Argument Assignment (Outline required)
Write an essay in which you make an argument/claim* about something that is debatable. Take a stand on an issue that is important to you and use evidence, research, and argument to convince an audience to accept a position or take an action. Support your claim with specific claims, facts, observations, expert opinion, anecdotes, interviews, etc and utilize the rhetorical appeals/modes of persuasion we have studied so extensively this semester: pathos, ethos, and logos. Your call to action might even consider the appeal to kairos, or the opportune time or place to say or do the right thing. Most certainly, you should consider the counterargument, but you should quickly expose the faulty logic and return focus to your claim. Be sure to establish why this problem is important and needs to be solved. Include research to support your claims from at least 3 reputable source. [*Personal preference or taste is not an argument, as no one can argue that you love diet coke more than diet pepsi, etc.]
Requirements:
___ word count included at end, 1000-1300 words
___proper heading, 1 inch margins, title, page numbers, printed, typed, MLA citation.
___An introduction that grabs the readers attention and establishes the topic/claim.
___A thesis statement that is clear, specific, debatable, and lays out the authors primary points and claims.
___Body paragraphs that stay focused on a single point and effectively argue and provide evidence for a point. Topic sentences begin each major point that make a specific, clear, argumentative claim clearly connected to the thesis
___Evidence that supports each claim that is relevant, credible, well-explained, and logical. (3 reputable sources)
___A conclusion that adequately sums up essay without being repetitive, offers a final suggestion or call to action.
___ Clarity: grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, tense, subject/verb agreement; reflects proofreading
___Content: stance/position clearly stated/explained/explored; Is the argument built logically and defended?
___Complexity: acknowledgement of counterarguments; research analyzed and connected; other perspectives
considered but focus brought back to thesis.
___ Coherence: structure, organization of each paragraph (main idea, example, analyze, link), transitions, connections
between the idea and research analyzed.
_____ MLA Format: An MLA citation at the end of your essay for the source used. Alphabetical if uses more than one.
[Author. Title of Source. Title of Container. Other contributors. Version, Number. Publisher, Publication Date.
Location.] Included Research from legitimate sources (library database such as EBSCO, JSTOR)
_____Proper use of in-text citation: quote is either directly introduced with name of article and author, or incorporated
into a sentence that ends with a parenthetical citation with author and page # (Mackman 1).
** The following topics were discussed in the readings and therefore forbidden: gun control, abortion, legalization of marijuana, social media, gay marriage, isolationism/nationalism, drinking age, education/student loans, healthcare, sexual health and rape culture, capital punishment, police reform, plastic use/recycling, standardized tests, sports, vaccines/immunizations/Covid19, transgender athletes/armed force, and global warming. No. No. No.
