EN 102 Composition II
Week Eleven
Writing Assignment:
1 Continue the research process that will result in the composition of an argumentative Research Paper of 1500-2000 words in which you argue a position based on a problem/solution on an issue chosen by you, with the advice and consent of your instructor. Note: Specifically, use the debate, dialogue, and deliberation strategies to help you look at the main points of your essay. You will find information on these terms and techniques on pages7-14 in Dialogues (your textbook). Then, begin your first draft. Remember that your argument type is a proposition so you must include a solution at the end of your paper.
For this assignment, you may not use “I.” Write in 3rd person (using 3rd person pronouns such as he, she, it, one, they, and them). AVOID PLAGIARISM AT ALL COSTS.
Topics: You may write on the topic of your choice, but no religious or partisanly political (that is, following party lines, Democrat or Republican) topics are allowed. You should choose a topic big enough that you can write at least 1500 words on it, but small enough that you do not need to write a book to do it justice. You should not choose so recent a topic that the only sources available are short newspaper, news magazine, or Internet reports on it. You should not choose a topic so local in scope that you will have difficulty finding enough sources on it. It’s a good idea to choose a topic that has been around long enough for books to be written on it.
Procedure: In your first paragraph, you should include, in addition to your introductory sentences (in which you try to get the reader’s attention), a clear, precise, and specific statement of your position on the topic. This sentence is called a thesis statement. Remember that every thesis statement is an arguable proposition. It is what you believe the theme of the work is; someone else might have an entirely different but equally valid idea. You should view your thesis statement as a claim you are making about the topic under consideration, that is, as a statement that might be true, but which must nonetheless be proven in the course of your paper. Your thesis should reflect why there is a problem and hint at a possible solution.
Each paragraph of the body of your paper should present evidence supporting your thesis. The evidence should be arranged from least most important to most important. Usually you will present evidence by simply referring to or paraphrasing ideas from an outside source. Sometimes you may wish to quote from a source, but do this rarely, and keep your quotations under 40 words. You may use an outside source to support a point you are making, or you may choose to disagree with the outside source (you will, of course, explain why you think you are right). The outside sources should not dominate in the paper; remember, you are using them to support your own ideas and opinions. You can use the Toulmin Model to organize your paper.

Number of Outside Sources: You are expected to use a minimum of FIVE outside sources, Of course, you may certainly use more than the minimum number. These sources must be of at least THREE different types— e.g., a magazine article, a newspaper article, and a book; or an Internet article, a personal interview with an expert on the topic, and an essay from a collection of essays. Additionally, you must use at least ONE visual element ( numerical Table, chart, graph, etc. (These examples are hypothetical; the number of possible combinations is large.]

Visual element: Please use the appendix after the reference page to include charts, graphs, etc. Do not integrate them into your text. You should be using the