In order to help us more fully understand the complexity of any given issue, this essay will focus on stasis theory, a concept and practice used by orators in ancient Greece. As Andrea Lunsford and her co-authors explain in our textbook, stasis theory takes you to the heart of the argument (419) by systematically identifying the overall facts (or the general state) about any interesting and relevant issues of our day. Stasis theory is a powerful method of inquiry because it generates a series of pertinent questions to gain a deeper sense of an issues complexity. This sort of analysis also allows you to understand the impasses in an argument–whats at stake, where decisions need to be made, and how you can enter the conversation.
Task
Write a 3 -5 page essay in which you perform a systematic analysis of an issue. In this way, you will analyze an argument and find a specific point of contention at which you can enter the conversation. Your paper will consist of TWO SECTIONS that are cohesively connected to each other:
Interrogate a single article that your instructor picked, performing an analysis of the issue presented in the article. Uncover the facts of this issue by presenting how the text addresses the following four questions:
What specific facts or data are relevant to the issue?
How can the issue be defined?
How much does it matter and why?
What actions should be taken?
From this analysis, identify an impasse–a moment of tension between what the author believes and what you believe. This tension will be an opportunity for you to enter the discussion by making a new claim. On which of the four questions do you disagree with the author? On which point would you want to intervene and offer an alternative view or claim? Locate another credible source, from the textbook, or the UVU Library Database about this point of contention. Then, offer your own position on the issue by making a new claim and supporting it with evidence from the second article.
Assume that the audience of your essay is academic–your peers, your professor, and other college-educated readers. Adjust your tone and stance to effectively engage this audience.
How You Will Be Graded
3-5 pages (double-spaced)
Analysis of and commentary on an issue according to the directions above
Overall point of scope of paper is presented in the introduction (thesis)
Use of two sections (that are roughly equal in length): (1) the facts about first article and (2) your own position supported by second article
Second part of paper includes an argument: claims are supported with credible evidence
Careful paragraph organization creates cohesive overall structure
Accuracy in formatting, grammar, spelling, and mechanics
