Argumentative Topics

1. Defend or Refute: By and large, welfare goes to those who really need it.

2. Should Native American reservations be maintained or abolished?

3. Should there be gun control in America? Will it reduce crime?

4. Should the government restrict immigration into the U.S. and, if yes, for which immigrants? (México, Haití, Cuba, Nicaragua, Etc.)

5. Racial problems will be ever-present in American society (or not?)

6. The developed countries have a moral obligation to assist the developing    countries.

Analyzing the Argumentative Research Essay

In an argumentative essay, the writer does many or all of the following things:

·           Defines the issue and crucial terms or concepts associated with the issue

·           Establishes a context for arguing about the issue (providing background, explaining a problems, describing a recent event, surveying and ongoing debate)

·           Presents a claim about the issue

·           Supports the claim with logical argumentation, collected and interpreted data, and/or appeals to values

·           Presents opposing or alternative claims about the issue

·           Refutes, qualifies, or concedes those alternative claims

·           Suggests a policy be enacted, an action be taken, or a point of view be changed

·           Predicts outcomes based on following--or not following--suggested policies

How many of these persuasive strategies are employed depends on what kind of claim the writer is making and what influence the writer hopes to have on the audience. The order in which these strategies appear also depends on how the writer wishes to affect the audience. Generally speaking, arguments should begin by clarifying what is at stake, building complexity as they go. This helps the reader follow the line reasoning. In addition, arguments should arrange support from the least to the most compelling, leaving the reader, at the end of the essay, with  a strong impression of the writer’s authority and the claim's soundness.

For more:  http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/nb1.html