Argumentation

Directions: What issues or problems in your community bother you or arouse your passions (remember: you likely belong to a number of communities)? What unanswered questions do you have? Select a problem and begin by learning more about the problem and then take a clear position on it with an attempt to solve it. Ideally, your paper will discover a reasonably workable solution to the problem.

Important: Be sure to select a topic that interests you. You may choose one of the topics we have read about this semester, that you have already written about, or something entirely new. You must approach the topic as it relates to your community. Your topic must be approved by me prior to you writing your paper. Once you commit your topic, you may not change it unless I approve the topic change. Any paper submitted with a topic different than the one I approved will not be read. Running into problems finding research or arriving at a solution is not a reason to switch – running into problems when writing a problem-solving paper, and working through those problems, is part of the learning process.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Specifics: Please read the following carefully.

–Your paper should be approx. 7-8 pages in length (not counting the Works Cited) and documented correctly using MLA.

–Structure: Your paper should define the problem or issue and its scope, present a clear thesis, present adequate evidence to support the thesis, acknowledge known or anticipated counter-arguments, and offer rebuttals to those counter-arguments (those who disagree with your definition of the problem and scope, or object to your thesis, or your solution). I have uploaded into this module a sample outline for the final paper. You are not required to follow it exactly, but you might find it helpful in deciding the best way to present your argument.

–Audience: When writing your paper, assume your audience is wavering or hostile. Argue your position using logical, pathetic, and ethical appeals.

–Research: You must include at least seven different sources of information (books, peer reviewed journal articles, magazines, encyclopedias, web pages, newspapers, interviews). No more than three of your sources may be from the same medium. At least four of your sources must have been published in the last 5 years. Two of your sources must be from a peer reviewed journal.

This final paper requires you to cull from all the strategies you have studied over the semester and demonstrate what you have learned. Begin this paper today and budget your time. This paper counts double and cannot be revised. Mistakes in spelling, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and MLA count.