outline

Essay Assignment #3

Length: five to six pages

On the issue of gendered language, you are required to write a position paper in term of where you stand and why, by taking one side of the argument and persuading your audience that you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented. The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and worth listening to. To achieve this goal, you should 1) ensure the validity of your claim based on accurate analysis and evaluation of sources, and precise evidence and 2) acknowledge a contrary position by anticipating doubts and objections and constructing effective refutations. (Any paper that does not carry out the requirements will not be considered as passing this assignment.)

To construct a strong and comprehensive argument, you should consult course readings and cite them as main sources (to support your argument and to acknowledge a counterargument) when making each point. Use two to four outside sources for this paper.

Outline: Monday, April 13th

Draft 1: Monday, April 20th (Upload Draft 1 of Essay 3 to SafeAssign & bring two copies.)

Final Draft: Monday, April. 28th (Upload the final draft of Essay 3 to SafeAssign.)

Here are guidelines about how you can address counterargument effectively.

Consider the two stages below.

1. The Turn Against: You turn against your argument to challenge it and then you turn back to reaffirm it. You first image a skeptical reader or cite an actual source who might resist your argument by pointing out;

· a problem with your demonstration, e.g., that a different conclusion could be drawn from

the same facts, a key assumption is unwarranted, a key term is used unfairly, certain evidence

is ignored or played down;

· one or more disadvantages or practical drawbacks to what you propose;

· an alternative explanation or proposal that makes more sense.

2. The Turn Back: Your return to your own argument—which you announce with a but, yet,

however, nevertheless, or still—must likewise involve careful reasoning. In reasoning about

the proposed counterargument, you may

· refute it, showing why it is mistaken—an apparent but not real problem;

· acknowledges its validity or plausibility, but suggest why on balance it is relatively less important or less likely than what you propose, and thus does not overturn it;

· concede its force and complicate your idea accordingly—restate your thesis in a more exact, qualified, or nuanced way that takes account of the objection, or start a new section in which you consider your topic in light of it. This will work if the counterargument concerns only aspect of your argument; if it undermines your whole case, you need a new thesis.

(Adapted from Gordon Harvey’s The Academic Essay: A Brief Anatomy)