Writing Question

To break the “impenetrable fog” of academic writing, you are hereby challenged to write a dialogic argument with a delayed thesis for a resistant audience, similar to what Jane Tompkins accomplishes in her seminal essay “Indians: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History.” This challenging writing project provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the content and skills you have learned in this course by entering into an important culturally relevant conversation (aka, discourse) in the United States and producing a sophomore-level argument with research. You may choose from one of three current and culturally relevant discourses*. The issues you have to choose from for this semester are 1) cancel culture; 2) the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children; 3) the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in college. You will be provided two sources that must be used, and required to find a minimum of four more on your own. When you scroll down, you will find detailed directions and guidelines. 

Once you have determined your major claim, you will use rhetorical strategies that make appeals to persuade a resistant (perhaps uninformed) reader to consider (maybe even accept) your position through the carefully constructed “story” and experience of your research, as Tompkins did. This is a personal writing project, and you will be using the first person. In fact, you should reveal your internal wresting with the issue and your vulnerabilities as an academic, as you analyze, compare, evaluate, and synthesize a variety of perspectives on one issue. You will work to build your credibility with your audience; appeal to their values, emotions, and imaginations; and appeal to reason. 

The purpose of this assignment is to:

• compose an argument that is persuasive for a resistant audience
• demonstrate rhetorical knowledge and skills 

To achieve the objective(s), you will need to review relevant materials in previous and future modules designed to help you with this paper as well as the following units from this module : 

• 6.1 Writing Arguments: Chapter Seven, “Responding to Objections and Alternative Views” 
• 6.3 How to Organize Your Dialogic Essay with Delayed Thesis 
• 6.4 Writing Arguments: Chapter Fifteen, “Finding and Evaluating Sources
• 6.5 Library Research Tutorial Instruction/LUCI 

See the instructions and rubric for more details.

Outcomes and Objectives

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

• recognize and avoid problems in logic through a process of critical inquiry
• locate, evaluate, and synthesize information from sources representing diverse perspectives in order to construct arguments

OBJECTIVES

Skills

• find and critically evaluate information and rhetoric from diverse perspectives 
• think rhetorically about sources, including the identification of how worldview shapes bias 
• distinguish factual statements from judgmental statements and knowledge from opinion
• compose a delayed thesis, dialogic essay that emphasizes methods of argumentation, persuasion (use of appeals and strategies to make them), evaluation, interpretation, definition, comparison, synthesis, and summary
• demonstrate sophisticated awareness audience
• demonstrate command of academic vocabulary, diction, syntax, style
• use both the denotative and connotative aspects of language effectively, as demonstrated in the employment of appeals
• document sources properly and make smooth transitions between source material and personal observations and insight
• demonstrate the ability to use inductive reasoning (a delayed thesis) appropriately
• avoid the abuse and manipulation of rhetorical appeals and strategies, including fallacies
• demonstrate mastery of MLA format and style

Knowledge

• the relationship of language to logic and the difference between fact and judgment
• perspectives and underlying assumptions and claims which may drive a writer’s arguments and conclusions
• soundness, validity, and persuasiveness of written arguments
• dialogic argument.
• the rhetorical situation, appeals, and strategies 
• induction (the delayed thesis).
• recognizing and avoiding the informal fallacies of pathos, ethos, and logos
• individual writing style and voice
• the satisfaction of writing as both a practical and humanistic activity
• introducing sources (aka, the Academic Meaty Sentence)
• academic summary, direct quotes, and paraphrasing 
• essay and paragraph structure
• effective transitions between ideas and paragraphs 
• how to integrate source evidence into your writing 
• MLA format & style (including, but not limited to, in-text citations and the Works Cited page)

Instructions

Once you have completed your research for one of the subjects below and determined your major claim (your position), you will write a dialogic, delayed-thesis argument for a resistant audience (those holding a viewpoint contrary to your own).

