Bridgewater 1 Essay #1: Finding Common Ground Diving into an argument is very difficult to do. Imagine you are invited to a cocktail party and you arrive 30 minutes late. You walk into the ballroom and there are already 50 people there. There are numerous conversations going on; some of which have been going on for half an hour. You randomly pick out a group of 4 people to approach and socialize by getting involved with their conversation. You walk up, introduce yourself, and then listen in to what they are talking about. It takes time to get glued into the conversation so that you can contribute. This situation is analogous to writing our first essay, Finding Common Ground. Over the course of WRIT 112, you’ll develop the reading, writing, and research skills to write research papers. But the first step is to know how to get involved in a topic that requires research. Write an essay analyzing at least two essays/TED Talks taking different positions on “Happiness”. Your purpose is to analyze at least two essays/TED Talks to understand their authors’ main points of disagreement and to suggest ways to identify points of agreement and build common ground based on shared values, concerns, needs, and interests, as well as to identify points of disagreement and different perspectives. To do this, you’ll use the sources posted to the syllabus for the first unit, “Happiness”. Questions to help you write the essay: 1) What makes you happy? What do people think makes them happy/unhappy? What are your thoughts on happiness? 2) What is the overall thesis and main ideas of the source? 3) Who is the author of the source and what motivated them to present/write on “happiness”? 4) How does source A differ from source B in how they discuss/understand happiness? 5) How is source A similar to source B in how they discuss/understand happiness? How to organize the paper Your first paragraph should introduce readers to the topic of happiness using a strategy or strategies from “The Introduction” lesson. You should end this paragraph with a thesis that identifies areas of disagreement and common ground that you will elaborate on in your body paragraphs. Please use the strategies for thesis development from “The Thesis” lesson. Your second paragraph should summarize the first source you intend to use. Your third paragraph summarize the second source you intend to use. (Optional: If using 3 sources, use the next paragraph to summarize that source you intend to use.) Your second to last paragraph should compare and contrast the differences between the 2 sources, using quotes and paragraphs as needed. You might need to extend the comparison and contrast to another paragraph if one is not enough. Your last paragraph should be a conclusion. Please use the strategies for developing a conclusion from “The Conclusion” lesson. Criteria you’ll be graded on An informative introduction to the issue and opposing positio ...

1. Bridgewater 1
Essay #1: Finding Common Ground
Diving into an argument is very difficult to do. Imagine you are
invited to a cocktail party and you arrive
30 minutes late. You walk into the ballroom and there are
already 50 people there. There are numerous
conversations going on; some of which have been going on for
half an hour. You randomly pick out a
group of 4 people to approach and socialize by getting involved
with their conversation. You walk up,
introduce yourself, and then listen in to what they are talking
about. It takes time to get glued into the
conversation so that you can contribute. This situation is
analogous to writing our first essay, Finding
Common Ground. Over the course of WRIT 112, you’ll develop
the reading, writing, and research skills
to write research papers. But the first step is to know how to get
involved in a topic that requires
research.
Write an essay analyzing at least two essays/TED Talks taking
different positions on “Happiness”. Your
purpose is to analyze at least two essays/TED Talks to
understand their authors’ main points of
disagreement and to suggest ways to identify points of
agreement and build common ground based on
shared values, concerns, needs, and interests, as well as to
identify points of disagreement and different
perspectives. To do this, you’ll use the sources posted to the

2. syllabus for the first unit, “Happiness”.
Questions to help you write the essay:
1) What makes you happy? What do people think makes them
happy/unhappy? What are your
thoughts on happiness?
2) What is the overall thesis and main ideas of the source?
3) Who is the author of the source and what motivated them to
present/write on “happiness”?
4) How does source A differ from source B in how they
discuss/understand happiness?
5) How is source A similar to source B in how they
discuss/understand happiness?
How to organize the paper
Your first paragraph should introduce readers to the topic of
happiness using a strategy or strategies
from “The Introduction” lesson. You should end this paragraph
with a thesis that identifies areas of
disagreement and common ground that you will elaborate on in
your body paragraphs. Please use the
strategies for thesis development from “The Thesis” lesson.
Your second paragraph should summarize the first source you
intend to use.
Your third paragraph summarize the second source you intend
to use.
(Optional: If using 3 sources, use the next paragraph to
summarize that source you intend to use.)
Your second to last paragraph should compare and contrast the

3. differences between the 2 sources,
using quotes and paragraphs as needed. You might need to
extend the comparison and contrast to
another paragraph if one is not enough.
Your last paragraph should be a conclusion. Please use the
strategies for developing a conclusion from
“The Conclusion” lesson.
Criteria you’ll be graded on
An informative introduction to the issue and opposing positions
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• A paragraph or so laying out the idea of happiness as you, a
culture, or someone else
understands it. Begin with a quote, a surprising fact, a startling
statistic, or a mini story.
• A paragraph or so briefly describing the articles on happiness
that you’ll be using, focusing on
their main ideas and/or theoretical approaches to understanding
happiness
• A thesis identifying areas of disagreement and areas of
common ground
A probing analysis with properly synthesized sources
• Several paragraphs in which you argue to support your thesis’s
assertions

4. • Interesting and insightful discussion of the points of
disagreement and potential agreement
• Focus in on a few points rather than too many points
• Explain in detail the points that are hard for readers to grasp
• Consider emphasizing the less obvious points of agreement
• Consider why the writers make a particular kind of argument
rather than another kind of
argument
• Consider how the writer’s profession or biography could
explain why a particular idea has so
much persuasive power
• Think about the social and political situation in which each
essay was originally written and how
the writer was trying to appeal to readers
• Examine the concessions and refutations of opposing views to
see where there might be room
for agreement
A fair and impartial presentation
• Consider your word choices, replacing judgmental words with
neutral ones
• Make sure you are representing each writer accurately and
fairly
• Give equal space to both arguments
A clear, logical organization

5. • Paragraphs and sections are properly laid out and have
effective flow and logic
• Effective topic and “wrap up” sentences
• Transition words
• Appropriate use of headings, if applicable
An engaging, mature writing style and proper APA formatting
• Title page, Abstract, References page, proper page header
format, and in-text citations
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Sources: at least 2
Page length: Minimum of 6 (including title page, abstract, and
References)