Arguing a Position
Background to the Assignment
In the Informational Research assignment, we learned about reporting and the manner in which facts and information are put into some order to respond to a rhetorical situation. Doing so, we examined the ways in which writers try to—if it is even possible at all—overcome their opinions and write a piece that is free of bias. For many of us, writing the report and steering clear of our opinions was difficult. Richard Bullock states in the NFG, “Everything we say or do presents some kind of argument, takes some kind of position” (82). For this assignment, you will have the chance to (finally!) use your own beliefs to argue a position on an issue of your choice. However, argumentation is not simply spouting off on an issue; it takes convincing support gained through research and careful consideration of other positions in order to make an effective argument.
The Writing Assignment
Your assignment is to write a 6 to 8 page essay in which you argue a position on an issue of your choice. To do so, you will need to figure out what’s been said on the topic (through reading and research) in order to find a way to join the on-going conversation that’s been taking place about the issue. You may use the same topic you chose for the Informational Research assignment or you may choose a new topic. Your paper should include a minimum of five sources. (If you choose to use the same topic, at least two of your sources must be new.)
Requirements for Argument Assignment
Purpose: To argue a position on an issue of your choice.
Audience: You are writing for an audience that does not share your opinion on the issue.
Genre: Argument
Stance: Your opinion on your chosen subject, supported by information
Media/Design: Your argument should be 6-8 pages. It should be typed, double-spaced and written in 12-point font with one-inch margins.
Tips for Writing
The NFG has many excellent suggestions to guide you through topic selection, organizing, drafting, and revising your argument. Read the argument pages carefully and consult them frequently!
Getting Started
Step 1 – Choose your topic. You may decide to use your reporting information topic and turn that into an argument, or you may choose a new topic. The same rules apply as they did for the report—choose a topic that is focused, feasible, and interesting to you (i.e. one that you actually DO have an opinion on!).
Step 2 – Figure out what’s been said about the issue by doing research. You must know what the issue is all about first! You might think you know everything there is to know about the issue because you have a strong opinion on it, but there’s probably information that you haven’t yet considered. In addition to providing convincing support and evidence, the best arguments are those that carefully consider the other side(s) of the issue.
Step 3 – Create an outline for your paper . . . and stick to it! Good arguments must have good organization!
Step 4 – This is not an attack. Just as Bullock states, “Arguments can stand or fall on the way readers perceive the writer . . . readers need to trust the person who’s making the argument” (94). Choose your tone accordingly.
Important: This paper is not just adding your opinion into your report. Reports and Arguments are two very different genres and therefore should be composed and organized as such. If you are doing a topic that is applicable to your research topic, do not reuse your old paper—just your old information. I want your argument to be persuasive to me as an intelligent reader, and to be persuasive to an intelligent reader you need to organize your essay, support your ideas, write a strong introduction and conclusion, and clean up grammatical problems to help your paper flow (and to give you the character of a knowledgeable writer).