The objective of this assignment is to construct an extended argument that builds on the work you’ve done for Writing Project #3 (informational argument) and Writing Project # 4 (proposal and annotated bibliography). The informational argument asked you to examine the various perspectives and arguments about some issue or problem. Writing Project #5 asks you to now pick a side and argue for that position. It also is critical to take “the other sides” into account (and refute them), as that will make your own argument more effective. For this paper, you will need four (4) visual aids and ten (10) sources, only five of which can be Internet sources. In an argumentative paper, you need to • Make a specific claim about what you are arguing should happen concerning the topic. • Include a thesis statement that will explain how you will tackle your topic and argument within the paper. • Do research on who your audience is to help you determine the most effective way to convince that audience. • Choose a specific structure for your argument. • Find convincing reasons to support your claim (hint: use the rhetorical appeals). • Adequately inform your audience about the issue you are analyzing. • Do research in order to justify your reasons, read/evaluate the material critically, and provide sufficient evidence for each reason. • Analyze the opposing views and deal with them honestly and fairly. Research Focus Crafting an effective text calls for a clear understanding of the research process. For each unit over the course of the semester, we will have a focus on various aspects of research, such as identifying sources, citing them, and incorporating quotes or paraphrases into your text, among many other things. For this assignment, we will focus on using the information we find, in our own writing: • Using and manipulating various information retrieval tools to select credible and appropriate sources. • Integrating those quotations and paraphrases appropriately to support the writer’s argument, with accurate MLA citation throughout text and in Works Cited page. • Note that visual aids are critical to this assignment, so you will want to select, use, and discuss at least two (4) visuals: charts, photographs, maps, drawings, cartoons, graphs, etc. Be sure to explain and discuss them in your own text, so they connect to one or more of the various arguments you are discussing, and be sure to cite them appropriately and accurately. NR assignments 0119016 pg. 10 Your essay should include the following parts: • Introduction: this is where you tell your readers what the essay is about. This is also where you need to make sure that you capture your readers’ attention, provide background information, describe existing arguments and counterarguments, etc. For this paper, your introduction need not be limited to a single paragraph. o Claim: This is where you tell your audience what you think about the topic you’ve selected, where you make a claim. Make sure that your claim is very specific. o Thesis: Your thesis should include a brief outline of your whole paper and may appear somewhere within the first two pages of the essay, towards the end of your introduction. • Body: o Each paragraph in the body of your paper needs to have a main point that you can support with specific evidence. That evidence must be cited appropriately and correctly. You should include appeals to ethos, pathos, kairos and logos. o This is also where you outline opposing points of view—at least acknowledging them and, as appropriate, refuting those other claims. • Conclusion: this is where you close your essay by briefly recapping your essay, describing its connection with similar issues, and stating the significance of your paper with future directions and implications of your research. • Works Cited: The Works Cited page is not your annotated bibliography – it should follow proper MLA format for a Works Cited page and reference only the sources that you include in your essay. For this essay, you will need to include at least ten (10) sources, at least five of which should be print sources. (Remember that web sources are those that exist solely on the Internet—like a web page with content that does not appear elsewhere in print. If you find a source that was originally printed (like an essay) but you download it from the web (through a library database, for example), then that is NOT a “web source” but rather a print source).
