Instructor Comments

Overall Goals of the Assignment: Although the work you do in the Arguing Essay may apply to arguing in other contexts (e.g., writing a letter to an elected official or to a petty bureaucrat), we are most concerned with academic arguments. We can't generalize too much about argument across academic disciplines. However, we can identify some key features of an academic argument. These include: (1) demonstrating knowledge of the topic you are arguing about, (2) respecting and acknowledging perspectives and positions which differ from yours, (3) supporting your position using evidence and reasoning that are acceptable to your audience, and (4) documenting sources from which you draw your evidence.