Synthesis Essay

Over the last weeks, we were working on reading sources to have a deeper understanding of climate change.

Now it is your turn to enter the conversation!

An argument synthesis draws upon evidence from a variety of sources is an attempt to persuade a reader that a particular and debatable claim is true. To develop your argument synthesis, you need to rely on the readings we had so far. You need to use at least 3 of the readings we had in class. You can use 2 additional sources (which you can bring from the online sources of your library or from online newspapers and magazines).
The purpose of this paper is to help you decide how and when to incorporate the sources into your paper. A synthesis combines existing materials (your sources) to form a new shape (your overview of the subject).
You need to combine what five sources have to say into a coherent overview of the subject. You can use 2 additional outside sources if you need to.
Michael Novacek’s “The Sixth Extinction: It Happened to Him. It’s Happening to You”
James R. Lee’s “Global Warming Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg”
Michael Oppenheimer and Kevin Trenberth’s “Climate Science Tells Us the Alarm Bells Are Ringing”
Nancy San Martin’s “Coping with Climate Change”
“Kuwait Feels Pinch of ‘Climate Change’”
“Kuwait Targets Renewable Energy Sources: Sun, Wind Seen as Best Bets”
In particular, the essay of synthesis will present you with five separate tasks:
(1) drafting a tentative claim
(2) gathering material from varied sources
(3) creating the conversation
(4) entering the conversation