Toulmin researched academic argument essay

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Choose and write a 7 page (Not including citations) paper on a argumentative topic of your choice. It must be something that can be researched using authoritative sources. The topic doesn’t have to be about a current event: it could be in line with a future career choice, a hobby or sport, pop culture, or any area of interest. I will attach all of the guidelines for the essay below! Please spend time and read it because they are very important.

Do not choose a topic from the following list:

  • Abortion, assisted suicide, capital punishment, and other topics dealing with the human-influenced beginning or ending of life
  • Gun control, in the sense of guns are bad/good or that reasonable controls would destroy the Second Amendment
  • Politics, in the sense of supporting or defending a person, party, or administration
  • Evolution versus creationism
  • Anything involving animal cruelty, animal testing, etc.

Craft Elements:Write in third person, with a tone appropriate to your topic. DO. NOT. USE first or second person, other than briefly in an anecdotal introduction. (Even then, they’re best avoided here. See the Week 5 lecture for information about using point of view.)

  • Be persuasive and authoritative– but maintain your objectivity. Remember: argument, at its heart, is a search for truth, and every arguer must be prepared to have his or her perspective shift.
  • Focus on facts and explicit evidence: logos. Avoid bringing in belief, opinion, or faith-based positions. Don’t be cold, though– include enough emotional appeal (pathos) to stay connected to your reader.
  • Use description and plenty of detail to make your points clear. Use a new paragraph for each key point and expand each point thoroughly; this will make it easy to reach the required page count. Each paragraph should lead off with a point you wish to make. Follow this with examples, definitions, description, evidence, and then some analysis. This is how we build sturdy, robust paragraphs, folks. 🙂
  • Use a variety of evidence. The best arguments work from a number of different angles.
  • Aim for a balanced use of emotion and logic in making your points. This will contribute to a sense of fairness that supports your writerly ethos. Bring in kairos if you can. Kairos refers to “right time – right place.” An argument rich in kairos is one that is currently “in the news,” making it automatically more interesting to the reader.
  • Give your paper a title that is interesting while accurately forecasting the paper’s content.
  • Use your sources carefully (see below) and don’t let them run away with the paper. Remember that every sentence containing source material must be cited/indicated. Any source listed in your paper must appear on Works Cited, and anything on Works Cited must appear in your essay.

Sources:

Your essay must include at least six authoritative outside sources.

  • At least four sources should be “academic” and should come from the library’s catalog/databases/resources. Be sure to cite these sources using the “two container” format, which we’ll cover later on.
  • The other sources must be authoritative but may come from any location. And of course, you may use more than six if desired. (!)
  • Cite your sources correctly in-text and in an MLA Works Cited list.
  • I expect to see quality sources: show me that you’ve sought out the best possible material and not just the first hits on a Google search.
  • Note, too, that the most successful papers typically use more than six sources.

Length:

Write at least 7 pages. In this essay, more sources (beyond the required 6) and more pages tend to equate with a higher grade.

Format:

Use precise MLA style.

Also:

    1. Use menu-set hanging paragraphs in your Works Cited.
    2. Place/insert a menu-set page break before the ‘W’ in Works Cited.