educate this faculty member on ways to improve in the above areas of weakness
which prevented his promotion

Wal-Mart Documentary: Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Major Persuasive/Argumentative Essay
In the documentary “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price,” the filmmakers present
two perspectives regarding Wal-Mart. First, Wal-Mart executives claim that the retail
chain provides stable jobs in a family friendly atmosphere while helping local
communities and offering affordable products.
On the other hand, however, many economists, as well as communities, argue that the
retail giant is hurting the economy by putting local shop keepers out of business by
purchasing foreign-made products, and by exploiting overseas workers and store
employees.
In a 3-4 page well-developed 5-Paragraph essay (Introduction with thesis statement, a
minimum of three body paragraphs, and conclusion), take a position on the question: “Is
Wal-Mart Good for America?” and write a “persuasive” paper addressed to the public
detailing how the company is either “good” or “bad” for America.
This essay must incorporate a minimum of “2-3” secondary “scholarly” sources, follow
proper essay structure, and exhibit proper MLA format for formal essays including
proper in-text citations, parenthetical notes, and a works cited page.
To review the Walmart documentary, please go to the following website:
www.topdocumentaryfilms.com and type in the title of the documentary: Walmart:The
High Cost of Low Price

Assignment Task
Take a look at the assigned readings for this week and pick one to
journal about. For this assignment, you will write a 4-8 sentence
summary of the reading, and you will also select three different pieces
of evidence (passages or quotes) from the text and respond to each
passage. Below is the format that you must follow for this assignment:
Author’s Name:
Title of the Reading:
Summary of the Text:
Write a 4-8 sentence summary of the entire reading. Make sure to note the most important parts of the text think about the course discussions and how the text helps us understand course concepts
Evidence
Interpretation
1. In this box, you will copy the first quote from the text that
you are reading and find interesting. If the text is an image, then you
will describe the text in as much detail as possible OR you can
screenshot the image
1. In this box, you will offer an interpretation of the first
quote. Explain why you think this quote is important, how it’s connected
to class discussions, and/or list any questions that this quote brings
up for you. Your interpretation should be at least 5-8 sentences long.
2. In this box, you will copy the second quote from the text that
you are reading and find interesting. If the text is an image, then you
will describe the text in as much detail as possible OR you can
screenshot the image
2. In this box, you will offer an interpretation of the second
quote. Explain why you think this quote is important, how it’s connected
to class discussions, and/or list any questions that this quote brings
up for you. Your interpretation should be at least 5-8 sentences long.
3. In this box, you will copy the third quote from the text that
you are reading and find interesting. If the text is an image, then you
will describe the text in as much detail as possible OR you can
screenshot the image
3. In this box, you will offer an interpretation of the third
quote. Explain why you think this quote is important, how it’s connected
to class discussions, and/or list any questions that this quote brings
up for you. Your interpretation should be at least 5-8 sentences long.

Part 1 of 2:
Choose three of the clips listed below for viewing. Using the Discussion Board Rubric listed below as a guide, develop a well-thought-out original response by defending the value of cultural competence in the workforce and in the community. Next, identify practices that maximize the abilities of all employees/groups to meet organizational goals. Please identify the scene(s) you are referencing and support your views with an outside reference or source.
North Country: Take It Like a Man
North Country: Learn the Rules
Outsourced: Todd’s First Day
Outsourced: Todd’s Second Day
Outsourced: Phone Sales
Philadelphia: Essence of Discrimination
Philadelphia: Case About Homosexuality
Part 2 of 2:
From NPR:
“So you’re at work one day and you’re talking to your colleagues in that professional, polite, kind of buttoned-up voice that people use when they’re doing professional work stuff. Your mom or your friend or your partner calls on the phone and you answer. And without thinking, you start talking to them in an entirely different voice — still distinctly your voice, but a certain kind of your voice less suited for the office. You drop the g’s at the end of your verbs. Your previously undetectable accent — your easy Southern drawl or your sing-songy Caribbean lilt or your Spanish-inflected vowels or your New Yawker — is suddenly turned way, way up. You rush your mom or whomever off the phone in some less formal syntax (“Yo, I’mma holler at you later”), hang up and get back to work.Then you look up and you see your co-workers looking at you and wondering who the hell you’d morphed into for the last few minutes. That right there? That’s what it means to code-switch”.
Review the two video clips listed below. Write a summary of what you read and how it applies to the video clips, also addressing the following questions:
Do you code switch?
What do you gain from it?
Think about how you react to people who speak the way Idris speaks on the basketball court.
Contrast that with the way you react to people who speak the way Idris speaks off the court.
What assumptions do you make about people based on the way they speak?
Do a search on the Internet for videos that illustrate “code switching” and share the ones you found most interesting.
Video Clip #1: American Promise – Trailer
Video Clip #2: American Promise, Idris Code Switches
Answers should be thoughtful and should include terminology and concepts referenced in the text. Your answer should be approximately 250 – 500 words in length. Use the text, resources provided, and outside sources to support your reasoning. Cite any sources used in APA format. Respond to at least 2 classmates by the end of the week. These responses should be 100-150 words minimum in length and should add to the conversation. Posts that say nothing other than “Good post” or “I agree” will not earn points.

