Model Research Arguments

Deadline Looming.

Your first and only long argument is due THU APR 20 before class. The culmination of your research, it will draw conclusions supported by the evidence you provide.

This paper will no doubt contain material from your shorter arguments, though readers will probably not notice—unless they have taken this course—that it contains a definition essay, a causal essay, and a rebuttal essay. Instead, it will transition from argument to argument seamlessly and perhaps reorganize the material for better continuity.

Your paper will acknowledge that your position is not the only, and certainly not the most popular opinion on a topic, and that reasonable people hold opinions very different from your own, but that nonetheless, yours is the correct position.

In 3000 words, your essay will make a controversial, counterintuitive argument supported by serious academic research.

Strong Examples Below.

In the menu below this page, I’ve posted for your benefit seven examples of strong first drafts from students in prior semesters. All these authors eventually earned A grades for their accomplishments.