Discuss 2 named fallacies from the course that an opponent of your view might use to defend their position.
MY TOPIC: talk about the debate of the legal drinking age being 21 vs. 18.
Compose a paper that persuades the reader of a certain view on a debated ethical issue in contemporary United States society. The paper will use background research, logical arguments, and course concepts to support your main claims.
The paper should be 9-11 pages long (plus a title page and References page) and use APA style 7th edition for format and citations.
Include the following sections in this order:
- Introduction – Draw in the reader in an engaging way and introduce your topic. Make the last sentence a thesis that states the view on the debated issue you will defend.
- Background research – Use 3 peer-reviewed and 3 other reputable outside sources to explain key facts about your topic. This can include facts from history, politics, economics, science, or current events. Use the library website to find peer-reviewed sources, which include academic journal articles and books from university presses (e.g., Yale University Press). The library pages on books (Links to an external site.), eBooks (Links to an external site.), and scholarly articles (Links to an external site.) can help you find these sources. Other reputable sources (not peer-reviewed) include unbiased news reports, government documents, and commentary from recognized experts.
- Logical arguments – Present 4 valid or strong arguments in defense of your thesis, each in its own paragraph. For each argument, label the premises and conclusion, state whether the argument is deductive or inductive, and include a discussion that supports the argument. For a deductive argument, explain why it is valid and give a defense of each premise to persuade the reader that it is sound. For an inductive argument, explain why it is strong and give a defense of each premise to persuade the reader that it is cogent. Your arguments can include citations from outside research or be based on your own ideas. The Handout – Argument Types can help you classify arguments. The Worksheet – Composing Deductive Arguments outlines a similar method of presenting arguments as required for this section, although for the research paper you can use either valid deductive arguments or strong inductive arguments. The Lecture Video – Inductive Arguments includes key terms for inductive arguments.
- Fallacies – Discuss 2 named fallacies from the course that an opponent of your view might use to defend their position. Describe each fallacy, give an example of how it might be used by an opponent regarding your topic, and explain why it is not a good way to argue. You can create these fallacy examples yourself or cite real-world examples of people using the fallacy in connection with your topic. The Handout – List of Fallacies can help you classify fallacies. The Worksheet – Responding to Fallacies outlines a similar method of critiquing fallacies as required for this section, so you can look there for reference as well.
- Conclusion – Signal the end of the paper and review your thesis and main ideas. End with a memorable closing.
The library APA website (Links to an external site.) can assist with APA style. It has a pre-formatted paper in APA style that you can use to help with format and tabs on how to create in-text citations and References page listings for different types of research sources.
Your grade will be calculated using the rubric attached to the assignment. Content Area will be weighted 70% with the remaining grade divided between the other rows as indicated on the rubric. Content Area concerns thorough background information and correct logical work and discussion following the paper instructions, leading to a clear and compelling defense of your thesis.
Please use this peer reviewed article as one of the sources:
Toomey, T. L., Nelson, T. F., & Lenk, K. M. (2009). The age-21 minimum legal drinking age: a case study linking past and current debates. Addiction, 104(12), 1958–1965. https://doi.org/10.
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