This paper will be the rough draft for your final paper. Pick a recent change that has taken place in the field of technology, and write a 4 page essay to show its causes and/or effects to help you and your readers understand that change better. It could be anything from a technology used in the home or work, to travel or communication.

Note that the purpose of cause-and-effect essays is to explain to your audience (1) the causes of an event or situation; (2) the effects of an event or situation; or more rarely (3) both causes and effects. Whichever approach you choose, remember that you can’t discuss effects without at least mentioning causes, and vice versa. Here are some guidelines to consider as you write your essay:

If you are tracing causes,

• Have you made it clear that you are explaining causes?
• Have you left out any significant causes?
• Have you given enough evidence to readers that the causal relationships are valid, not just guesses?
• Have you claimed remote causes you can’t prove? Or made assertions but offered no proof?
• Have you oversimplified by assuming only one small cause for a large phenomenon or assuming that one thing caused another just because one preceded the other?

If you are determining effects,

• Have you made it clear that you are explaining effects?
• What possible effects have you left out? Are any of them worth adding?
• Have you given sufficient evidence that these effects have occurred?
• Could any effect have resulted not from the cause you describe but some other causes?

Consult FOUR BASES Checklist for Cause and Effect on page 295 and 297 of your textbook College Writing Skills with Readings to help you write and evaluate a cause-effect essay.

Also take a look at the rubrics for evaluation provided with your syllabus. Note that your essay will be evaluated on the basis of the rubrics for writing as well as the rubrics for critical thinking, technology proficiency, ethical awareness, and information literacy.

Writing Requirements

• 4 pages
• At least 4 references/sources
• Make sure to include a counterargument