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ESL 106
Instructor: A. Munoz
Introduction to
the argumentative/persuasive essay
The fundamental assumption of
this course is that argument is everywhere. We live in a
capitalist/consumer society and are accosted by persuasive
"statements" to purchase cars, clothes, food, etc.. everyday. We
live in a "democratic" society which is based on the belief that
citizens should make informed decisions on policy and
representation.
An argument/persuasive essay is one that attempts to persuade
the reader to accept the writer's point of view. The writer can
either be serious or funny, but always tries to convince the
reader of the validity of his or her opinion.
Remember that you don't need to take an
extreme view on a topic. Assemble your evidence and decide
where you fit on the the whole range of opinions on the issue
between two extremes. Another way to focus is to decide
whether you are going to take a whole policy issue or just
take a part of it by focusing on a question of fact or a
question of value. Example of different ways to focus the
topic of household pets:
Informative:
Animal shelters routinely euthanize
cats which are not readily placed in homes.
Persuasive value:
Spaying and neutering of domestic
cats is humane.
Persuasive policy:
The state should require that
domestic cats be spayed or neutered.
STEP 1: Find Books
For topic ideas, search the
Library homepage.
Click on Library Catalog. Use Keywords such as "opposing
viewpoints", "controversial issues", or "social aspects" or
"moral and ethical aspects".
STEP 2:
Find articles
DIRECTIONS to
find articles: 1) Go to
Library homepage.
2) Click on Databases A-Z. 3) Select a database.
Note: if you use one of
these databases from a remote location, you must enter your
campus username and password.
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General Onefile - database of articles from magazines
and journals.
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CQ Researcher
- Excellent for
political, social, family, education and health issues.
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Opposing viewpoints - controversial issues.
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El
Cajon, California 92019 
