Working Draft of Essay
Guidelines Essay 2-Argumentative Research EssayAssignment description:The objective of the argumentative research essay is to investigate an important issue orproblem in today’s world and take a stance in the debate surrounding the issue. Your task is tomake a claim about a debatable topic and to persuade the reader to accept your claim.You must choose one of the following questions:1. Should schools be allowed to enforce dress codes?2. Are self-driving cars safe to drive?3. Should tipping be banned in the United States?4. Has toxic masculinity increased in the United States?5. Should schools teach students kitchen and household skills?Important ElementsThesis: Whichever topic you choose, you will eventually need to develop anargumentative thesis statement that clearly identifies your position on the topic.Remember that a thesis for an argumentative essay should be debatable and shouldclearly take a stand. Refer to the readings in this section to help you create a debatablethesis statement.Visual Elements: To supplement your argument, you must also include at least onevisual element in your essay. The visual element can be a chart, graph, photograph, orillustration. The visual should be used in such a way as to support the ideas andarguments in your essay and it should be embedded within the body of your essay (notadded as an attachment or link). Identify the source of your images next to the image ina textbox or within the body of the corresponding paragraph. To help you choose orcreate a visual element, refer to the reading in this unit on Visual Rhetoric.• Integrating Sources: It is not enough to simply meet the research requirement bythrowing in a quote here and there. You need to integrate the ideas of others neatly intoyour own argument.Steps to take:1. Begin by brainstorming ideas• Think carefully about the choices above.• What are your initial thoughts on each issue?• In what ways might these be debatable or controversial?• What do you know about each issue?• What do you not know and would have to conduct research to find out?• Once you have decided which question you will select, try to narrow even furtherby considering the debates related to the topic and reflecting on the differingviewpoints and perspectives on the issue.• Once you have a clear and narrow focus (or perhaps even a tentative thesis),you can begin doing research.Conduct ResearchBegin by accessing the Dallas College library databases One of the best resources there is AcademicSearch Complete.You are required to have a minimum of five sources for this research project. Yoursources should be of diverse types. To help you achieve this, you are required to have atleast two newspaper articles and one scholarly journal article.Note that these can all be accessed through the Electronic Databases in our library. Besure to record the details about every source you find (authors, titles, publication placesand dates, page numbers, etc.) for your Works Cited list.Write Your Argumentative EssayAs you draft your essay, but sure it contains all of these elements:• An introduction. This first paragraph provides context for the reader; it shouldinclude general information about the topic being addressed as well as the morespecific concerns or issues to be examined as part of the debate. Youintroduction should also include your thesis statement.• A thesis statement. This sentence should be direct and make clear yourposition or stance in the debate.• At least three supporting claims/points for the thesis. Be sure to organize youressay around the concerns and/or supporting claims, and not around authors orarticles.• At least three counterarguments (i.e., a naysayer voice or an opposingviewpoint)• At least one refutation of each counterargument (i.e, a rebuttal)• Focused and well-organized paragraphs with clear topic sentences. Each topicsentence should offer a claim that addresses a specific concern and functions tosupport the thesis.• One visual that is used as one of the arguments or as support/evidence for yourargument. This should be placed within the paragraph where it is used. Place theimage description and its source below the image.• In-text citations for any sources directly quoted or paraphrased.• A clear concluding paragraph.• A Works Cited page listing your sourcesMinimum Requirements• Length: 4-5 pages (1200 – 1500 words)Research & Documentation: Minimum of 5 sources with MLA citations from DallasCollege Databases• Visual Element: At least one visual element embedded in the essay (chart, graph,photo, etc.)• Word Choice and Style: Formal word choice and third person objective style
