Comparison/Contrast Essay
Topic:
Choose a topic of your own that is business-related. The topic does NOT need to be a Canadian, although it can be if it interests you. The topic does, however, need to follow the same restrictions in terms of content as outlined in the Research Proposal Report: no topics dealing with euthanasia, same-sex marriage, etc. The topic may NOT be the same one you used in your earlier work for the course. If you are unsure of your topic, please send me an email with your request.
The topic needs to be between 5 and 15 years old, but no older than that. It also needs to have solid academic research done on it, so choose carefully. Please note that you are NOT comparing and contrasting two topics, such as “Carbon Tax vs. Cap and Trade.” You are comparing and contrasting the effectiveness of six articles on one topic.
Please be aware that the topic you choose for your comparison/contrast essay will be the same one you develop into a business presentation at the end of the course.
Sources:
Find 3 peer-reviewed academic articles and 3 news articles on your topic. Compare the academic articles in terms of focus, language, bias, and argumentation effectiveness, and compare the news articles in terms of focus, language, bias, and argumentation effectiveness. Evaluate the quality of all 6 texts, making certain you provide evidence for what you say.
Use either block style or point by point style for your paragraphs and their organization and order, whichever you think is most effective for your material.
Use the introductions to Chapters 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 from Word and World to help you structure and formulate your comparisons and evaluations. Refer specifically to the information from Word and World in your essay to outline your criteria for your comparisons/contrasts as a framework for the essay as a whole. If you choose not to do so, your grade will be a D or lower.
Format and Documentation:
Write an essay of 2500 words (+ or – 10%), using paragraphs of approximately 120 words each. You will need an introductory paragraph to the essay as a whole, which will introduce the topic, the authors, and your argument, which is your thesis statement. The thesis statement needs to be clear, focused and debateable. It is placed at the end of the introductory paragraph and connects in a clear, logical way to the topic sentences of each body paragraph.
Your thesis statement ought to indicate which peer-reviewed article is the strongest, and which news article is the strongest, according to the criteria you have chosen.
Each body paragraph requires a topic sentence, transitions and a concluding sentence. Do NOT use headings for this piece of writing, but make certain to provide transitions between paragraphs for logic and coherence.
Single-space this document but double-space between the paragraphs. Use APA requirements for your title page, other formatting requirements such as a running head, and for your in-text citations and References list.
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/comparative-essay
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/CompAnalysis.html
Your essay will be marked and grading using the following criteria:
Content: clear, complete and comprehensive
Structure: thesis statement, paragraph structure using topic sentences, transitions and concluding sentences; strong introduction and conclusion
Diction: professional tone, no slang or contractions, no use of 1st person
Grammar, mechanics, spelling and other writing matters correct
Format: single-spaced, paragraphs indented, format according to APA guidelines
Documentation: in-text citations and References entries according to APA guidelines
Please upload a copy into the course Moodle with the following file name: last name _first name_CompCon