Purpose: In preparation for
writing an academic paper, students will do library research on
their teacher-approved topic.
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.
El
Cajon, California 92019 