Hiring Bias: Reflecting on the legal and financial ramifications for hiring bias.
Access the article: “Remove Hiring Bias From Recruitment Process”. Compare the information to your text and at least one other source. Explain the impact of practices identified in the article on an organization and community. Defend the value of cultural competence in the workforce. Next, explain how your own career or academic major can utilize any of these practices (or others you found in your research) to address the dynamics of power, privilege, and inequality.
Answers should be thoughtful and should include terminology and concepts referenced in the text. Your answer should be approximately 250 – 500 words in length. Use the text, resources provided, and outside sources to support your reasoning. Cite any sources used in APA format. Respond to at least 2 classmates by the end of the week. These responses should be 100-150 words minimum in length and should add to the conversation. Posts that say nothing other than “Good post” or “I agree” will not earn points.

Persuasive Essay
You’re going to write a persuasive essay. That means you’re going to try and convince me that your side of an argument is the correct side. This is meant to function as practice for the next essay, which is argumentative in nature.

Your topic needs to be something that you can actually argue about. My examples below all have at least two sides/opinions, and some have many more. The point of this essay is to not be wishy-washy. Pick something you know you’re right about, and tell me why you’re right. I want to see research. Please use the internet to find other people that agree with what you’re saying. Find some charts and graphs. Find some data. And you’ll need to find people that disagree with you so you can tell me why they’re wrong. This is meant to be quick and dirty practice/introduction for the research-based essays we have coming up.

Examples (and feel free to use any one of these):

Are cuss words really bad?
___________ is the best musician/rapper/singer.
___________ is the best at the GOAT at their sport.
Should we have school uniforms?
Is the ACT a fair way to judge whether or not someone is prepared for college?
Should college be free everyone?
Should health care be free for everyone?

You can use a different topic if you want. Here is a website with several other options. https://blog.prepscholar.com/persuasive-essay-topicsLinks to an external site.
Below is a formula you should copy and paste into a Word document to help you write the essay.
Intro: 5-7 sentences (including thesis statement)
Body paragraphs: 7+ sentences
Conclusion: 3-4 sentences
Intro paragraph–here you grab my attention (a “hook”) and tell me what your topic is and what are the two or more sides of the argument (background info). Do not start this off by saying “My topic is yadda yadda” or “In this essay, I will talk about yadda yadda.” Do something interesting: a cool quote or fact, a provocative question or opinion, etc.
Type intro here:

Thesis–this is where you tell me which side of the argument you believe is correct and, very briefly, give your reasoning why you believe that. More or less, you need to do something like this: _________________ is right/the best/the worst/unnecessary/should be free/should cost more because _____________________________________.
Type thesis here:
Body paragraph 1–now you want to give me your first reason for believing your side of the argument. Use some kind of evidence or reasoning to help prove yourself correct. This should follow the “Claim-Evidence-Reasoning” principle. Give me a topic sentence that tells me what you’ll be talking about in the paragraph and what your opinion or answer might be. Follow that with evidence (from outside sources). Then explain the evidence–why did you include it, what does it mean, how does it help prove your thesis. Then do more evidences and more reasonings.
Type body paragraph 1 here:

Body paragraph 2–now you want to give me your second reason for believing your side of the argument. Use some kind of evidence or reasoning to help prove yourself correct.
Type body paragraph 2 here:

Body paragraph 3–now you want to give me your third reason for believing your side of the argument. Use some kind of evidence or reasoning to help prove yourself correct.
Type body paragraph 3 here:

Body paragraph 4–here you want to give me the opposing viewpoint. This is called a counterclaim. Why might somebody say you’re wrong? Give a reason or two, but then you’ll need to prove that their reason for thinking you’re wrong is, in fact, wrong. Take their words and use them against them.
Type body paragraph 4 here:

Conclusion: almost done. Restate and reinforce your argument. Briefly summarize what you’ve said.
Type conclusion here:

