Week Nine
Your Topic for Your Researched Argument
As we learned in Week Eight, an argument makes a claim based on reasons supported by evidence. The evidence comes from published sources. This project emphasizes finding and evaluating sources and then integrating those sources with your own ideas. Integrating sources with your own ideas requires synthesis. Read this "Synthesis Introduction" from Lumen.
An effective argument uses rhetorical appeals, devices, and features appropriate for the rhetorical situation and avoids fallacies.
You should select a serious, academic, debatable issue that will allow you to take a position and find adequate, requisite source material to back up your position. Sometimes, students can easily land on an issue they want to pursue; other times, selecting a topic can require conducting some initial research, talking with others, or even getting help from a librarian.
Read this piece on "How to Write a Research Paper" from Georgetown University.
The UALR Ottenheimer Library offers resources to help students:
Schedule a Zoom workshop on basic searching, searching strategically, evaluation & examination of sources, and/or searching specific databases
Log-in to Research Companion with your UALR Email (or NetID) for specific help
Do not pick topics related to the following: abortion, gun control, gay marriage, the legalization of marijuana, or free college tuition.
***Ultimately, I must approve your topic. See 9.1 instructions below.
9.1 Discussion: Topic Approval
For the 9.1 Discussion board, our schedule will be slightly different than previous weeks.
Your initial post is due by Tuesday of Week Nine and should tell the class:
what debatable issue you want to argue about;
what side/position you plan to take on that issue; and
what reasons (that you will back up with evidence) you are relying on for your position.
Then, by Thursday of Week Nine, you should reply to at least two classmates' initial posts:
indicating whether you believe the issue to be serious, academic, and debatable;
assessing whether the reasons make sense as presented or need further explanation; and
offering suggestions for how to clarify the student's claim (position) and reasons.
After classmates reply to your initial post, you should begin revising your topic based on the feedback (Instructor will offer feedback by Friday night).
Finally, by Sunday of Week Nine, you should reply to your own initial post and do the following:
state your revised claim; and
state at least two revised reasons that you can back up with evidence.
The rubric below will be used to grade your 9.1 Discussion.
BB Researched Argument Topic Discussion Rubric.pdf