ENG 310 Researched Argument Outline
The main goal of ENG 310 is to write an effective 14-20 page Researched Argument essay. The cover page, abstract and references page are part of this page count.
Below you will find an overview of the major components of this assignment
(For now, we will put aside the title page, and the abstract. Those elements will be addressed in week 6 and 7, and will be part of the finishing stages of the assignment.)
Element 1—Thesis Statement/Controlling Idea/Credible Claim
(Due week one)
This is one to two sentences that both preview and frame out the essay. The writer will tell the reader the subject being discussed, the writer’s opinion on the subject and the reasons/evidence the writer will use as proof of her argument.
This statement must be specific, yet broad, meaning it is a single argument that has many facets. It must address specific components of the overarching argument that are well-researched through the library databases and reputable professional sources (LibGuides).
The thesis statement/ controlling idea/credible claim/ of the essay must be debatable: the writer must clearly take one side in an argument and be able to sustain this argument throughout a 14-18 page paper.
This statement will evolve as you move through the research process.
Element 2—Introduction 1-3 pages
(Due week two [first draft] and week seven [revised draft])
Provides: background/context/definitions/identification of current trends/ identification of recent discoveries -- anything the reader needs to be aware of in order to understand the body/discussion section of the essay and its arguments. The writer must also think of how best to engage the audience – what will make them care about the subject and the writer’s opinion?
This section ends with the thesis statement/ controlling idea/credible claim of the Researched Argument paper.
Element 3—Body/Discussion 7-8 pages
(Broken into two parts due in weeks three and four [first drafts] and week seven [revised draft])
· Reports the opinions and theories of scholars and other experts regarding the thesis statement in order to support the student writer’s argument
· Demonstrates that the writer has reviewed the most important and current literature on the subject
· Summarizes previous investigations in order to inform the reader of the state of the current research
· Reflects a point of view about the thesis statement: This is not the writer’s point of view, rather the point of view of other researchers of this topic. However, these researchers’ findings have informed the student writer’s opinion. The student writer uses this evidence to both demonstrate her expertise/right to an opinion as well as convincing the reader that the student writer has spent many hours researching the topic.
· Researching not only means gathering the sources, but reading and digesting the sources. Students should make an effort to summarize original sources in order to truly understand the researcher’s argument. Student writers also need to look carefully at and interpret charts and data for additional use in an argument.
· This section will be heavily documented: includes parenthetical documentation for each paraphrase or summary of an author’s original thought, for direct quotes, and for statistics – i.e. information that is not common knowledge must be cited.
· This section is written as an essay. The student writer will transition from the introduction into this section. Information will not simply be listed, but will be interpreted and evaluated, and transitions will be used between each idea in order to form a cohesive whole and show the relationships between individual ideas.
· The writer may choose to break this section of the paper into sub-sections. The sub-sections would consist of evidence presented along themes that support the thesis statement. The writer will use correct APA 6th ed. headings for these subsections.
· The body of the essay is a series of paragraphs that uses sources to identify, verify, analyze, or prove the thesis statement. The body of this section may use any of the following modes:
Chronology
Comparisons
Contrasts
Causes
Effects
Definition
Examples (illustration)
Classification
Divisions
Processes
Element 4—Opposing Viewpoints 2-3 pages
(Due week five [first draft] and week seven [revised draft])
· The opposing viewpoint is also called the counter-argument. What evidence would the opposition offer to convince your common audience that you were wrong? And what evidence can you then use to effectively refute this opponent?
· When you did your research, you found articles that did not support your argument. This is where you will use information from those articles; then, you will use the evidence you have already gathered to support your argument to disprove what the claims of the opposition.
· This section can be written two ways. The opposing viewpoints and your refutations can be a section that follows your body/discussion, or you can embed each of the opposing viewpoints and refutations to the specific section of your body/discussion that is being opposed. Either way, you will right this as one unified section during week five.
Element 5—Conclusion 1-2 pages*
(Due week six [first draft] and week seven [revised draft])
Restate your thesis without excess repetition
Also:
· Look ahead (scope/time)
· Call to action
· Discuss broader implications: make connections to how your issue may affect other
· topics/fields
§ *You do not have to do all of these!
Element 6 – References 1-2 pages (You will include a reference page with each section that you submit. It will grow and be perfected throughout the course)
Eight – Twelve sources (two-thirds of the sources must be scholarly; the remainder must be
Professional—meaning they do not have to come from peer-reviewed journals or publications,
but they must still meet the criteria for evaluating sources that can be found in your Research
Writing Simplified book)
You may have more than twelve sources, but not fewer than eight.
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