Persuasive Research Paper Assignment

Basic Description of Assignment and Final Topic Selection:
For this 8-page paper, you will research and write about any significant social or political issue that is of interest to you. You will argue a specific position on this topic, and address opposing arguments. It is critical to frame your topic in a way that you can reasonably argue a debatable position on the issue. This is a research and evidence-based assignment, so your arguments should be based on this research and evidence.
To give two examples of weak vs. strong final topic choices:
Weak final topic choices- “Motor vehicle safety” – This is a broad topic and it is not clear what specific position the author plans to argue…
“Motor vehicle safety is critically important”… Nobody would reasonably argue against this.
Strong final topic choice – “Texting and driving is the single biggest threat to vehicle safety in modern society”…. This argues a specific, and debatable, position; many people might argue that there are other, bigger threats to vehicle safety.
Weak final topic choices – “Concussions in pro football”… Again, it is not clear what specific position the author plans to argue on this topic.
“Concussions in the NFL are harmful to players’ health” …. Again, few people would reasonably disagree with this.
Strong final topic choice – “The NFL must implement additional rule changes- and more strongly enforce existing ones- in order to better protect players from concussions and traumatic brain injuries”… This argues a specific, debatable position; some people have offered the argument that the NFL is already taking the necessary steps to protect players and that further rule changes – or stricter enforcement of existing rules- is unnecessary.
Structure of Assignment:
Introduction: First, write a brief introduction in which you introduce the topic to the reader in an attention-grabbing manner, briefly summarize (without yet explaining in depth) why this issue is important on a societal and/or global level, and indicate the specific position you will argue. When you indicate the position you are arguing, you should not say “It is my belief that” or “I think that….” You should simply state the position you plan to argue. For instance, rather than saying “It is my belief that texting and driving is the single biggest threat to vehicle safety,” you would instead simply state: “Texting and driving is the single biggest threat to vehicle safety.” This is important in terms of articulating arguments in a confident manner that indicates you have done your homework on the issue.
Background Section: You will first provide your audience with the necessary context and information to understand the topic you are writing about and why it is important. To do this, you should provide key facts, background information and statistics about this issue and explain in more depth why this issue matters on a societal and/or global level. You will then examine how this issue is generally discussed and argued in U.S. society or internationally- by the media, by scholars, by activists on the issue, by the general public, etc. as applicable.
Argument Section: Next, you will make your own arguments. Your paper should include at least three distinct supporting arguments. Once again, these arguments will be evidence and research-based: In other words, while you will be arguing a clear position on the issue, that position should be based on – and supported by- your research, and on an explanation, discussion, and analysis of the evidence that you have gathered. You should not simply write your own unsupported opinion.
It is fine if you wish to also bring in personal experiences with or connection to the topic you are writing about – e.g. as background to explain why and how you came to develop a strong interest or passionate viewpoint about the issue, or to incorporate additional pathos or a personal element into your paper. However, while it is fine to bring in such personal experience to supplement your research and evidence-based arguments, this personal experience should not be the basis for your arguments nor a substitute for the research and evidence that is the main foundation for these arguments.
Counter-argument section: After addressing at least three distinct arguments to support your position, you will summarize and address at least two opposing arguments. You should first summarize the argument that people on the opposite side of the issue from you make – or might reasonably make. Be sure to use phrasing that makes clear that you are addressing an opposing argument so that the reader is not confused about why you are bringing up this point. Such phrasing includes: “Those who argue x have stated that”…. “Opponents of my argument suggest/might suggest that…”
Conclusion: Conclude the paper by briefly returning the reader to the significance of the topic you have just discussed, and leave your audience with a sense of the implications of what you have just argued. In short: Why does the argument you just made matter?
Sources and Citation:
For this assignment, you will gather, utilize and properly cite/quote a minimum of six research sources. At least three of these sources should be scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles. The remaining three sources can be media sources, books, online articles, etc. It is fine to use more than six sources in your paper. Any source that you cite in text should also appear in your bibliography, and vice versa. It is acceptable to use MLA or APA citation for your in-text citations and bibliography. You should, however, remain consistent with whichever citation style you choose rather than going back and forth between different styles.
Guidelines for MLA citation can be found in Appendix C of Knowing Words (pp. 255-274), while guidelines for APA citation can be found in Appendix D of Knowing Words (pp. 275-291).
Additional Helpful Resources for This Project:
The RIOT online library tutorial modules (which you can re-access through D2L) are important resources for your research process from beginning to end- in terms of which databases to use to gather various types of sources, how to efficiently determine which sources will and will not be helpful to your research, how to evaluate the credibility of these sources, etc. Remember that you can also request one-on-one research consultations here: http://www.colorado.edu/libraries/request-research-consultation
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