how concealed carry laws deter crime
There are a vast number of potential topics for this essay, but there are two major restrictions. 1) The cause and effect relationship you are discussing must be one that a reasonable person could disagree with. For example, if you wrote about how concealed carry laws deter crime, that would be okay, because someone could dispute your argument and look at other reasons for low crime in areas with concealed carry laws. If you wrote about how the moon causes the tides, however, no reasonable person could disagree with you, so that topic is off limits €“ that would be the equivalent of a process essay. You also can’t write about the causes of cancer, the effects of smoking, or any number of widely known, completely agreed upon scientific or medial issues. 2) Beyond the restrictions posed by #1, you cannot write on the following six topics: abortion, obesity (or weight loss or weight gain), cell phone use or texting, global warming/ climate change, arguments for which political party is correct, or arguments for which god is the right one. You can write about thorny or difficult topics, but make sure to avoid name calling or other forms of offensive or alienating argumentation. Remember that your audience might very well disagree with you, but you still want to try to convince that audience that you are right.
This paper will should follow a basic academic structure. You should have an introductory paragraph where you introduce your topic. This paragraph should end with a thesis statement clearly stating the cause and effect relationship that your paper will be arguing in favor of. Sample thesis statements are on page 3 of this prompt. Then the essay should include a series of body paragraphs following the structure and order of ideas set up in the thesis statement €“ if an idea is in the thesis statement, it should be in one of the body paragraphs. Finally, the essay must include a concluding paragraph where you remind the reader of the topic’s importance and take one last opportunity to argue in favor of your cause and effect relationship. If the cause and effect relationship you’re discussing is a problem, you could also propose a solution or two the problem in the conclusion, but don’t do that in the body of the paper , since the body should be focused on proving the cause and effect relationship.
Your essay must cite at least two credible sources as evidence directly supporting your claim of a cause and effect relationship, and these sources must be cited according to the MLA format. Sources cited as historical background or padding don’t count towards this requirement. The paper should be accompanied by a properly formatted Works Cited page. See your book’s MLA chapter for details.