Your goal in this essay will be to construct an interesting, focused, and intelligent argument on one a topic related to computers or another area of digital technology. For potential topics, you may

Your goal in this essay will be to construct an interesting, focused, and intelligent argument on one a topic related to computers or another area of digital technology. For potential topics, you may choose any issue of interest.Some possible topics are internet privacy, the benefits an/or drawbacks of the proliferation of the internet, online censorship, or online education. Do not choose a topic that is too broad (for example, “computers”); also, be sure to choose a topic about which you can construct an argument. 

You will need to understand the types of claims you are making, your methods of proof, and support, potential rebuttals, and logical fallacies. As you construct your argument, think about how you can convince your audience, and what types of appeals will effectively persuade them. Look back at our discussion of the Toulmin Model, and apply it to your own writing. What, for example, are your warrants? Remember that your are making an argument about the topic, so you must have a thesis—either stated or implied.

You must cite at least one source from our classreadings and you must also cite at least three outside sources. Your outside sources must be articles(newspapers, magazines, or journals) or books—these may be obtained via the internet using EBSCOHost or other databases. You may not use web pages to fulfill the three outside source requirement. Proper MLA Citations and an MLA Works Cited are important parts of this essay.

in class readings

jack solomon masters of desire

richard rhodes hollow claims about fantasy violence

dvorak essay

The Tolumn Module which is 

Each part of the Toulmin Model defines a specific part of an argument:

the claim is the point that the author or speaker of an argument

is trying to prove (Example: All drinking water should be chlorinated.)

 the support is what an author or speaker uses to prove this claim (Example: 97% of all bacteria in water is killed by chlorine.)

  the warrant is assumption, belief, or understood opinion behind a claim. Warrants are perhaps the most difficult part of an argument to understand because they vary by geographic location, gender, cultural background, ethnicity, and nationality,to name a few (Example: Those who drink water want the bacteria in it destroyed to preserve their health.)

 the backing is sometimes provided to back up a warrant (Example: bacteria in water such as Chryptosporidium are harmful and undesirable.)

 the rebuttal presents counterarguments or critiques of the support or warrants (Example: There are many helpful bacteria in water that are also destroyed by chlorine.)

 the qualifier attempts to answer rebuttals (and often uses

qualifying words such as potentially, some , or often) (Example:

the risks caused by harmful bacteria outweigh the benefits of

helpful bacteria, so most water should be chlorinated.)