Make a persuasive argument that will help move the debate forward, solve a pressing problem, and/or resolve disagreements. You may find it useful to consider the stases.
Your argument can do one or more of the following:
show that a problem exists or that it’s serious enough to merit action;
identify the cause of that problem; or define a key term; and/or advocate for a way to respond to and solve the problem.
You might find it useful to address multiple stases (it is common for arguments to define the problem and then advocate for a fitting solution).
Your goal is to move the debate forward by addressing the stasis or stases that are subject to disagreement. This is to say, if most people agree that a problem exists, the core of your argument should not be that a problem exists. This also means that you do not necessarily need to argue for a particular solution to the problem; if the debate is mired by disagreements on the lower stases, you can make a significant contribution by helping people agree on definition or cause-and-effect, etc.
Important Guidelines
Early in the essay, you should offer your thesis statement, and the remainder of the paper should offer support for this position/persuade readers to support the position.
Your argument should be supported by clear and credible research.
Should cite at least eight sources.
Include a Works Cited page.
Your Works Cited page and in-text citations should follow MLA Format.
Your paper should address a significant counter-argument. Two additional criteria apply:
You should cite, fairly summarize, and respond to a real counter-argument. Don’t imagine what an opposing audience might argue—instead, find a real person who makes a real and sophisticated argument, and address it.
This doesn’t need to come at the end of your paper (before the conclusion). Though this can be effective, it is often more effective to address a counter-argument early: here’s what wrong with the common approach, now let me outline a more promising approach…
It should focus on the readers’ needs—what do they already know? How can you make complex ideas and information clear or accessible to readers?
It should be clearly organized.