This strategic argument is particularly effective for a resistant audience, a way of showing (rather than “telling”) and persuading them to arrive at your conclusion. Yes, you may use “I,” as you are taking your audience through your epistemological adventure, but be strategic with it (as Tompkins is). Rarely is this type of argument meant to utterly convince an audience; in fact, it is enough to just get a resistant audience to reconsider their own position/perspective in light of reading your comprehensive research and inductive (delayed-thesis) argument. To help, you may want to review where this type of argument falls on the argument continuum on page 11 of your textbook. One might also say that many people do not have fully informed opinions on subjects–this paper counters that. As you have learned, arguments at this sophisticated level are not about “winning,” and this is not a debate. Your task concerns persuading a resistant reader (one who does not agree with you) to reconsider their position.

While you may already have a position on the discourse you select below, do not formulate your conclusion/major claim until thoroughly researching a diversity of perspectives on the issue. Your opinion may change if your research is authentic, and then you may incorporate your change in thought into your paper, as Tompkins did. Cherry-picking sources to support a preconceived position is the opposite of what Tompkins does.  Practice the critical inquiry skills you have learned in this course and keep an open mind. You will want to review previous modules, but you should also give your mind and heart over to the research and the process of truth-seeking, within the issue and within yourself. Tompkins shares a lot with her readers, and this, in turn, strengthens her argument. You should do the same. How will you build your ethos?

Once you have decided the discourse you want to enter, conduct extensive research on the question/problem and distinguish between different perspectives and their context, and then narrow them down to best represent a diversity of perspectives in your paper. You are not restricted to U.S. sources. You must analyze and synthesize a minimum of 6 perspectives, which include the two that are required. Tertiary sources and other research will undoubtedly be needed and used, but they do not count in the 6 minimum required perspectives (because they do not represent perspectives).

Like Tompkins, use the following “3-part” structure: 

PART I: The Personal and Collective Context for Your Research 

• narrate your history and personal relationship (experiential, observational, and/or intellectual) to the subject; if you have no history or relationship to the issue, you may use someone you know–be creative. Note how Tompkins begins with appeals to emotion and credibility. 
• establish a broader, national context and the timing for the question/problem–this is your kairos. Engage the audience in the problem.
• share your exigency (which is, basically, your assignment for this class, but I am hoping you make the assignment more meaningful and establish your own, authentic exigency);

Part II: Exploration of Perspectives  

• explore the issue from multiple perspectives, at least six, showing the validity of different views. You will want to introduce, summarize, analyze, compare, and evaluate a minimum of 6 authors AND their arguments representing a diversity of perspectives (key: it is not enough to look at the text, as you must look at the author and the original source of publication and context to evaluate bias, as Tompkins did). As you are presenting sources, you should also be comparing them and sharing your responses as well as reflecting on what you are learning; 
• invite the audience to join with you in considering other perspectives;
• consistently how how you are wrestling with the problem;
• synthesize research and respond to it;
• for a good portion of the argument, keep the problem open, building some suspense (in other words, the reader should not know your position until the end of the paper).

PART III: Bring Everything Together: Your Major Claim and Reasons to Support It

• keeping the values of your resistant audience and consensual solution in mind, present your major claim and reasons to support it, your resolution or solution to the question/problem (which may side with one or more of your sources or be entirely your own), and provide reasons and evidence to support it, building on points presented earlier. This should be one-two, well-developed pages, not just a final paragraph;
• your purpose is not to finally express your opinion, but to continue all the work you have done in building your ethos with this resistant audience and bring them to see the strengths of a different approach, to show your position can benefit all stakeholders; 
• if applicable, share any new question/s or problem/s encountered as a result of your research and critical thinking (as Tompkins does in her last paragraph);  
• leave the audience thinking about the problem and your position, as your argument should resonate with them.

The final essay should be a minimum of eight pages in length and in MLA format and style.

Your reader should not know your position until the end of the paper. Tompkins includes her change of mind about poststructuralism during her research to lead her reluctant reader through her journey. Also, do not insult your resistant audience. Tone matters. Take perspectives seriously, even when they are the opposite of your own. Most of you will review Tompkins, your charting, and 7.5 (Ramage 131-135) before starting this

• Your final essay should be a minimum of eight pages in length and in correct MLA format and style, and utilize a minimum of six perspectives, two of which are required and have been given to you.
• Your essay should function as a cohesive whole, which means it should be written with smooth transitions between ideas and paragraphs and not written in sections with subheading

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