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9.3: The Argumentative Essay
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- Page ID 58378
- Lumen Learning
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Learning Objectives
- Examine types of argumentative essays
Argumentative Essays
You may have heard it said that all writing is an argument of some kind. Even if you’re writing an informative essay, you still have the job of trying to convince your audience that the information is important. However, there are times you’ll be asked to write an essay that is specifically an argumentative piece.
An argumentative essay is one that makes a clear assertion or argument about some topic or issue. When you’re writing an argumentative essay, it’s important to remember that an academic argument is quite different from a regular, emotional argument. Note that sometimes students forget the academic aspect of an argumentative essay and write essays that are much too emotional for an academic audience. It’s important for you to choose a topic you feel passionately about (if you’re allowed to pick your topic), but you have to be sure you aren’t too emotionally attached to a topic. In an academic argument, you’ll have a lot more constraints you have to consider, and you’ll focus much more on logic and reasoning than emotions.
Argumentative essays are quite common in academic writing and are often an important part of writing in all disciplines. You may be asked to take a stand on a social issue in your introduction to writing course, but you could also be asked to take a stand on an issue related to health care in your nursing courses or make a case for solving a local environmental problem in your biology class. And, since argument is such a common essay assignment, it’s important to be aware of some basic elements of a good argumentative essay.
When your professor asks you to write an argumentative essay, you’ll often be given something specific to write about. For example, you may be asked to take a stand on an issue you have been discussing in class. Perhaps, in your education class, you would be asked to write about standardized testing in public schools. Or, in your literature class, you might be asked to argue the effects of protest literature on public policy in the United States.
However, there are times when you’ll be given a choice of topics. You might even be asked to write an argumentative essay on any topic related to your field of study or a topic you feel that is important personally.
Whatever the case, having some knowledge of some basic argumentative techniques or strategies will be helpful as you write. Below are some common types of arguments.
Causal Arguments
- In this type of argument, you argue that something has caused something else. For example, you might explore the causes of the decline of large mammals in the world’s ocean and make a case for your cause.
Evaluation Arguments
- In this type of argument, you make an argumentative evaluation of something as “good” or “bad,” but you need to establish the criteria for “good” or “bad.” For example, you might evaluate a children’s book for your education class, but you would need to establish clear criteria for your evaluation for your audience.
Proposal Arguments
- In this type of argument, you must propose a solution to a problem. First, you must establish a clear problem and then propose a specific solution to that problem. For example, you might argue for a proposal that would increase retention rates at your college.
Narrative Arguments
- In this type of argument, you make your case by telling a story with a clear point related to your argument. For example, you might write a narrative about your experiences with standardized testing in order to make a case for reform.
Rebuttal Arguments
- In a rebuttal argument, you build your case around refuting an idea or ideas that have come before. In other words, your starting point is to challenge the ideas of the past.
Definition Arguments
- In this type of argument, you use a definition as the starting point for making your case. For example, in a definition argument, you might argue that NCAA basketball players should be defined as professional players and, therefore, should be paid.
https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/20277
Essay Examples
- Click here to read an argumentative essay on the consequences of fast fashion . Read it and look at the comments to recognize strategies and techniques the author uses to convey her ideas.
- In this example, you’ll see a sample argumentative paper from a psychology class submitted in APA format. Key parts of the argumentative structure have been noted for you in the sample.
Link to Learning
For more examples of types of argumentative essays, visit the Argumentative Purposes section of the Excelsior OWL .
Contributors and Attributions
- Argumentative Essay. Provided by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/rhetorical-styles/argumentative-essay/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
- Image of a man with a heart and a brain. Authored by : Mohamed Hassan. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : pixabay.com/illustrations/decision-brain-heart-mind-4083469/. License : Other . License Terms : pixabay.com/service/terms/#license
COMMENTS
Essay Structure Students often ask if their essay has "a good structure". One way of assessing this for yourself is to list the question(s) each paragraph answers and asking yourself if that list is: a) in a logical order (e.g. problem identification → solutions for the identified problems; terms are defined before you
Argumentative Essay Revised by: Brandon Everett Created by: Chris Kildegaard Revised, Fall 2019 An Argumentative, or position, essay is a common genre of academic writing. It requires you to investigate a topic; collect, create, and evaluate evidence; and then establish a position on the topic in a concise manner.
o Essay outlines help you to organise your ideas into a logical sequence and to keep similar ideas together o This is an essential step to producing an essay that is cohesive and makes sense There are two ways of organizing your argumentative essay: lock pattern or Point-by point pattern.