Assignment Task
Take a look at the assigned readings for this week and pick one to
journal about. For this assignment, you will write a 4-8 sentence
summary of the reading, and you will also select three different pieces
of evidence (passages or quotes) from the text and respond to each
passage. Below is the format that you must follow for this assignment:
Author’s Name:
Title of the Reading:
Summary of the Text:
Write a 4-8 sentence summary of the entire reading. Make sure to note the most important parts of the text think about the course discussions and how the text helps us understand course concepts
Evidence
Interpretation
1. In this box, you will copy the first quote from the text that
you are reading and find interesting. If the text is an image, then you
will describe the text in as much detail as possible OR you can
screenshot the image
1. In this box, you will offer an interpretation of the first
quote. Explain why you think this quote is important, how it’s connected
to class discussions, and/or list any questions that this quote brings
up for you. Your interpretation should be at least 5-8 sentences long.
2. In this box, you will copy the second quote from the text that
you are reading and find interesting. If the text is an image, then you
will describe the text in as much detail as possible OR you can
screenshot the image
2. In this box, you will offer an interpretation of the second
quote. Explain why you think this quote is important, how it’s connected
to class discussions, and/or list any questions that this quote brings
up for you. Your interpretation should be at least 5-8 sentences long.
3. In this box, you will copy the third quote from the text that
you are reading and find interesting. If the text is an image, then you
will describe the text in as much detail as possible OR you can
screenshot the image
3. In this box, you will offer an interpretation of the third
quote. Explain why you think this quote is important, how it’s connected
to class discussions, and/or list any questions that this quote brings
up for you. Your interpretation should be at least 5-8 sentences long.

Part 1 of 2:
Choose three of the clips listed below for viewing. Using the Discussion Board Rubric listed below as a guide, develop a well-thought-out original response by defending the value of cultural competence in the workforce and in the community. Next, identify practices that maximize the abilities of all employees/groups to meet organizational goals. Please identify the scene(s) you are referencing and support your views with an outside reference or source.
North Country: Take It Like a Man
North Country: Learn the Rules
Outsourced: Todd’s First Day
Outsourced: Todd’s Second Day
Outsourced: Phone Sales
Philadelphia: Essence of Discrimination
Philadelphia: Case About Homosexuality
Part 2 of 2:
From NPR:
“So you’re at work one day and you’re talking to your colleagues in that professional, polite, kind of buttoned-up voice that people use when they’re doing professional work stuff. Your mom or your friend or your partner calls on the phone and you answer. And without thinking, you start talking to them in an entirely different voice — still distinctly your voice, but a certain kind of your voice less suited for the office. You drop the g’s at the end of your verbs. Your previously undetectable accent — your easy Southern drawl or your sing-songy Caribbean lilt or your Spanish-inflected vowels or your New Yawker — is suddenly turned way, way up. You rush your mom or whomever off the phone in some less formal syntax (“Yo, I’mma holler at you later”), hang up and get back to work.Then you look up and you see your co-workers looking at you and wondering who the hell you’d morphed into for the last few minutes. That right there? That’s what it means to code-switch”.
Review the two video clips listed below. Write a summary of what you read and how it applies to the video clips, also addressing the following questions:
Do you code switch?
What do you gain from it?
Think about how you react to people who speak the way Idris speaks on the basketball court.
Contrast that with the way you react to people who speak the way Idris speaks off the court.
What assumptions do you make about people based on the way they speak?
Do a search on the Internet for videos that illustrate “code switching” and share the ones you found most interesting.
Video Clip #1: American Promise – Trailer
Video Clip #2: American Promise, Idris Code Switches
Answers should be thoughtful and should include terminology and concepts referenced in the text. Your answer should be approximately 250 – 500 words in length. Use the text, resources provided, and outside sources to support your reasoning. Cite any sources used in APA format. Respond to at least 2 classmates by the end of the week. These responses should be 100-150 words minimum in length and should add to the conversation. Posts that say nothing other than “Good post” or “I agree” will not earn points.

Hiring Bias: Reflecting on the legal and financial ramifications for hiring bias.
Access the article: “Remove Hiring Bias From Recruitment Process”. Compare the information to your text and at least one other source. Explain the impact of practices identified in the article on an organization and community. Defend the value of cultural competence in the workforce. Next, explain how your own career or academic major can utilize any of these practices (or others you found in your research) to address the dynamics of power, privilege, and inequality.
Answers should be thoughtful and should include terminology and concepts referenced in the text. Your answer should be approximately 250 – 500 words in length. Use the text, resources provided, and outside sources to support your reasoning. Cite any sources used in APA format. Respond to at least 2 classmates by the end of the week. These responses should be 100-150 words minimum in length and should add to the conversation. Posts that say nothing other than “Good post” or “I agree” will not earn points.