Argumentative Essay

You will be writing an argumentative essay. The argumentative essay requires you to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic. When you write an argumentative essay, your audience consists of readers whose positions differ from your own or who have no position at all. In a well-developed and carefully constructed essay of 3-4 pages, you will persuade a skeptical or unsure audience to take a position FOR or AGAINST one of the following topics below.

-Does the mass media perpetuate Islamophobia?

This assignment requires you to write a classical deductive argument focused on a premise-conclusion thesis (enthymeme) with varied support strategies demonstrating why your premise is valid. You must also include an opposing argument/refutation section before your concluding paragraph.

Sources: You must do research for this essay. You need to use a minimum of three credible sources. You are not allowed to use Wikipedia and dictionaries; if used, they do not count as one of your sources. You need to cite everything correctly, and document everything you use. You will be graded on the quality of your sources. In other words, your sources need to be credible and reliable, and they need to be based on actual data and evidence, not just on opinion. Remember this is a logic-based essay; if your source cannot validate what it is saying, do not use it!

A successful essay will:

• Conform to APA guidelines
• Have a clearly stated thesis
• Be organized logically and coherently
• Avoid using first- and second-person personal pronouns (I, you, me, we, us, etc.)
• Demonstrate smooth transitions between paragraphs
• Refrain from getting caught in the recap trap; make sure to offer your own original ideas. When utilizing other people’s ideas, be sure to properly cite and credit them!
• Be relatively free of mechanical and grammatical errors
• Include an opposing argument/refutation

Additional requirements for research essays:

• Your argument must be supported by at least three sources (use direct quotations/paraphrases with correct APA parenthetical citations)
• Do not use a quotation over 40 words/three typed lines in length
• Select appropriate scholarly sources and make sure your quotes are directly relevant to the point you are making
• Educate yourself through research before you attempt to write your paper or pick a side of the issue you choose
• Be objective – avoid biased and sexist language
• Include a list of References (APA style) with a minimum of three sources

-Follow the grading rubric attached please.