A Little Argument

1 Making an Effective Argument

What Exactly Is an Argument?

Writing Arguments in College

Think About Your Credibility

Become an Effective Writer



2 Analyzing an Argument

What Is Rhetorical Analysis?

Build a Rhetorical Analysis

Analyze the Rhetorical Features

Analyze the Rhetorical Context

Analyze a Visual Argument

Write a Visual Analysis

Barbara Jordan, "Statement on the Articles of Impeachment"

You Try It: Write a rhetorical analysis



3 Writing an Argument

Find a Topic That Interests You

Feature: What is not arguable

Explore Your Topic

Read About Your Topic

Feature: Recognize fallacies

Find Good Reasons

Find Evidence to Support Good Reasons

State and Evaluate Your Thesis

Think About Your Readers

Organize Your Argument

Write an Engaging Title and Introduction

Write a Strong Conclusion



4 Constructing an Argument

Definition Arguments

Understand how definition arguments work

Recognize kinds of definitions

Build a definition argument

Sample student definition argument

Chris Nguyn, "Speech Doesn't Have to Be Pretty to Be Protected"

You Try It: Write a definition argument

Causal Arguments

Understand how causal arguments work

Find causes

Build a causal argument

You Try It: Write a causal argument

Evaluation Arguments

Understand how evaluation arguments work

Recognize kinds of evaluations

Build an evaluation argument

You Try It: Write an evaluation argument

Rebuttal Arguments

Understand how rebuttal arguments work

Recognize the tactics of rebuttal arguments

Build a rebuttal argument

You Try It: Write a rebuttal argument

Proposal Arguments

Understand how proposal arguments work

Recognize components of proposal arguments

Build a proposal argument

Sample student proposal argument

Kim Lee, "Let's Make It a Real Melting Pot with Presidential Hopes for All"

You Try It: Write a proposal argument



5 Researching an Argument

Find a Subject

Think about possible questions

Browse a subject directory

Browse a general or specialized encyclopedia

Ask a Research Question and Gather Information

Find information about the subject

Interviews

Surveys

Observations

Draft a Working Thesis

Find Sources

Search with keywords

Find sources in databases

Find sources on the Web

Find print sources

Evaluate Sources

Evaluate print and database sources

Evaluate Web sources



6 Documenting an Argument

Avoid Plagiarism

What you don't have to document

What you do have to document

Use caution with online source material

Quote Sources without Plagiarizing

Quoting directly using quotation marks

Attribute every quotation

Quote words that are quoted in your source with single quotation marks

Summarize and Paraphrase Sources without Plagiarizing

Summarize

Paraphrase

Incorporate Quotations

Document Sources in MLA Style

How to cite a source in your paper

How to cite an entire work, a Web site, or another electronic source

Create an MLA-style works-cited list

Sample MLA paper



7 Revising an Argument

Evaluate Your Draft

Respond to the Writing of Others

Edit and Proofread Carefully



Credits and Index