Crafting Impactful Arguments: A Guide to Passionate Problem-Solving Writing

Abstract

ENGL 102 Writing Workshop II – Spring 2022 Argumentative Research Paper Guidelines Problem-based Writing through Passion & Purpose General Overview: For this argumentative research paper, you will first choose a problem that you feel passionate about -- something you feel a purpose or calling to change or awaken your audience to. You may build from your rhetorical analysis if you wish. Then, you will research multiple viewpoints of that problem and write a research paper that defends your stance on the issue, which you must state in your thesis. The writing process will be broken down into smaller assignments (listed under due dates below and in your syllabus). Follow these guidelines to succeed in this assignment. Thesis: Overall, your thesis can either argue that a problem exists (assuming you can prove your reader would be unaware of it), or argue what your audience needs to do about the problem – such as adopt or discontinue a behavior. Avoid a thesis that aims to merely change the reader’s mind, as this is a less active goal. Your thesis needs to be manageable enough to “debate on the page” for 8 to 10 pages, which means it cannot be as broad as “all school uniforms should be banned,” but not as specific as “school uniforms at OHS need to disregard sock regulations.” Therefore, you are encouraged to choose a topic that is current, central to a particular institution/company/city/region (not global), and one that already has a specific audience (i.e. Jeff Bezos or the KWC Board of Trustees). DUE DATES (also see new syllabus calendar) Due Wed. 3/9 in class: Brainstorm Sheet (handwritten okay) Due Fri. 3/11 in class: Research Log with 2 scholarly peer-reviewed sources Due Mon. 3/14 in class: One Annotated Bibliography entry (handwritten okay) Due Fri. 3/18 in class: Working Thesis Statement (handwritten okay) Due Sunday 3/20, 11:59 PM to DROPBOX: Annotated Bibliography with 8 entries minimum Due Sunday 3/27, 11:59 PM to DROPBOX: Typed formal outline (separate guidelines to follow) (Week 12: CONFERENCE WEEK) Due Sunday 4/3, 11:59 PM to DROPBOX: Rough draft (6 pages minimum) Due Thursday 4/14, 11:59 PM to DROPBOX: Revision (without a draft, “revision” drops 2 grades) Length: 8-10 FULL pages. A paper under 8 will be dropped a letter grade per page it is short. The draft can be 6 pages. Format: MLA. Use The Everyday Writer as a resource for manuscript and citation format. Organization: You must have an introduction, an informative background paragraph, a body of multiple paragraphs that ideally employ PIE structure, a concluding paragraph, and transitions between ideas (not just at the start of your paragraphs). Utilizing a particular pattern of organization is encouraged (problem-solution may work best, but you could employ cause-effect, compare/contrast, classification, etc.). Consider providing your audience with a solution to the problem, either in your thesis, throughout your body paragraphs, as a pre-conclusion, or in your concluding paragraph. Tone/Audience: Use a...