This essay should be between 900 and
1000 words, excluding the required annotated bibliography.
The Toulmin essay will help you practice what you have learned so far in this
course. First, you will choose a topic of interest. Make sure that
you choose a topic with two opposing sides. Then, you need to research
that topic in order to specify the topic’s scope, so it can be easily discussed
in 1000 word essay. For example, you may be interested in learning more
about traffic issues in the United States. However, that topic is too
large to cover in a 1000 word essay. After researching peer reviewed
articles that discuss US traffic issues in general, you may discover that the
metro system in the District of Columbia is underfunded and underutilized. Through
your research, you found that you could make a claim that more funds should be
made available in order to upgrade the metro system, which would improve
traffic issues in the District of Columbia. This would make for a
stronger, specific argument.
The following overusedtopics may notbe
used in your essay:
gun control,
abortion,
capital punishment,
gay marriage,
gays in the military,
mandatory drug testing,
euthanasia,
childhood obesity,
women in the military,
diets (including the Paleo diet),
workout regimens (including CrossFit),
underage drinking,
dangers of smoking (including
e-cigarettes and synthetic marijuana)
and the legalization of marijuana.
This essay must include a minimum of five sources. Threeshould
be peer-reviewedsources, preferably from the APUS
databases. This video will hopefully clarify the term,
“peer-reviewed”:http://youtu.be/rOCQZ7QnoN0. You may use eBooks;
however, as discussed in your textbook, books generally are not as current as
peer-reviewed articles. You may also use primary sources (interviews,
statistics, etc); however, these primary sources should be obtained from
experts within that field. If you cannot find strong sources for your
chosen topic, then change your topic. If you have a question about the
validity of a source, please email me, or post your question to the open
forum.
Note: Consider your audience as laymen
in the field with only general knowledge of your topic.
Make sure to include the following sections in your essay:
an introduction and claim,
background,
body,
and a conclusion.
Within the body of your essay, make sure to include the following in any order:
support for your claim,
opposing or alternate views,
the strengths and weakness of your opponents’ claims,
and your rebuttals of their claims.
After you have written your essay, please make sure to revise the content of
your essay. Lastly, be sure to edit your essay by checking grammar,
format, and smaller technical details. Please make sure your essay is
written in third person.
The Annotated Bibliography
An annotated Bibliography (AB) is due with your Toulmin essay. Using the MLA
guide, list each source as it will appear on the Works Cited page of your
essay. Summarize each source in two or three grammatically-correct
sentences. These short summaries are the “annotations.”
The following is a sample of an
“annotated bibliography.”
Annotated
Bibliography (Centered)
Clark, Irene L. The Genre of Argument. Fort Worth,
TX: Harcourt Brace, 1998. Print.
Clark’s textbook identifies the major steps to developing a well-researched and
well-written argumentative essay. Professional essays are included in the
text as models.
Ward, Russ. Logical Argument in the Research Paper. Fort Worth,
TX: Harcourt Brace, 1997. Print.
Augmenting the steps to writing an argumentative research paper is information
about proper documentation. The Toulmin System, an important aspect of a
well-planned paper, should be studied carefully.
Submission Instructions: Please submit this through the
assignments link in the classroom. This assignment is due on Tuesday, June
9, by 11:55 p.m., ET.
