College Composition II (English 112)
For the first essay assignment, I want you to explore one value you believe in. Keep the experiences positive and personal. You can avoid the "can't," "won't," "don't," and "shouldn't." The experiences are affirmations of the value. Also, the essay will be dominated by "I" not "you." 
So, yes, you are still making an argument like you did in English 111, but the argument is about the belief and why it is valuable to you. You can look on the This I Believe website, http://thisibelieve.org/, for short essays on particular themes. I included the link to that site under "Web Links" as well.
After you brainstorm or cluster or freewrite to generate ideas, you are ready to start the Introduction. At the end of the Introduction, I need to see the thesis statement. A thesis statement announces the particular belief you will explore; the thesis statement previews the major ideas you will cover. For a short essay like this one, you might need only 3 body paragraphs. Within the body paragraphs, follow the P.I.E. format for developing an idea. You will make a (P)oint in your topic sentence that says what the purpose of the paragraph is. Next you will (I)llustrate the point by offering an example. The example can be a story or definition or comparison. Finally, you (E)xplain why the belief matters and why the illustration proves the value of that belief.

As you compose the essay, you need to think of the two or three best ideas or revelations that came from the illustrations you used. Those revelations should be the starting point for your research. You are using only two sources, and those sources must be academic sources. In short, you need to use the Library Information Reference page to access the online databases. I would use Academic Search Complete. You are looking to expand your argument on and the meaning of the belief you chose. You might, for instance, look at the courage of a single mother. You could look at the responsibility of society to its soldiers.

Type in: cvcc.vccs.edu then click on academic click on library 
then go to Click here to go to Library Information Reference page.
Then go all the way down to websites and you will find Google Scholar Search Engine
Ask.com Search Engine