Writing Assignment 1: Argument and Persuasion
Remember there are two parts to the assignment
Part 1:
The essay is due on Tuesday, February 9 at the beginning of class. You will bring a hard copy to
class. In addition, you will send me an email attachment with your essay labeled as your last
name.
Using the San Antonio Express News, write a 1,000-2,000 word argumentative essay arguing for
or against a certain issue. You must choose an issue that has been in the news recently. The
issue you choose must be a topic that needs discussing. I would avoid topics that are too broad
and difficult to focus. You have been reading the news paper for almost two weeks. Review the
articles you have noted. Choose a topic and focus your discussion. Remember to look at the
issues within that topic. The topic is the specific event that you will use as an example. If you
discuss the government’s attempt at seeing Google’s records, what are the key issues? Certainly
you can argue for or against, but isn't the issue even larger than that?
You might also look at the Viewpoints section of the Sunday paper and responding to a recent
editorial.
Your essay must include at least one reference from the San Antonio Express News and one
external source. Your Works Cited page should be in MLA style.
Consider that your argumentative piece must adhere to certain basic things:
–You need a clear thesis that is specific and debatable. Choose a topic that is worth
writing over. Claiming that “Rising oil prices are bad is not a clear thesis.” Arguing that “Rising
oil prices will cripple the U.S. economy” is more specific, but can you really defend that claim in
1000-2000 words? Avoid obvious statements: West Texas needs more rain or farmers will go
bankrupt. (Duh) Clichés are counterproductive as well: "The recent political scandal just goes to
show that money makes the world go round." (I thought the world spun because of gravitational
forces combined with magnetic pulls.)
–Pay careful attention to logic. Know the difference between an aggressive claim and an
illogical one.
–Edit carefully. You should not use first person (I) or second person (you). You do not
need to write "I believe" or "In my opinion." While those phrases add verbiage, they add nothing
else to the paper. If you express the opinion, I know it is yours. Pay attention to pronouns,
spelling, apostrophes, and all the other items listed on the grading sheet. Avoid reducing your
grade by a letter or more because you do not editing carefully.
–Be sure to defend your argument. Every time you make an assertion, you must defend it. In this
essay, you must make a claim and then show (with concrete examples) why and how that claim
is true. The universe is not defined or shaped by your knowledge; therefore, you must show the
rest of us why your claim is true. Be aware that this assignment is not like a debate. You are
writing things down for your reader to see and ponder. Debates are marked by the quick phrase
and the winner is usually he/she who has the quickest wit not the best argument. Good arguments
take longer than a few minutes.
–You are not solving the world’s problems. You are taking a singular issue (the shooting of yet
another unarmed Black man by the New York police) and making a claim. You must narrow
your argument to a manageable bit of news. You simply cannot argue about the effect of internet
taxes on all products or the whole U.S. economy, nor could you solve any controversies
regarding the Iraq war.
--Create a thesis sentence that asserts something worth defending, but remember that your
interest or desire has little relevance here. Your job is to create a thesis that presents a road map,
and then you need to defend that stance. Make sure you work your way through the thesis: does
it answer the so what question? Is the language specific? Is your claim specific? Is your claim
logical?
Part 2:
Essay Presentations: On the essay due dates, students will provide a 5 minute
presentation summarizing their essay. Students whose presentations address the following will
earn a 100 for a daily grade. Each presentation will consist of three PowerPoint slides:
Slide 1: Essay’s thesis
Slide 2: Summary of essay’s body
This summary should hit the highlights and include a clear sense of your
evidence, the relevance of your evidence, and a reference to your source material.
Slide 3: Conclusion
Slide 4: Works Cited page
While this assignment seems relatively simple, you need to be sure your slides are edited and
clear. In addition, your presentation should last 5 minutes or less. In other words, you need to
practice a bit.
You can bring a jump drive to class or you can email the presentation to me.