Reference no: EM132334840

Researched Academic Argument

Throughout this unit you have read articles dealing with current issues in American society: Stereotypes, Food, Diversity on College Campuses. Like the articles you read, choose an aspect of one of these topics to argue. For example, you may feel strongly that American consumers should be morally conscious eaters. You may choose to argue that a diverse learning environment better prepares students for a global workforce. Maybe you'll argue that stereotyping is a natural effect of the human condition. The angle you choose is up to you, but you must use strong supporting evidence to support your claim.

Assignment: Compose a persuasive researched argument on a topic of interest related to our course themes. Make sure you read the assignment prompt very carefully to ensure you meet the minimum requirements of the assignment.

This paper must:
• Have an Introduction: Your introduction will introduce readers to the topic, give its significance, and share (via the thesis statement) what will be proven about it. This should be a minimum of a half of a page and a maximum of one page. Remember that this should contain a thesis statement that will focus the paper (it should be the point you want to make/your argument).
• Have Thorough, Well-Developed Body Paragraphs: Refer to your proposal and the supporting points outlined there. Remember that well-developed, well-supported arguments are essential to getting your audience to agree with you.
• Synthesize the Information You Find: In the body of your paper you will need to show how your sources interact with each other as well as how they relate to your ideas. How do the sources work together to prove your point? Use your skills honed in the last essay.
• Be Persuasive: The goal of this paper is to persuade the audience rather than be strictly informational.
• Have a Conclusion: This must wrap up your argument and not introduce any new topics.
• Have Appropriate Documentation: Cite all the resources used in your paper where you use them via in-text citations, and cite them fully on the works cited page.
• Have Good Grammar/Punctuation/Style/Writing Skills: Chapter 13 in the textbook provides assistance with adding style to an argument. While evidence will support your claim, style helps engage the reader.

Length and Research: 2,400-3,000 words, excluding the works cited page. You will use 6-10 sources, of which at least half must be scholarly in nature (I recommend using journal articles). The other half can include articles from the textbook.

A proposal can help you to begin formulating a claim and finding a structure. An annotated bibliography will help you organize your research and find where it fits in your overall argument.

Proposal Assignment: Write a proposal for your researched academic argument. In this proposal you will begin determining what type of argument you are writing: definitional, evaluative, proposal, or a combination of one or more rhetorical method. Despite varying rhetorical approaches, all proposals should include the following:

1. Formulation of a claim: In this section of your proposal you should identify the problem/issue and explain why it is worthy of discussion and what is at stake. Include an examination of audience. Who would you like to reach with this argument?

2. Evidence for the claim: In this section you need to discuss your reasons or supporting points for the claim. You may include brief references to research you will use to support each reason. You may also include a discussion of anticipated counter arguments and how you will address them in your essay. Section 2 should be the longest section of your proposal.

3. Description of the rhetorical method: You have writtenan evaluation argument and an argument of definition, but you are not limited to those rhetorical strategies. You may write a proposal argument with a call to action, a causal argument, or choose a combination of two or more arguments. Choosing a style will help you organize your essay.

Annotated Bibliography Assignment: Compose an annotated bibliography for at least four sources you intend to use in your research paper. For each source, you will first write a works cited entry followed by a 150 word annotation describing the source's argument and its usefulness in your essay.

Length: Together the proposal and annotated bibliography should total 1,300-1,600 words in length, each part comprising half the word count minimum.

Research and Documentation Style: Your sources for the bibliography must be scholarly in nature. Your proposal and bibliography must be written in MLA style including in-text citations and a works cited page.