PAPER #4: ARGUMENTATION-PERSUASION

DUE: 25 NOVEMBER 2008

English 101 with Professor Russell

ASSIGNMENT: For this paper, you will draw upon the patterns of writing we have discussed this semester -- description, narration, exemplification, comparison-and-contrast, cause-and-effect -- as well as the rhetorical techniques studied (including logos, pathos, and ethos) in order to write a paper which convinces your reader to adopt a particular point of view and/or to take a particular action. Although you may and should have strong opinions on the issue you choose to write about, your final paper must be grounded in solid research (supported by credible evidence) and written in the third-person ("he/she/it", "one", "Americans"; no "I", no "you" and most importantly no "we/our").

STEP 1: A "DEBATABLE" ISSUE

Choose an issue that has two clear sides to it. As suggested on page 558, you might consider issues presented in the essays from the Patterns for a Purpose textbook or review news stories on controversial topics. Fill in the blank to one of these sentences: "It is unfair that ____________ " or "I disagree with people who ____________ " (remembering that once you write your paper, of course, you will omit the "I disagree" portion of the statement). You cannot choose an issue that has no clear opposing viewpoint. As explained on page 556, it would be difficult to argue "Parents should love their children" because very few people would disagree with you. In a similar sense, matters of taste should be avoided; for example, do not write a paper with the thesis "Chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla ice cream." Consider a complex and sophisticated topic and, again, one which is genuinely debatable.

STEP 2: THE RESEARCH

Because an argumentation-persuasion essay requires you to have factual, objective information on both sides of the issue in order to defend your assertions and to raise and counter objections to your thesis, I will require that you cite at least three (3) different sources in your paper. The best and most reliable sources, with the most current information on almost all topics, can be gathered from the school’s online databases: http://www.atlantic.edu/library/researchDatabase.htm. To help you navigate the college’s myriad of information technologies, we will be having a library orientation on Thursday, November 13. While you may consult sites outside of the school's online resources, please be sure to keep in mind our discussion earlier in the semester about the reliability of sources; make sure the web site or web article you use is credible. (The New York Times is good; "Ted's Online Silo of Conspiracy Theories" and Wikipedia are not good.) For more on source credibility, review pp. 689–690 in your Patterns for a Purpose book; we will also be discussing the evaluation of sources during our orientation session on the 13^th. You must use at least one (1) quote from each article (either direct, i.e. word for word, or paraphrased) and include parenthetical citations (author's last name and page number, if known) along with works cited information. (Please note: one quote per article is the minimum requirement; I should hope that you would use more.) The works cited page will be the last, separate page of your paper. For more on citing sources, please refer to pages 690–701 of your books; we will be reviewing this information for MLA documentation in class next week. While you may use essays from the Patterns for a Purpose book to defend or advance your argument or to present the opposing viewpoint, you must still find three original articles and cite/quote from these original articles in your paper. In addition to parenthetical citations and a works cited page, the original articles must be annotated and attached to your final paper.

STEP 3: READING THE ARTICLES, OUTLINING THE PAPER

Again, be sure that you are annotating ("marking up") the articles. You might note where the authors are relying on logos, pathos, and ethos. You should also discriminate between information which supports your view and information that doesn't. (Remember that you will need to include opposing viewpoints in your paper, so don't dismiss research that brings up the opposing side: that is just as important.) We will discuss ideas for outlining your paper in class; in the meantime, see pp. 555–557.

STEP 4: WRITING THE PAPER

In the introduction paragraph of your paper, you must create an interest in your topic. (Example: why should I care about social security reform? Perhaps you will paraphrase or quote some statistics you’ve found about the number of people who will be eligible for social security in, say, fifty years and the amount of money that that will require from the government.) Next, in your introduction, you must explain why the issue is important. (This is hypothetical, extending from the previous example, but you might state "In fifty years, the government will not have enough money to pay for the social security of all those eligible seniors who will rely on it to meet their daily expenses.") The final sentence of your introduction should state the thesis, which will give the debatable issue ("social security") and your assertion ("must be reformed by doing x").

Your body paragraphs will explain your most compelling points. Remember that you must bring up the opposing viewpoint, in order to counter those objections and further strengthen your own argument. Always be sure to avoid errors in logic, listed on pp. 5–7 of the text. Make sure you are not overgeneralizing, oversimplifying, begging the question, name calling, resorting to either-or reasoning, assuming an earlier event caused a later event, attacking or defending an issue on the basis of what was believed or done in the past, assuming that what is true for one person is true for everybody, playing to general sentiments, falsely indicating that one point follows conclusively from another, using the "as any fool can see" approach, or alluding to but not naming authorities; you should also check to see if your opponents have engaged in any of these errors in logic.

The conclusion paragraph in an argumentation-persuasion paper is perhaps the most important. Rather than just regurgitating all of your points, you want to reaffirm your position and maybe also emphasize your most persuasive point. (I would not include opposing viewpoints in this last paragraph. Here you do want to be entirely focused on the issue and your position.) This is the moment when you can call the reader to action. ("The government must reform social security" -- remember that I have asked you to avoid the personal pronoun "we", so don’t fall into the trap of announcing, "We must save this" or "We must do that".) Here is where you might also suggest a solution. ("The wealthiest Americans should be required to fix the social security system in this country" -- well, whatever solution you have research to suggest would be a “workable" idea.) This can also be the "doom and gloom" portion of your paper: explain what would happen if your thesis were or were not adopted. ("If social security is not reformed, seniors -- our most valuable resource -- will have been taxed for years under a false pretext of security only to be forced to spend their golden years in abject poverty.")

REQUIREMENTS: This paper should be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in 12-point, Times New Roman font. Be sure to include a proper heading (your name, my name, the course, the date) and header (your last name and the page number). Your paper should have a dynamic title (that is, something other than "Paper #4"; the title can be as "simple" as "The Solution to the Social Security Crisis"). Do not include a cover page. Your finished work should be 4–5 pages in length, not including the Works Cited page, which will be page 5 or 6. In addition to your paper, please also attach copies of the three articles you have cited, which should (again) be annotated by you.

DEADLINE: This paper is due in class on Tuesday, November 25, 2008. If you are not in class, you will be expected to e-mail your paper in MS Word format (.doc) to me at rar239@nyu.edu or rrussell@atlantic.edu before 11 A.M. on 11/25/08. (Late papers lose points.) Your articles you will turn in to me upon your return to class.