Assignment 4: Contributing Your Reasoned Argument to the Conversation
Overview: We began looking at various conversations surrounding the Internet and Social
Media, reading and thinking critically about each text. Once we immersed ourselves in the
ongoing conversations, we began thinking how to take the arguments we heard and shift them to
a different context, hence taking our critical thinking skills to new levels and beginning to
consider the importance of perspective. Finally, you have asked an inquiry question, guiding
you through research of a particular, debatable issue and its various stakeholders. With a
specific stakeholder as your audience, you are now ready to contribute your own, reasoned
argument to an ongoing conversation within the theme of the Internet and Social Media. The
argument you write for this assignment will be an academic, source-based argument for one of
the specific stakeholders you’ve examined. You may use some of the sources you’ve already
gathered, but you should continue to find new sources to support your evolving argument.
Consider including the field research done in the previous assignment, or conduct additional field
research. Furthermore, your argument should add something unique or new to the conversation
rather than just repeating someone else’s argument.
Purpose: The purpose for this assignment will depend on your intended stakeholder. It will
most likely fall into one of the following general categories:
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To convince undecided stakeholders to accept your thesis.
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To make opposing stakeholders less resistant to your thesis
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To convince stakeholders who agree with you to take action
Audience: Your audience is a specific stakeholder—which means a person, group, organization,
etc… who has a vested interest in the issue. Use the analysis of stakeholders you completed in
the previous assignment to help you choose the most appropriate stakeholder for your argument.
Not only does your stakeholder have a vested interest in the issue, she also has several
expectations of you as an author. To begin, the stakeholders expect that an argument is wellresearched and that the argument is supported with reasons and evidence. They want to see that
you are familiar with the conversation on the issue and how your argument uniquely contributes
to that conversation. In addition, such stakeholders are reading as academics, meaning that they
expect an academic argument to emerge. An academic argument means that you use full
citations for all sources used and your writing is clear and concrete. You’ll need to carefully
consider your readers’ expectations as you write your argument.
Author: Present yourself as a knowledgeable, fair-minded, credible and, as appropriate,
empathetic person. You do not need to be an expert on your issue to write an argument, but you
do need to have confidence in what you do know and believe about it. Show that you approach
the issue with enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity, and an open-mind.
Argument Strategies and Requirements: An effective argument achieves its purpose with its
audience and is appropriate for an academic context. To achieve your purpose with your
audience, be sure to:
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Be active in class as we discuss sample arguments, argumentation techniques, and work
on writing this paper as a process.
Review the stakeholder analysis you completed and familiarize yourself with the
assumptions, beliefs, values, and needs of your intended audience.
Rely on audience appeals: logos (appeal to reason), ethos (appeal to character), and
pathos (appeal to emotion). Be sure that the appeals used suit the rhetorical situation.
Continue conducting effective research to support your developing argument.
Organize your argument effectively to best support your claim and reasons.
Show how well-informed about the conversation you are by including at least one other
stakeholder whose viewpoint differs from your own. Accurately and fairly represent and
respond to such an alternative viewpoint on the issue. At least one counterargument must
be presented and a proper refutation offered.
Demonstrate that you have conducted effective inquiry into the issue by summarizing,
paraphrasing, and directly quoting appropriately and by documenting sources correctly in
MLA style. This will bolster your ethos with your audience.
Include a minimum of six relevant, reliable, and recent sources. These sources do not
necessarily need to be from the previous assignment. You may choose to incorporate
your interview with a major stakeholder as one of your sources.
Give yourself plenty of time to draft, revise, and polish your argument.
Details:
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The paper should be formatted according to MLA conventions. This includes MLA-style
heading and page numbers, parenthetical citations within your paper for all sources used
(quotes, paraphrases, facts, ideas, etc…) and a Works Cited page at the end of the paper.
The paper should be between 5-7 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font.
The paper is due Thursday, November 17th (or Friday, November 18th) at the beginning of
class. Late papers are not accepted.
This paper is worth 25% of your total grade.
Process Work:
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Forum Postings
Workshop draft with workshop comments
**NOTE: At the end of your paper, include the following honor pledge: “"I have not given,
received, or used any unauthorized assistance."
Academic Argument Grading Rubric
Excellent
Satisfactory
Unsatisfactory
Logos. Appeals to logic in this
argument are excellent because:
The appeal to reason is
generally effective but could be
strengthened because:
The appeal to reason is not
effective because:
Central claim is clearly stated and
appropriately qualified. It is
debatable and has exigence.
Reasons effectively support
central claim, and concrete
evidence develops reasons.
Connections between claims and
reasons, and between reasons and
evidence, are clearly stated.
Argument is organized in a
coherent, linear fashion that is
appropriate for the intended
stakeholder.
Background information and
definition of key terms meets the
needs of the stakeholder
addressed.
Central claim is generally clear
but could benefit from further
clarification, improved
debatability, or clearer
exigence;
Author may need to clarify
reasoning and/or to provide
additional evidence and/or to
explain how and why reasons
and evidence supports the
claim;
The paper clearly argues for a
position on the issue rather than
merely reporting or
summarizing information
although at times the paper
briefly lapses into mere
summary.
Reasoning is unclear or
faulty and/or the argument
lacks sufficient support,
sufficient, relevant
evidence, or connections
between claim and
support;
The claim is vague, may
change or is not
maintained;
The paper focuses more
on reporting or
summarizing information,
rather than arguing for a
position on the issue.
The paper adds a unique and
engaging argument to the ongoing
conversation
Ethos. Appeals to character in this While your readers may have
argument are effective because:
moments of doubt about your
character due to lapses in source
Source authority and credibility is authority or maintaining a fair
tone, they will find you
presented explicitly and cited
trustworthy.
formally.
Tone and language are fair and
evenhanded and avoids alienating
the reader.
In general the writer uses a
variety of sources to prove each
reason, although at times may
rely too much on one or two
Readers will be skeptical
about your character
because of the sources you
cite, a lack of citation,
how you deal (or don't)
with other perspectives, or
the tone in which you
present your argument.
The writer relies too much
on only one or two
Writing matches the intended
audience.
sources.
sources, showing that
he/she has not researched
the issue thoroughly.
Alternative Arguments: Specific
alternative viewpoints are fairly
represented and responded to
effectively.
Alternative viewpoints could be
better represented OR receive a
more effective response.
Alternative viewpoints are
not represented, are
misrepresented, and/or do
not receive an effective
response.
Conventions & Style: A wellinformed, academic audience’s
expectations are met effectively
because:
Your paper is generally readable
but would benefit from more
careful proofreading & editing
and/or correct MLA
citation/formatting.
Readers will have
difficulty understanding
your meaning or accepting
your claim because your
paper needs to pay closer
attention to conventions
and to readers' needs.
Readers will be inclined to
consider or accept your claim,
but the argument and/or appeals
could be more effective.
Readers are not likely to
accept your claim—you
may not have a clear sense
of audience and/or
purpose.
The writer uses a variety of
sources to prove each reason,
showing that he/she has
researched the issue thoroughly.
Correct MLA citations are used, in
text and in Works Cited page;
The paper is formatted according
to MLA standards;
Prose is clear, direct, and free of
sentence-level errors.
Overall Effectiveness: The
cumulative effect of this argument
is one of thoroughness and unity,
leaving informed readers likely to
accept or consider your central
claim seriously. It is obvious
who the stakeholder being
addressed is.
The stakeholder being
addressed is vague or too broad. There is no clear
stakeholder being
addressed.