Your assignment is to write a 3-5 page (not including works cited or the cover letter) argumentative paper that addresses a topic of your choice affecting Texas.

The Informal Cover Letter

On a separate page at the front of your paper, include an informal cover letter, at least 1-2 paragraphs long. This is an opportunity for you to reflect or communicate additional information, in your own voice and words, about the paper. Here are some sample questions you could respond to:

• Was the assignment confusing? Too difficult? Too easy? How do you think it could be improved?
• How do you feel about the paper you are submitting?
• What did you learn from doing this assignment?
• Do you feel you were fair and accurate with the opposite side?
• Did you have difficulty finding quality sources for either side? If so, how did you address it?
• What do you want feedback on the most? Was there a part you were particularly proud of, or perhaps recognize was not your best work and would like to know how to improve it?

Your answers help me focus my commentary, clear up some confusion during grading, and allow me to see if the assignment is at all effective or enjoyable. And for you, it means you get better feedback and the comfort of knowing that the instructor understands a bit more about the conditions you were writing under.

Essay Instructions

Please be sure to read all three steps before writing your paper. If the instructions are unclear or confusing, please contact the instructor for clarification.

Step 1: Pick one of the following topics and make an argument for or against the proposition:

1. Should Texas ban police from engaging in civil asset forfeiture?
2. Should Texas adopt a $15 per hour minimum wage?
3. Should Texas arm public school teachers?
4. Should Texas allow physician-assisted suicide?
5. Should Texas legalize recreational marijuana?
6. Should Texas abolish the death penalty?
7. Should Texas preempt cities from banning fracking?
8. Should Texas be allowed to limit church attendance during a public health crisis?
9. Should Texas lower the voting age to 16?
10. Should Texas require sex education in public schools?
11. Should Texas require cities to hold a public referendum before they decrease police budgets?
12. Custom issues will be permitted if you contact the instructor. If you write a paper on a non-approved topic, you will receive a zero. Examples topics from prior semesters: vaping, abortion/heartbeat bills, secession, same-sex marriage, bathroom bills, proportional representation, income taxes, paying students for good grades, sports gambling, Confederate statues, standardized testing.

Step 2: Using the same issue, present the argument from the opposite side. Please do not caricature the position just to make it easier to critique.

Step 3: Finally, offer a rebuttal of the arguments you laid out in Step 2. Respond to some or all of their concerns, or what you believe the flaws were in their reasoning.

Note: This is not a paper about a particular party or politician, so focus your arguments on the issue itself. And since this is a matter of public policy, your arguments should generally be secular, as states are limited from passing laws on religious grounds under the Establishment Clause.

Tips for Success

• This is NOT a Pros vs Cons paper. Those compare benefits and drawbacks, and often end up indecisive. Argumentative papers are persuasive. Try to convince your reader to take your side. Clearly take a side in your introduction as part of your thesis statement.
• Write for a general reader. Do not assume they have detailed knowledge of special concepts, events, or cultural references. If you use them, explain their relevance or define them.
• When you make fact statements, cite your sources, especially when you reference studies or statistics.
• When you make a claim, always back it up. Freestanding claims are not very persuasive.
• Vary the types of support you provide to your points. Over-relying on one form of evidence or approach may not convince every reader.
• Don’t put 50 ideas in one 3-page paragraph. Space your points out for better organization. It is easier to see which points are underdeveloped this way, flows better, and it keeps your reader focused in each paragraph on one idea at a time.
• Transitions are hard in this paper, so two easy methods are to use section headings or to indicate a shift by discussing what your opponents in this debate believe and (more importantly) why. Presenting your opponent’s viewpoint as your own perspective can be a little disorienting for a reader.