Context
From defining the current situation of our issue and exploring our issue’s root causes to refuting a primary argument that exists about our issue, the next logical step is to imagine a solution for our issue. Using our growing knowledge on our topic and emerging expertise in writing and research, we’ll now offer specific, concrete suggestions about how our issue can be solved, or, at least, redirected in a way that advances progress towards a potential solution.
Directions
Recommend at least one detailed, specific and concrete solution to the defined issue you have described in your previous essays. Be sure your proposed solution or proposed approach toward a solution is practical, meaning it’s logically and humanly possible given the issue’s current circumstances.
Goals
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Summarize the current solutions/current approaches to solutions that others have recommended for your defined issue in your introduction.
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Develop a thesis that states your defined issue and your proposed solution(s) or your proposed approach toward a solution to your defined issue.
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Describe the required steps or components involved in your proposed solution(s) in your body paragraphs.
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Support the practicality and viability of your proposed solution(s) using and citing a variety of textual evidence from your research such as summary, quotation, and paraphrase.
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Conclude with the significance of resolving your defined issue, the significance of your proposed solution(s), and a call to action (i.e., why should your target audience act with your proposed solution?).
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Develop audience awareness and write for readers who are not familiar with the texts.
Guidelines
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Minimum of 3 full pages (not including Works Cited page)
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MLA format (Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, including Works Cited page)
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Write your essay in third person
Required Texts
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At least 2 academic/scholarly sources from the IVC Library (can be the same sources from Mini Bibs 1-4, if applicable)
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Any of the current chapters we read so far from Gula’s Nonsense and/or van der Linden’s Foolproof
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Recommended: apply concepts from this unit’s assigned readings
Optional Texts (if choosing to include, select only one)
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1 source from the internet or social media or
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1 image source from the internet or social media
Points to Keep in Mind
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You can have more than one solution for your issue. However, you’re not required to have more than one solution. If you choose this approach, aim to have the solutions complement each other rather than contradict each other.
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If you choose to discuss a proposed approach toward a solution, be clear about how the actors of your issue should change their perspective or approach toward the issue. This direction is more common with ongoing, complex issues that typically have a clear solution, but the current perspectives or approaches toward the issue tend to exacerbate the issue rather than progress it toward the solution.
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If you encounter a reasonable proposal or solution in one of your sources, you’re welcome to include it in your essay (with an appropriate citation, of course). You can build your solution based on another source’s solution as well; if you choose this method, you must integrate your unique approach to this solution (i.e., “This current solution is great, and I’ll add this or do this aspect of the solution a little differently to make it a more effective solution.”)
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Ensure that your recommended solution(s) is specific, detailed and practical. Avoid stating the obvious or simply stating the contrast/opposite of your issue.
Bad Examples of Solutions
💭Issue: Deepfake memes about politicians used to spread falsehoods about their political beliefs
🚫Solution: Stop deepfake memes about politicians
💭Issue: Fake news about the health consequences elderly folks experience with flu vaccines
🚫Solution: Show “true” news about the health consequences elderly folks experience with flu vaccines
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Consider revisiting your causal analysis essay in developing your solutions; practical solutions tend to come about as a result of an issue’s causes. Moreover, linking your solutions with the causes you had already discovered makes them more credible and easier to understand.
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Solution arguments are like causal arguments in that you must establish the logical links between the steps you propose and the end you want to accomplish. So, be sure to clearly explain the connections between your proposed solution to your desired outcome based on your proposed solution.
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You do not need to reference all the concepts we learned from Nonsense and/or Foolproof. Reference the concepts that are the most relevant to your proposed solution(s).
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You also do not need to use both Nonsense and Foolproof; referencing only one of them is fine.
Criteria
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Unity and focus through a controlling thesis and topic sentence claims
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Development of a thesis through support and elaboration
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Coherence and organization with clear connections and a logically structured intro, body, and conclusion
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Style using sophisticated diction, a variety of sentence structures, and a strong authorial voice
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Conventions of Standard Written English through sound grammar and correct mechanics
Conventions of essay format by following MLA conventions such as citations, endnotes, and Works Cited