Break out the plans and the scaffolding. We’re about to engage in the largest building project in the history of this semester, bigger than the Duke Energy power plant going up in Edwardsport, Indiana or the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Okay, maybe the project will not be that big, but the project will be just as intense… for you anyway.
In this writing assignment, you will constuct a full scale argument, researching and assembling evidence and appeals to support a proposition you select. I’ll walk you through the steps to ensure that, in the end, you have a solid argument that doesn’t collapse due to faulty logic or weak appeals.
So, don’t worry.
But first, you’ll need to read the introduction to chapter 11, Argumentation, in the Longman Reader. Some of you have already completed that reading. Next, we will read and critique a couple argumentative essays, including Gerry Garibaldi’s “How The Schools Shortchange Boys” and Michael Kimmel’s “A War Against Boys.” We’ll examine the structure of each argument to determine if it holds water.
Then, you are on your own.
Don’t panic. We’ll spend time discussing research strategies to help you collect and evaluate evidence for your argument. We’ll also discuss how to document those sources.
I’ll present a detailed time line to you during our next class.
