Posted: June 14th, 2015

Locate an article related to your Final Essay. Then, discuss the following points regarding the article:

1.) Summarize the article’s thesis and/or main point(s)

2.) Summarize the types of evidence that the author uses for support: i.e. facts, statistics, expert opinion, anecdote, personal example, etc.

3.) Discuss the warrants (assumptions) that are used. For example, what does the author assume his/her audience will agree with? Who might agree with this assumption, and who might disagree with it?

4.) Discuss the type of appeals that are used: logical, emotional, etc. Are these appeals effective? Why or why not?

5.) Discuss if any logical fallacies are used (cite the specific name for the fallacy). If no fallacy is present, then provide an example of how one might be used. For example, the writer would be using a straw man if he said this….

6.) Discuss the counterargument to the author’s thesis. Explain the reasoning behind the counterargument. Is this counterargument strong? Why or why not?

7.) Provide your opinion on the topic, based on the author’s article.

Note: there is no specific format requirement for this assignment. You can answer each question one at a time in a word document, and just submit it like that. The journal should be roughly 3-5 pages in length.

Draft #2 (due on June 19 by 11:59pm)
Locate an article related to your Midterm Essay. However, this article should present the opposite opinion of the one you discussed for Draft #1. Then, discuss the following points regarding the article: