Paper #3: Argumentative Paper

Due Date: Friday, March 20th

Peer Review Date: Monday, March 16th

From Purdue OWL: "An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this
claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a
cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to
convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided."

You've considered how gender in media has affected you personally. You've read and analyzed
the opinion of someone else on this topic. You've considered your own views in Writing
Responses. Now is your time to make your own argument about gender in media. Please note
that a paper can only be successful if it considers both gender and its portrayal in media. If the
argument only focuses on a gender issue and doesn't relate to media, or if it is an argument about
media with nothing concerning gender roles, it does not fit the assignment guidelines.

There are multiple angles, opinions, approaches, views, and discourse communities to consider.
Do you want to make a statement about the way gender is portrayed in media in general? Do
you want to discuss the way gender is portrayed in a particular TV show/movie/video game/etc.?
Do you think the portrayal is good or bad? Do you want to concentrate on males or females or
both? Do you want to focus on a particular trope that you either love or are tired of seeing? The
possibilities are wide and varied here. Please, for your own sake, pick something that interests
you and that you can see yourself writing several pages on.

Consider the discourse community you want to have this conversation with: UCA Freshmen?
Policy makers? People who create media? Maybe a group of your fellow majors here at UCA
who don't know much about the topic? Remember that the conversation you're joining will
affect everything from the type of argument and appeals you use to the language you choose and
the counterpoints you might consider!

The emphasis for your argumentative essay is building a strong claim. Make sure you believe
the claim you're making, and that you'll be able to build a strong enough case to be taken
seriously by your discourse community. Think about the kinds of things you examined in your
analysis essay: Did it hurt the author's argument when they didn't use sources effectively? How
did considerations for the author's discourse community affect the appeals they used? What
1

kinds of techniques did they use that worked--or didn't? What sorts of techniques can you steal,
use better, avoid?

You'll incorporate what we've learned so far this semester--working globally to locally, honing
your personal writing process, peer review, journaling, revision and invention strategies, etc.--to
help you craft this paper. We will also go over argumentative essay-specific strategies that you'll
be able to use going forward.

You must use at least 3-4 sources. These sources can support your thesis. Alternatively, you can
use them to represent a view different from your own and argue against them. (You do not have
to agree with the source! You can challenge the source as long as you back up your claim.) Or
you can use a source purely for facts. You must engage with these sources within the paper.
This means you're not just adding articles to your Works Cited/References page or dropping in
irrelevant block quotes. Use the sources to enhance what you're saying.

Papers that excel as argumentative are ones which offer strong supporting details and evidence to
back up their thesis.

Length: 6-8 pg. double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt. font

Community: Academics who are undecided on the issue you're discussing. You can choose a
discourse community in as specific an academic field as you like.
Purpose: To form an argument in the topic of gender in media and integrate sources.
Criteria: Refer to your notes and reading assignments for advice on execution. If you have any
questions, please ask during class, send me an email, or visit during office hours for clarification.
Thesis Statement and Focus: You should stake a reasonable and logical claim that you will go on to prove.
For this paper, you will be generating your own argument based on the issue of gender in media. Make
sure that your argument is one on which there are different views. It often helps to consider and address
some points of view that might not agree with your argument on the subject while demonstrating the
strength of your own thesis.
Development/Support: The strongest paper will provide evidence that supports the thesis and develops
those ideas in a way that enhances your thesis statement. The more detailed and developed your ideas in
the body of the paper are, the more effective it will be when received by members of the discourse
community you're writing toward.
Organization/Coherence/Transitions: How does your narrative flow? Does it logically transition from
point to point? Will the way in which it's structured help the discourse community reading this better
understand what your point is? A strong paper will be organized in a way that makes sense to the person
reading it. It will also refer to how what you're writing relates to and supports your thesis. Keep in mind
how effective your argument is in the discourse community in which you are writing.
Sources: You must use at least 3-4 sources and properly cite in MLA or APA formatting.
Grammar: In a final draft of your paper, the grammar of standard American English should be followed.

Analysis vs. Argumentative

Analysis (Paper #2)
Thesis: Claim about effectiveness of single article
Support: Techniques the article author used that made article effective/ineffective
Development: Analyze the article, using examples from article that demonstrate
techniques
Sources: Single article being analyzed
Argumentative (Paper #3)
Thesis: Specific, logical, and provable claim about an aspect of gender in media
Support: Points that back up your claim about the topic
Development: Convince your discourse community of the validity of your claim by
relating facts, logic, etc. from your knowledge of the topic and from research
Sources: Multiple sources to build your argument effectively