ENGL002: English Composition II

4.1: Reviewing Arguments and Academic Writing

• 4.1.1: What Is an Argumentative Essay?

  The purpose of an argumentative essay is to persuade your audience of something with a strong thesis, supporting evidence, and convincing research.
  

  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center: "Argument" Page

    Read "Argument” to learn about the goals of writing an argumentative essay, developing claims, and using supporting evidence.

  • Writing for Success: "Chapter 10, Section 9: Persuasion"

    Read Section 9 from Chapter 10, and complete the exercises, which are designed to guide you through the process of creating a persuasive essay. Please note that the final exercise will ask you to write a persuasive essay. For this exercise, please write a brief draft essay on your research topic. At this point, you do not need to add in your research or evidence, but use this exercise as an opportunity to develop an argument you will make in your final paper.
    

  • Writing for Success: "Chapter 15, Section 10: Persuasive Essay"

    Review this sample essay to see an example of a persuasive argument. Based on what you learned in Section 10.9 in the reading above, identify techniques of the persuasive rhetorical mode used in this example.
    

• 4.1.2: Research and Argumentative Essays

  • Dr. Pavel Zemliansky's "Methods of Discovery: A Guide to Research Writing, Chapter 1: Research Writing and Argument" Page

    Read this chapter.
    

• 4.1.3: Dividing Your Argument

  • The University of North Carolina Writing Center: "Transitions" Page

    Read this article. Take notes on the section describing transitional expressions, and develop the habit of always including transitional words and phrases in your topic sentences.