The goal for this assignment is not to begin writing your essay, but to put together a detailed outline or plan so that, in the next assignment, all you have to do is follow your instructions to yourself.
Begin by outlining the organization of your essay. Given your purpose for writing, and the audience you’re writing to, what components, sections, or parts will your essay need? What are some ways you might order those sections? Given your central inquiry, what is the most logical or methodical way you might structure your essay in response? And/or given your argument, what is the most persuasive way you might structure your essay? What order will the essay need to be structured to both help readers learn what they need to learn while also positioning each section to build on the work of previous sections?
In your outline, identify the various parts of your essay, both in terms of major sections and where you will talk about various source texts, personal experiences (yes, you may include these in your essay!), or examples. Be sure, especially, to indicate where you will make connections between various sources.
For each part, write a note (either in a different font color or using the comments tool), explaining the content of that part, any sources you might discuss, the role that part/source plays in the essay, and why you positioned it where you did.
As you go, don’t forget lessons from the chapter regarding the role of various sources, how different kinds of body paragraphs serve your inquiry/argument, and where it makes sense to engage in synthesis.
The finished product for this assignment should look roughly like an outline, but with notes accompanying the major sections and most of the items in the outline. You will find instructions on what to do with your design plan in the next assignment.
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