Causal Analysis for English 1302 Class

Posted: September 25th, 2015

Write an argument that persuades an audience to accept your explanation of the causes (or consequences) of your chosen phenomenon. Within your essay, you should examine alternative hypotheses or opposing views and explain your reasons for rejecting them.

You may imagine your issue either as a puzzle or as a disagreement. If a puzzle, your task will be informational as well as persuasive because your role will be that of an analyst explaining causes and/ or consequences of an event to an audience that doesn’t have an answer already in mind. If you see your issue as a disagreement, your task will be more directly persuasive since your goal will be to change your audience’s views so as to align more closely with your own.

In the introduction to your essay, you should introduce your trend, event, or phenomenon; explain its significance; provide any necessary background; and state your thesis. Body paragraphs should focus on analyzing major and minor causes and/ or effects, presenting supporting evidence, and examining and refuting opposing viewpoints. The conclusion should reinforce the essay’s main points and include a strong concluding statement.