wp4----Argument Paper ----I also need the outline for this Argument Paper

WORKING OUTLINE

Description

OVERVIEW: In preparation for Writing Project 4, you will compose a Working Outline, for which you will create a “map” to follow when writing your first draft of the Argument essay.

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In your Working Outline, you will present an argument-based thesis statement; arrange and identify claims in support of that thesis statement; identify evidence from your sources to support each claim; identify the source of each specific piece of evidence so you can construct correct citations later; identify at least one important opposing view or argument that you can successfully refute; and write introductory and concluding rationales that help you analyze the rhetorical situation and the impact you want to have on your audience.

Constructing a Working Outline is a key part of completing Step 1 of Writing Project 4: Argument (due in Session 13). Be sure to read the WP4 project description before you begin and consult Step 1 in CHAPTER13 for help discovering your topic.

As you compose your Working Outline, remember that it is provisional. When developing an outline, it can be easy to feel like you are bound to it, that you have to figure out everything about the draft you will write ahead of time and change little to nothing. But the outline is not intended to confine your work or creativity. Instead, the outline is meant for you to get your creative ideas started in an effective yet informal way. You don’t have to have all the arguments you’re going to make figured out yet, and all of this can, and almost certainly will, change as you continue to collect information and evidence, refine your thesis statement, and compose your first draft.

NOTE: Be sure to plan ample time to complete your Working Outline, especially since you may need to conduct additional research to sufficiently support the claims you develop to support your thesis statement.

As part of exploring your topic, do the following:

Create a working title: This title can change later, but right now it is another way for you to wrap your mind around your overall argument. Remember that your title should indicate the problem, issue, or controversy you are addressing, should imply your stance on that topic, and should try to evoke readers’ interest in your topic and your thesis. Your title should NOT be the name of the assignment (e.g. Argument, Argument Essay, Project Four, etc.) and should NOT merely reference your topic without also implying your view on that topic (e.g. “Gun Control Now!” or “Gun Control—The Wrong Solution” are both better than just “Gun Control”).

Identify a working thesis statement: The argument you make must be based on the problem, issue, or controversy you wrote about in Writing Project 3. To write a working thesis statement, you can begin by selecting one of the thesis statements you wrote for the Session 11 and Session 12 Discussion or by combining a couple of those thesis statements to shape a more complex, interesting, and persuasive thesis. You should then refine that working thesis statement based on new insights you’ve gained from class discussion so far and your reading of CHAPTERS 11 and 12. If you choose, you may also write a brand new working thesis statement, as long as it is based on the problem, issue, or controversy you wrote about for WP3. Step 5 in CHAPTER 12 provides additional guidance on writing a working thesis statement, whether you are refining an existing thesis statement or starting a new one. Also, be sure that your thesis statement is a complete sentence and NOT a question.

Write your introductory rationale: Your introductory rationale will help you frame your central argument and confirm the relevance and importance of your thesis. Your introductory rationale should be about a paragraph long. In it, you should establish why your argument is important to the controversy at large and why it is relevant to your specific audience.

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Once you’ve established your working title, working thesis statement, and introductory rationale, you can begin finding support for your thesis and composing your Working Outline.

Develop your supporting claims: Briefly identify the claims you may make or reasons you may provide to support your thesis statement. Each supporting claim should be a strong, clear, relevant statement that helps to support, develop, complicate, or elaborate on your working thesis. Step 5 in CHAPTER 12 provides guidance on developing supporting claims for your thesis.

Identify your evidence: For each supporting claim, identify the evidence from your sources you may use to support that claim. Each supporting claim should be supported with at least one piece of evidence but will probably require multiple pieces of evidence. Each piece of evidence must be briefly paraphrased, quoted, or summarized and must include the correct citation for each piece of evidence so that you are prepared to correctly cite your sources in-text and in a Works Cited (MLA) or References list (APA) for your first draft. For each piece of evidence, also include explanations, descriptions, and/or discussion about how the evidence relates to a particular supporting claim. Although this can be written informally, it is important to immediately note what you are going to say in your discussion about each source you use to establish the relevance to the claim you have it under, to establish the authority and reliability of each source, and to connect the information to something that you calculate is important to your intended readers. Step 5 in CHAPTER 12 provides additional insights on selecting evidence. NOTE: Although you will begin by identifying evidence found in the sources you used in the Annotated Bibliography and in Writing Project 3, you may need to find and use additional sources to successfully support your claims.

Develop a counterargument: Identify and accurately paraphrase at least one opposing viewpoint or argument that may be used against your thesis and discuss a line of reasoning you might use to refute that argument or view. Include with this a citation if the viewpoint or argument you are refuting is derived specifically from one of your sources and include a cited paraphrase, quotation, or summary for any evidence you may use to refute it. Step 5 in CHAPTER 12 provides additional insights on identifying and refuting opposing arguments.

Write a concluding rationale: In your concluding rationale, specify what it is your intended audience ought to do with your argument, and make a case that these readers can, in fact, accomplish what you are asking them to do—that they are the right ones to take up this decision or action.

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After you have established your introductory and concluding rationales, your thesis statement, your claims and evidence, and your counterargument, arrange them logically in an order that should make each claim clear to readers and so that each claim you make builds on the previous claim. Use conventions such as labeling, roman numerals, lettering, numbering, and/or bullet points to clearly lay out your outline. Be sure to clearly label each part of your Working Outline (i.e. label your title; working thesis statement; introductory rationale; main supporting claim 1, main supporting claim 2, etc.; supporting evidence for each claim; counterargument(s); and concluding rationale).

Also be sure that all your evidence is cited in-text, following MLA or APA style (as directed by your instructor) so that you are prepared to correctly cite your sources in-text and in a Works Cited (MLA) or References list (APA) for your first draft.

Step 6 in CHAPTER 12 will guide you as a you make decisions about how to organize your ideas and provides an example of an outline for an Argument essay. Other examples can be found in Class Session 12 in the Learning Materials folder.

WORKING OUTLINE

Assessment Specifics & Grading Rubric

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The following provides specific information for completing and submitting your Working Outline in Class Session 12.

WORKING OUTLINE - Due in Class Session 12 (30 points)

Working Outline Specifics

An outline of the first draft of Writing Project 4: Argument, identifying and logically arranging key elements of the Argument essay, including:

• A working title

• A working thesis statement taking a stand on the problem, issue, or controversy researched in Writing Project 3

• An introductory rationale and a concluding rationale

• Supporting claims backing up or providing reasons in support of the thesis, written in complete sentences.

• One or more pieces of evidence for each supporting claim, written as paraphrases, quotations, and/or summaries and correctly cited in-text following MLA or APA style (as directed by your instructor)

• Brief explanations, descriptions, and/or discussions elaborating how each piece of evidence relates to a supporting claim

• At least one counterargument refuting an opposing view or argument, with correct in-text citation of information or evidence from sources, following MLA or APA style (as directed by your instructor)

Working Outline Rubric