Unit III Annotated Bibliography - English - PRO FRANK ONLY!

Reminder! Your initial Unit III Discussion Board posting is due by or before SAT 14 FEB 2015.

In this weekly module, you develop your research into an “Annotated Bibliography” to support your argumentative thesis in your Unit II “Research Proposal.”

To continue helping you with argument, below are insights and access to informative YouTube videos:

Generating an Argumentative Thesis:

Your entire course is designed as a series of building blocks towards your final research essay; each unit/week helps you take the next step towards building a strong argumentative essay supported by authoritative research.

IMPORTANT: Your opinion is valid BUT you must support your opinion with (A) solid logic and (B) solid research AND you must persuade your reader, a/k/a your opposition (those who hold a different position in the debate) to see how your position on a debatable matter is the stronger position.

So . . . you are writing an argument paper that also is known as an “informed opinion” paper (i.e., your opinion is informed/supported by your research) AND you are writing a persuasive essay because you are trying to persuade an opposing audience to see the logic of your opinion and/or you want your audience to take some course of action.

IMPORTANT: You must recognize a specific opposing audience. Your job is NOT to “inform” (Wikipedia can do that, and, by the way NO WIKIPEDIA OR ANY WIKIS) because you are addressing an informed, educated audience.

Remember, without opposition on a debatable matter, there is no real argument, and if you are arguing to people who already agree with you, that is “preaching to the choir” so, again, there is no real argument.

It is important you understand (A) that an argument is not a fight and (B) that you can only persuade your audience if you avoid insulting them (which is easy to do), so, again, you must be aware of your rhetoric (your words) and ensure you have a logically sound argument (not too emotional) from the start.

To help you, take 10-20 minutes to view the following two (2) videos on YouTube:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47qyHGXvTSc

Now that you have an idea about how to develop a debatable topic, you want to be able to develop a solid logical argumentative thesis statement about your topic. Watch the below short video on You Tube to help you:

1. How to Write a Thesis Statement for an Argumentative Essay (Lesson2):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3OHQh7WdA

I look forward to your Unit/Week 3 Annotated Bibliography in which you will share five (5) authoritative research sources supporting your argument proposed in your Unit II “Research Proposal.”