InstructionsHidePurpose

Academic arguments are ubiquitous in higher education. Argument, here, doesn’t necessarily mean disagreement between parties; instead, it refers to taking a stance (your opinion, which will become your thesis), and defending that stance with evidence from your own data, or (as is the case in this assignment), other peer-reviewed sources. This is, in many ways, the most important assignment this semester.

Instruction

In this assignment, you will be creating an original argument about the topic you have been learning about throughout the semester so far. Armed with your new knowledge on the subject, you are now ready to craft and support your own thesis. Your thesis is your stance on the subject; it could be a policy suggestion, a suggestion for a new direction in research, a call for new or renewed focus on a subject, or a new interpretation of old research.

You will use evidence from scholarly research to support your thesis, including the articles from the annotated bibliography and at least two new scholarly articles. To review, this means that you need to use at least three scholarly articles for your argument. You can also use two popular articles (one can be the one from the annotated bibliography), though they should only be used to add context or to include recent developments that have not yet made it into scholarly publications.

Your audience for this topic will be members of the academic community. You can assume that they are familiar with your topic, but they will need in-depth or complicated terms explained for them.

Your introduction will need to give enough background and contextual information so that your reader understands the issue as well as why this is a relevant topic for discussion. Your thesis should be an arguable claim representing your position.

The body of the paper will need to present and analyze evidence that both supports and refutes your position. Most of the evidence you give should support your argument, but including sources for the opposition shows that you have done extensive research and have considered the other side(s) to the argument. The body of your paper should not simply march through your sources, however; the goal is to synthesize the material and present the strongest argument for your thesis.

The conclusion should revisit the discussion surrounding your topic, your position, and the relevance of this topic for your reader. The conclusion should look to the future and leave your reader thinking about your topic.

Grammar, Mechanics, and Citation

Your writing should adhere to MLA citation style, as well as the expectations of Standard Written English. The paper should be in 12-point, Times New Roman font, and be double-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides and no extra space between paragraphs.

25 Nov 2020 04:03

12pt Times New Roman, single spaced, no spaces between paragraph. Works Cites in MLA format, with some in text citations.