When an argumentative essay is assigned by your teacher , it is important to distinguish whether the assignment asks you to : a) Present both sides of the issue equally and objectively OR b) Present your position on the issue as stronger than the opposing position Your thesis statement must reflect clearly the purpose of your essay assignment. ...
Writing Argumentative Essays 377 or using your thinking skills to take advantage of others. Arguing, as opposed to fi ghting, means that you respect your opponents, accurately and fairly represent their points of view, and support your conclusions with true premises and sound reasoning.
The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic, collect, generate, and evaluate evidence, and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive research and/or intensive interpretation
4. Write a rough draft. Now at last you are ready to start writing your paper. Start with a short introduction paragraph and then use your outline to draft the body and conclusion. Don't forget to begin each paragraph in the body with a topic sentence that conveys the main argument of that paragraph.
Argumentative Essays writingcentre.stu.ca Argumentative essays are also known as "persuasive essays," "opinion essays," or "position papers." In an argumentative essay, the author adopts a position on a debatable issue and uses reason and evidence to convince the reader of his/her opinion. Argumentative essays generally follow this
This handout takes you through all six steps in the process of writing a Persuasive Essay. Step 1. Step 2. Step 3. Step 4. Step 5. Step 6. Organizing your Thoughts (Brainstorming) Researching your Topic Developing a Thesis Statement Writing the Introduction Writing the Body of the Essay Writing the Conclusion.
Argumentative Essay . When writing an argumentative essay, you should try to persuade your reader. To do this you will need to incorporate specific tools to your essay such as evidence, opposition, background information, and occasionally, definitions. Evidence: Among the many tools you can use in your essay, evidence is arguably the most ...
Make a claim. Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim. Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim) Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives. The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays.
inconsistency in your essay. • suggests an answer complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of discussion. If the question is too vague, it won't suggest a line of argument. The question should elicit reflection and argument rather than summary or description. • can be explored using the sources you have available for the assignment,
In an academic argument, you'll have a lot more constraints you have to consider, and you'll focus much more on logic and reasoning than emotions. Figure 1. When writing an argumentative essay, students must be able to separate emotion based arguments from logic based arguments in order to appeal to an academic audience.
implications of an argument—why it matters—and putting ideas in conversation with others by finding, reading, and incorporating scholarship. There are models for different ways to organize an essay and tips to make sentences snap with style. Emphasis is placed on developing
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response to instruction (Chapelle, Cotos, & Lee, 2015 ). Argumentative essays are difficult to scor e in vivo when the assessment goal is to. guide timely instructional decisions and support ...
essays. Argumentative essays, which require research sources and empirical research data, usually exceed five paragraphs to present a comprehensive view on the issue. The argumentative essay begins with the first paragraph which is the introductory paragraph; it is followed by three-five evidentiary paragraphs forming the body of the essay.
for identifying argumentative discourse structures which includes two consecutive steps. In the rst step, we focus on the identication of argument components using a multiclass classication ap-proach. In the second step, we identify argumen-tative relations by classifying a pair of argument components as either support or non-support. In
Matthew Barbee, 2015 1 Name_____ Class_____ In an argumentative essay, your job is make the reader agree with your opinion about a controversial topic. You have to (1) state your opinion, (2) give reasons to support your opinion, and (3) argue against the opposite opinion. Overall, you must convince the audience that your side of the
Characteristics of an Argumentative Essay.docx - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. An argumentative essay attempts to logically and persuasively argue a position. It acknowledges that the reader may initially disagree but should be convinced through objective reasoning. An argumentative essay presents the issue, gives reasons ...
"Argumentative Essay" is possible considering the students' needs, entry characteristics, goals and objectives, instructional strategy, assessment, implementation and evaluation of the whole process. ... argumentative essay were all kept in mind while the unit was designed for this study. Considering the importance of the argumentative
A statement of opinion. This is the topic of your argument. Proof or facts that support your claim. An argument that your reader would make if they disagreed with your claim. Your response to the counter-argument. A strong restatement of the original claim. Underline each part of the following argument using the colors listed above. Hey Kenny!