(Do you think having a disability detracts from the goodness of a person’s life? Why or why not?) Thesis essay topic!
This is meant to be a THESIS ESSAY. This is NOT meant to be a report about any of the above topics.
In addition to including reasons for your thesis, your paper should include an objection to your thesis and a response to that objection.
Your paper should be around 3 pages, double-spaced. When citing an assigned reading, you only need to provide the author’s name and the page # you are referencing. If you choose to cite any reading besides an assigned reading, please use the Chicago citation style, specifically the Notes and Bibliography style: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.htmlLinks to an external site..
If your paper does not include a thesis or reasons for your thesis, or does not address any of the above questions, you will be given a ZERO on the assignment.
Here are some guidelines for how you should structure your paper:
First, you should start with a paragraph (or two) that introduces your topic and includes your thesis. Your thesis should be explicitly stated.
Second, you should include a paragraph (or two) where you provide a reason(s) for your thesis (in other words, an argument for your thesis). It is here that you are attempting to explain why someone should share your view.
Third, you should include a paragraph (or two) where you bring up an objection to your thesis or an objection to something you said in your argument for your view. You could begin with the phrase, “Some people who disagree with me would argue…”
Fourth, you should include a paragraph (or two) where you respond to the objection you have just brought up. Here you are attempting to explain why the objection to your thesis or argument is not a good one.
Finally, it would be nice if you included a paragraph summarizing what you’ve said. That will better ensure that your reader (me!) understands the overall argument in your essay.
With respect to how I will be grading your reasoning in your essay, all that I am looking for is that you avoid the four following mistakes:
1. The Ad Hominem Fallacy – This fallacy is committed when you attack a person as opposed to critiquing his or her view. The general point: address what is being said, not who is saying it.
2. The Straw Man Fallacy – This fallacy is committed when you misrepresent a person’s view, and then proceed to criticize that misrepresentation as if you were actually coming up with arguments against his or her real view. The general point: make sure you are accurately presenting a view you are criticizing.
3. Begging the Question – This fallacy is committed when you assume what you are trying to prove. The general point: the answer to this question should be NO: “Would someone already have to agree with my thesis in order to accept my argument?”.
4. Autobiography in Place of Argument: This fallacy occurs when a person mistakes as an argument for a view he or she holds, an autobiographical account of how his or her upbringing or experiences caused him or her to hold that view. The general point: the fact that you were raised to believe something is not a reason for someone to believe it.
