Week 8: Evaluating and Constructing Arguments

Contents

Activity 1: Argumentative essay assignment

What issues do you care about?

We are beginning to work on the argumentative essay. Please review the guidelines and let me know if you have any questions.

Argumentative-Essay-Packet-CRT-100-WI

Please note that this document is 4-pages long. Click on the arrows on the bottom of the page to see the next page.

Activity 2: What does the work “research” mean?

What does successful research look like? What are reliable sources? How can we distinguish them from the unreliable ones?

For the argumentative essay, you will access a database called the CQ Researcher and/ or Opposing Viewpoints. This is where I ask that you find at least 2 of the 3 sources you use in the final essay. You can find all your sources here too.

research guidelines

Activity 3: Take quiz 5 on Blackboard.

Activity 4: Check out the advocacy toolkit:

Who will you try to convince to think or to do something?

Advocacy-toolkits

Activity 5: Check out the essay topics.

Select one of them. Please note that you need to be logged into the database to view the topics.

Activity 6: Submit Summary and Response assignment on Blackboard.

Summary and Response 250 words +

Once you conduct some research on your topic for the argumentative essay, select one article from CQ Researcher and do the following: 

  • provide a brief summary of the article, including the main idea and supporting details
  • respond to the article: why you selected it, what you learned, how you might use it

Activity 7: Deductive and Inductive arguments

Learn about Deductive and Inductive Arguments. Think about the structure of an argument as it applies to your summary and response assignment, as well as you begin formulating your own argument for the upcoming essay.

Activity 8: Review arguments

Review what you learned about deductive and inductive arguments by watching this YouTube video:

Activity 9/ Optional: Extra credit post

Extra Credit Discussion Board Post on arguments