For your third revised essay, you will be making an argument about ONE of the following two topics:

• The movement to defund the police
• Social media and disinformation

You will use research to narrow your argument to a specific aspect of these debates. Your purpose is to convince the reader of your point of view and the audience will depend on how you choose to narrow your topic.

We will all start with one of these opening questions:

• Should the police be defunded?
• Does social media lead to the spread of disinformation?

IMPORTANT NOTE: these questions are just starting points. Your essay should NOT just argue a yes/no answer to one of the questions.

Through reading sources, as a class we will develop narrower, more specific research questions. You will then write your essay arguing for an answer to one of the specific research questions.

Successful essays will have all of the following:

• A thesis that clearly answers your specific question (in other words, your argument should go beyond a broad “cell phones are good or bad” argument)
• Use research to develop their own thinking and support their argument
• Cite a minimum of three sources
• Consider and respond to opposing arguments
• Be 4-5 pages in length
• Have introduction and conclusion paragraphs
• Body paragraphs containing clear, logical evidence to support thesis
• MLA works cited page containing all works cited in the essay

Write the narrower research questions we developed as a class here:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Looking at the list of questions above, which do you find most interesting and want to read and write about? Your essay will remain focused on your arguable answer to that question.