English 1A Resources
Documenting Sources
For using Modern Language Association (MLA) format:
 | Purdue University's Online Writing Lab--also available in a printer-friendly version, this page gives a quick overview of the basics of MLA documentation, from the basic format for citing both print and electronic sources to the handling of quotations in your essay. |
| Research and Documentation Online--a very useful site created by handbook author Diana Hacker and Bedford/St. Martin's Press. Divided into sections covering in-text citations, works cited page, end notes format, and manuscript format. Provides a sample essay demonstrating proper MLA format (in a PDF file). |
Writing an Argument from Multiple Sources
For your second essay, you must examine a selection of sources, either in print or as interviews, and select appropriate and relevant points from those sources to incorporate into your essay. Using quotations, summaries and paraphrases, you want to provide persuasive supporting evidence drawn from the sources. Select one of the following topics and view the source material provided:
1. Dodgeball:
| “Increasingly, Schools Move To Restrict Dodgeball." A New York Times article focusing on a trend in school districts nationwide. |
| “The Painful Playground." An editorial in the Washington Post examining the controversy. |
| “The Terror of Dodgeball.” A letter to the editor supporting a ban on dodgeball. |
| “The Fun of Dodgeball.” A letter to the editor defending dodgeball. |
2. Spanking:
| “Spanking Makes a Comeback." A Wall Street Journal article examining the debate on spanking as a tool of parenting. |
| “Should the Hand That Rocks the Cradle Also Spank?” An editorial in the Los Angeles Times focusing on spanking. |
| “The Bottom Line on Spanking Kids.” A letter to the editor arguing for the use of spanking. |
3. Lowering the Legal Drinking Age:
| “21. It's the Law. But Is It Fair?" A Chicago Daily Herald article covering the debate over changing the National Minimum Drinking Age. |
| “There's No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age.” An editorial in The Christian Science Monitor warning about the dangers of lowering the legal drinking age. |
| "Lowering the Drinking Age Would Promote Responsible Alcohol Use." An editorial in the Syracuse University Daily Orange newspaper arguing that a lower drinking age would reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents among teenagers. |
4. Barry Bonds and the Hall of Fame:
| "Fans Conflicted about Bonds." A USA Today article that surveys fans about Bonds' reputation and place in baseball history. |
| "Bonds' Record: Should It Stand?" An article in The Christian Science Monitor that examines the controversy after Bonds broke Hank Aaron's career home run record in 2007. |
| "No Matter, Bonds Belongs in the Hall." An editorial in the Merced Sun-Star in favor of granting Bonds a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. |
| "A Tainted Home Run Record." An editorial in The Hartford Courant arguing that Bonds' achievements are not legitimate ones. |
Fast Food Nation
Interviews with Eric Schlosser:
| "Eric Schlosser Knows What You're Eating"--a January 2002 interview with Powells.com in Portland, Oregon. |
| "Unhappy Meals"--a December 2000 interview with The Atlantic magazine. |
| "Would You Like Ground Spinal Cord With That?"--a February 2001 interview with Salon.com. |
| "The Author of Fast Food Nation Quizzed"--an April 2001 interview with the BBC News that features Schlosser answering questions from world-wide audience members. For those of you with the bandwidth and RealPlayer installed, you can even watch the video of the interview. |
The industry's response:
| "The Truth About Fast Food Nation"--a web page set up by the National Restaurant Association. The page provides brief excerpts from various reviews of and commentaries on Schlosser's book in order to illustrate how it is "one individual’s biased attempt to convince the American consumer to stop eating food from restaurants they enjoy frequenting." |