Please read the entire instruction sheet for the FINAL Argumentative Research Paper and then pick of a topic and start your outline.Download the instruction sheet: ENC1101 Argumentative Essay Research Paper.docx
You can also the Instruction in the followings: ENC1101- Argumentative Essay/Research PaperOverview
Argumentative essays differ from narrative, expository, or analytical essays fundamentally in that you’re writing to take a stand, to persuade your audience to accept a particular position, to convince your audience of a particular argument. Although in previous essay genres you’re also making a point, the emphasis in argumentative essays is to make and prove an argument with convincing evidence and sound, logical reasoning. The purposes and requirements for this essay, therefore, are quite different from those for the previous essays.
Objectives
Through this assignment, you will learn to
- construct an argument using various methods of argumentation,
- gather, summarize, synthesize, and explain information from various sources,
- incorporate sources into your argumentation using MLA style,
- produce coherent, organized, readable prose for different rhetorical situations,
- engage in writing as a process, including invention (such as brainstorming for ideas), developing a thesis statement, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading,
- respond to your classmates’ writing and provide constructive feedback,
- respond to your classmates’ response to your writing and learn how to incorporate your classmates’ suggestions into your revision,
- use grammatical, stylistic, and mechanical formats and conventions appropriate for different audiences and writing situations, and
- reflect on your own writing and writing process and on your classmates’ writing and writing process.
Topic: Identifying a Controversial Issue
An appropriate topic for the argumentative essay should be one that
- interests you
- is neither too broad nor too narrow,
- is open to controversy, and
- is not already overly argued by other people.
Make sure your topic interests you.Whatever topic you choose, it should be something that interests you, something that you feel strongly about, something that’s dear to your heart. If it’s an argument that affects you and that you have personal experience about, it will be easier for you to build your ethos with personal experience. Make sure your topic is neither too broad nor too narrow.A topic like “presidential campaigns” might be too big for you to handle in a few pages. In contrast, “the use of scare tactics in presidential campaign ads” might be easier to handle. In a similar way, “advertising” sounds vague and broad while “truth in advertising” is more focused. On the other hand, too narrow topics are those that deal with trivial topics that your readers are not likely to be interested in. Make sure your topic is controversial.A controversial topic is one that people have different opinions about. For example, the “illegitimacy of thefts” is not a controversial topic while “the appropriate punishment for first-time theft offenders” is a more controversial one. Similarly, “the harmful effects of smoking” is not really a topic of controversy, but “heavy taxation on cigarettes” might be. Make sure your topic is not already overly argued by other people.Topics such as “abortion” or “the death penalty” might yield easy arguments, but they have been argued so much that it’s very hard to come up with anything new to say about them. Unless you have something really unique and original to contribute to such topics, I’d strongly recommend that you avoid such topics. Choosing a good topic is not easy, and it’s critical for a good argumentative essay.
