Since you’ll be working with a topic for the rest of the course, please choose a topic wisely. Choose something that y

Since you'll be working with a topic for the rest of the course, please choose a topic wisely. Choose something that you feel passionately about. Choose something you can invest yourself in. Your topic must be academic in nature (so not an argument that Coke is better than Pepsi), and it needs to be researchable. This must also be a debatable topic, so you should see at least two clear sides to the issue. Additionally, you should choose something you can work with in a 4-5 page argument, so don't try to tackle ALL of gun control, abortion, global warming, or social media. Those are highly complex topics that would need narrowing for this task. I encourage you to survey credible news outlets to seek ideas for relevant, debatable topics. 
The Assignment  Your memo will be four paragraphs:
Paragraph One: Identify your topic and why it is relevant in today's culture. Paragraph Two: Discuss your personal connection to the topic, including any potential biases or obstacles. Paragraph Three: Discuss what information you need to gather about this topic in order to make a logical, effective argument .Paragraph Four: Identify the opposition to your argument and discuss how you might convince someone who opposes you. 

Resources 
Memo Template.docx Memo Template.docx – Alternative Formats (opens in a new window)
Module 2_Exploring Topic Possibilities.docx Module 2_Exploring Topic Possibilities.docx – Alternative Formats (opens in a new window)
Module 2_Exploring Topic Possibilities.pdf  Module 2_Exploring Topic Possibilities.pdf – Alternative Formats (opens in a new window)
Strong Memo Example.docx Strong Memo Example.docx – Alternative Formats  (opens in a new window)
Strong Memo Example.pdf Strong Memo Example.pdf – Alternative Formats  (opens in a new window)

Topics to Avoid Please refrain from proposing the following or similar topics. Again, do not choose these. Remember, topics that are political and religious in nature are highly opinionated and subjective. They should be avoided for your argumentative topic in this course since you must stay clear of opinions. The following come from actual proposals that did not work out well in the past.

• Legalization of marijuana
• Abortion
• Gun rights / Gun control
• Protesting events of 2020-2021 (including the election)
• Capital Punishment
• Existence of UFOs, Ghosts, Unicorns, and Santa Claus, etc.
• Greatest Athlete Of All Time (any sport)
• Paying college athletes
• Religion

Acceptable Length Four complete paragraphs; approximately one page in memo format Formatting Requirements

• Follow the Memo Template.  
• Use one-inch margins. 
• Use a 12-point Times New Roman font. 
• Use single line spacing in the document.