Argumentative Essay (Outline) Assignment Instructions

For this assignment you are not required to write a complete draft of your Argument Essay. Instead, you are to select a topic for your Argument Essay and write a detailed outline of your essay based on the model below.

Argument Essay Prompts

In this assignment choose a specific issue in which two credible parties have documented the following:

• Clearly opposing positions, and
• Clear agendas.

Choose the position you agree with and argue that position using:

• Three separate lines of reasoning to support your position
• Research to support each line of reasoning (example, testimony, and fact/data, or any combination) that supports your position
• Research about the opposing position’s views
• Presentation of the opposing views, along with lines of reasoning to refute them

Final Draft Essay Requirements

This assignment requires an “issue statement” (refer to the Student_AnnotatedSample_Salvaging-the-Old-Growth-Forest.pdf file for further explanation about issue statements).
This assignment requires a two-part thesis:

• Statement of position; and
• Forecast (essentially a “preview”) of your lines of reasoning

The assignment also requires:

• A minimum of three credible outside sources formatted on a source page (APA, Reference Page)
• APA citation style for the paper
• Minimum of four (4) FULL pages not including the Reference page

Writing Tip #1

This Argument Essay is a Classical Argument Essay aimed at both arguing the author’s thesis and refuting the opponent’s thesis. It is NOT a Persuasive Essay, where the purpose is to persuade without necessarily arguing against an opposing perspective. The difference is that an argument essay tries both to persuade and refute against an opposing view.
With this in mind, you should not choose a generic issue that has no credible opposing view – like “energy conservation” – for a Classical Argument essay. One can try to write a persuasive essay that makes an appeal to a reader to conserve energy. But unless you can find a credible opponent with an active agenda opposing your appeal (“We should NOT conserve energy”), then you cannot write a Classical Argument essay.

Writing Tip #2

It can be helpful to look into current legislation under debate everywhere from your city council, state legislature or even at the federal level. But be careful with large issues. Students often like to take them on, but they can be too unwieldy for a short assignment like this.