CCC 8011 Critical Thinking: Analysis and Argumentation
Guidelines for Argumentative Essay and Debates
Argumentative essay
Hand-in via Moodle.
Due date: Dec 13.
For your argumentative essay, choose one of the issue topics below:
1. Can women have penises?
2. Is it morally permissible to take photographs of sleeping, unaware or even dead people and display the photographs as art? .
3. Is it morally permissible to eat meat?
On your chosen topic, you have to read the required reading and engage with it in your essay.
The structure of your argumentative essay should be as follows:
Part I: Overview
In this part, you should construct an argument in an argument map. The conclusion should be the claim that you are arguing for in your essay (this claim is called your essay thesis).
Part II: Essay
In the essay part, you need to write a 500-600 word essay on the basis of the argument in the argument map that you gave in the overview. Your essay should have the following form.
i) You should have a short first paragraph which states your essay thesis (=the claim you will argue for). You can also describe the structure of the rest of your essay in this paragraph.
ii) The next 1-2 paragraphs should convert the numbered argument given in the overview into prose. You can also cite something in support of one or more of your premises.
iii) The next 1-2 paragraphs should develop an objection to either one of the premises of your argument, or to the conclusion. The objection should refer to the readings or to the materials used in class to introduce the topic. Please be specific.
iv) The final 1-2 paragraphs should give a response to this objection.
In general, you must refer to the readings whenever it is appropriate. For example, if you found a similar argument/objection/response there, then you need to mention this.