Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of critical thinking and critical writing .

Researched

Argumentation

Essay

The Assignment:



In general, this core essay of the course takes a position on a specific issue and attempts to

persuade the audience

to

agree with that position or to act upon it. This essay could also fall

un

der the category of a ―proposal,

‖

which identifies a problem and offers a supported

solution.



Here are some basics of the

argumentation

essay

:

1)

Uses reasoning

—

logic

—

to persuade an audience

to agree or act

2)

Takes a clear stand on a controversial

(arguable)

topic

3)

Demonstrates an

understanding of audience

through word choice, language, and

content.

You will be required to document your selected audience and explain your

approach

4)

Effectively

incorporates

evidence

to

sufficiently

support

all

claims

5)

A

minimum of

six

credible

sources

must be used;

includes

correct MLA

citations,

both on a Works Cited page and in

–

text

1

6)

Demonstrates an advanced knowledge of critical thinking and critical writing through

subject choice and effective strategies for writing

7)

Includes

an

effective thesis statement that tells readers what to expe

ct in the essay,

including

the point

, or purpose,

of

the

essay

8)

Develops a clea

r introduction and a conclusion

9)

Is

free of

logical

fallacies

10)

Develops

counter

–

arguments and refutation

: Deal with opposing arguments. If you

pretend they don’t exist, you leave them as open options for your audience.

11)

Is organized

in a clear manner

; uses an effective argumentative structure

12)

Blends judgments with a working knowledge of the content

13)

Effectivel

y uses ethos, pathos, and logos

2

14)

Uses correct grammar and complex sentences

15)

Demonstrates individual style

16)

The argument must be

vali

d and the premises must be true

3

Some Stipulations and Suggestions:



Use appeals that most people consider fair.

4



Use

emotional appeals to

support

5

your logical appeals.

o

Y

ou may use personal experience to assist

, but do not rely on this

o

Remain keenly aware of audience



Topic selection: This will be difficult, I’m sure. I suggest choosing a topic you care about,

either emo

tionally or intellectually (or both), but also a topic you can look at from all sides.



Develop a

critical question

before

a thesis (the question is not to be stated in the essay, but in

preparation).



Understand rhetorical ―stasis.‖

1

There are more specifics with this, so please pay attention

. Essays submitted without effective MLA documentation will not

earn a

passing

grade.

2

You might be required

to identify where and how these are used in the essay

3

According to the most recent and most credible evidence available

4

Politicians are not included in “most people.”

So avoid fallacies; these are not

fair

.

5

Keyword: support. The emotional appeals sho

uld be

limited

to give extra emphasis to a logical argument.

Baumgart

ENGL 1202

–

Argument Essay Assignment Sheet

2



Plagiarism is a scary,

evil beast that roams the halls of academe. Avoid it.

6



Take notes as you go along,

even

before you begin writing.

Planning is a big part of writing.

Essay Submission Guidelines:



The finished submitted draft should be

eight

(

8

)

to

ten (10

)

pages

.

All finished essays must

be AT LEAST

EIGHT

FULL PAGE

S

.

7



Please follow the

MLA

essay format

.

Please also use a standard font and type size, for

example 12

–

po

int Helvetica or 12

–

point Times.

To see specifics, and a good example of page

format, go here:

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/pdf/Hacker

–

Orlov

–

MLA.pdf



No handwritten, sloppily presented, or late work will be accepted

—

see syllabus for more

.



Important:

Save all

of your prewriting,

drafting, and revising pages.

You

may be asked to

submit these.

Research and Source Requirements

:



Minimum of

six credible

sources

o

At least three

must be from scholarly (peer reviewed) journals or books

o

All

must be evaluated for credibility

o

Any use of Wikipedia or other sources without credibility might result in an essay not

being accepted for grade

o



All sources must be documented correctly and effectively in the text of the essay and on a

Works Cited page, which shou

ld be formatted correctly



In

–

text source material should be

well

–

incorporated into the text

, including lead

phrases

and author/source information

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