1. Deciding on Your Topic
Remember: for your preliminary assignment (and for the success of your argument paper), you must frame your issue in the form of a arguable thesis statement. Asking a question isn't a thesis. Stating a fact isn't a thesis. You must articulate a position on an issue.
Avoid topics of taste, fashion, and recreation:
Avoid topics of taste, fashion, and recreation:
- Rap music is not real music
- Fad diets never work
- Baseball is harder to play than basketball
- The NFL should punish excessive endzone celebrations
- Professional wrestling is real wrestling
- Skateboarding is not a crime
- History of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 - (a matter of historical facts)
- Alternative versus rap - (a matter of personal music preference)
- We should punish drunk drivers - (no controversy)
- Any religion-only topic, such as proving God exists or arguing for/against virtues of religion - (matter of faith)
- Why I am a dancer - (a matter of personal preference)
- Making abortion illegal (or keeping abortion legal): argument has been overworked.
- Policy regarding illegal immigration: lately, students have used rants instead of arguments. Be careful if you choose this one.
- Gun control and capital punishment are two other issues that have been really worked over. Avoid if you cannot treat rationally.
- Any issue about which you can only see one side. Check loaded language in thesis.
2. Finding a Topic
If you need help finding a topic, try one of the two sites listed below.
If you click on any of these topics at the St. Ambrose University site, it will bring up a page that has several tabs for that topic. Click on the tabs to find resources and articles about that topic. These are reliable sources that you may use for your research.
There are many topics listed at the Santa Monica College site. If you click on one of the topics, it will give you sources and websites you can use for research on that topic.
Below are some additional topics you could consider:
Below are some additional topics you could consider:
- Should we use death row inmates as subjects for medical testing rather than animals?
- Should all Utah K - 12 public schools adopt a school uniform policy?
- Should physician-assisted suicide be legal in cases where death is certain and consent is from the dying (in writing)?
- Should the classroom size of grades K through 5 statewide be set at a maximum of 20 students?
- Should drivers in UT [or nationwide] not be permitted to use cell phones while driving (talking and/or texting)?
- Should we lower any physical requirement guidelines so that women may be admitted in the military [or fire or police departments]?
- Should every state enact a divorce counseling law that requires married couples to go through counseling before being granted a divorce?
- Should gay marriage be legally recognized nationwide so that tax and insurance benefits apply equally among all states?
- Should we implement immigration reform to provide those immigrants already here but not yet legal with a path to citizenship?
Argument Paper: Step 1
Argument Paper Step 1 | |
File Size: | 34 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Argument Paper: Step 2
Argument Paper Step 2 | |
File Size: | 38 kb |
File Type: | doc |