English Assignment

Now that you have completed blog 2 and have experienced suspending your own preconceived opinions about an issue to earnestly explore two sides to an argument, I would like you to apply this sense of believing and doubting to researched material.

In the past you may have used research to support your argument or possibly to argue against. However, for this assignment, I would like you to begin the research process with the same spirit of inquiry you were asked to uphold for the believing and doubting game. You should continue to suspend your prior opinions about the issue you will begin to research.

The purpose of this assignment is to compare and contrast opposing viewpoints brought forward by those who might have different interests or investments in the issue.

Step 1: Choose a subject to research. You may want to use the same issue you wrote about in Weblog 2, or you may want to choose a different subject. If you are struggling to find a subject, look through Discussion Board II for some ideas.

Step 2: Find two recent articles that offer opposing viewpoints on an issue. You may use articles out of newspapers, magazines, and/or academic journals found on TCC's library databases. If you choose a website, evaluate it in order to be sure it is a reputable source.

Step 3: Read your articles, and answer the following questions about them (Copy and paste the questions directly to your Word document and answer the questions in another font or color of text):

1. Consult your text or this website Purdue OWL MLA Guidelines to determine how to cite your sources. Compose a works cited entry for each article.

2. In your own words, summarize the core of each writer's argument. Be sure to identify which article coincides with each short summary.

3. What is the key issue for each writer?

4. Where do the writers disagree over interpretations of facts?

5. Where do the writers disagree over values or assumptions?

6. What questions would you like to ask each writer?

7. Where do you see gaps, fuzziness or confusion in either or both arguments?

8. What further information would you like to have about the issue?

Step 4: Write two short paragraphs after your answers to the questions in which you discuss how you might use each source in an essay supporting whatever claim the particular article asserts(one paragraph for each article). You may use first person pronouns ("I would use these facts in order to....") in these paragraphs as you imagine yourself writing two different hypothetical essays that argue claims similar to those of each article. In other words, the paragraphs force you to think about why and how we use secondary sources.

Keep in mind that this assignment is an extension of the believing and doubting game. When you consider how you would use each article and write a paragraph about how you would use each source to strengthen your hypothetical argument, your paragraphs will contradict each other. Don't worry; this is supposed to happen.

Step 5: Post your weblog under the Blogs button.