Writing_Argumumentative_Papers

Writing Argumumentative Papers How do we transform leaden argument into golden insight' We've all had the experience of sharpening our ideas and deepening our knowledge as we attempt to convince a colleague whose opinion differs from our own. In like manner, our students can sharpen their ideas and deepen their knowledge by writing papers to persuade an opposition audience. To successfully persuade such an audience, students must consider more than their own sometimes-hazy opinion: They must truly view the issue from the audience's point of view and understand not only the logical, but also the emotional and personal reasons for that point of view. Their paper must establish common ground with the audience and employ an ethos that the audience deems credible. The paper's structure must carry the opposition gradually, step-by-step, toward the intended point of view and deal in a timely fashion with the audience's evidence and objections. The introduction must not only set up the issue but also involve the audience in the argument, acknowledging that audience's opinion and engaging that audience's attention. The conclusion must have an impact worthy of the argument, one that reinforces without merely repeating the paper's points, one that will linger in the audience's mind even when the specific steps in the logical audience, students, audience's, persuade, opposition, view, must, point, own, paper, one, papers, opinion, argument, about, strategies, reasons, paper's, opinions, mind, issue, ideas, even, description, course, because, attempt, ask, write, won't, truly, theory, subject, specific, set