physician assisted suicide
Paper details:
Argumentative Research Paper Assignment
Write an argumentative essay in which you demonstrate your understanding of and sensitivity to key points of controversy on a selected issue. Your paper should include a clear articulation of your point of view, and should provide compelling support for that perspective. The essay should demonstrate thoughtful reflection regarding why members of the deliberative community may disagree with you. Be sure to provide a clear, concise, logically coherent, and thoughtful exploration of the most compelling arguments available for differing points of view. A successful argumentative essay will sustain audience attention, communicate clearly and effectively, enhance the possibility for building community across difference, reflect responsiveness to multiple perspectives on the topic, and provide thoughtful, reasonable grounds in support of your perspective.
FORMAT AND DUE DATES
? Length – 10 double-spaced pages of text (not including graphics, cover page, abstract, appendices, or reference page). Refer to the APA Book for their Sample Paper to use as a guide for proper formatting.
? Please make sure that your papers or assignments always follow the manuscript guidelines (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 font with 1-inch margins).
SPECIFICS OF THE ASSIGNMENT AUDIENCE: Your paper should be understood by a broader audience than scholars in your field. You will have to explain concepts and not expect your audience to understand in-house jargon.
ABSTRACT: An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of your paper. For this paper, the abstract should be between 150-200 words.
THESIS: Must be included in the introduction, generally at the end of the introductory material.
BODY: Use subheadings, where appropriate, to separate different aspects of your paper which support your controlling idea (your thesis). The body of your paper should provide evidence to support your thesis, in a logical, fully developed, consistent manner. For each new topic which supports your overall thesis, provide a topic sentence or two which is, in effect, the thesis for that subtopic which supports your controlling idea for the whole paper.
SOURCES: Use a minimum of 10 varied CURRENT (within last five years) sources. Check any Internet sources for reliability. Is the Internet site sanctioned by a reputable institution or organization? Is the person interviewed experienced in your subject? Does he or she have a built-in bias you need to address in your paper? What biases of your own may you have to be aware of to produce a scholarly look at this subject? Follow the current standard APA style for documenting the sources in your text. Use parenthetical citations (citation information in text between parenthesis). Give parenthetical citation information for quotations AND paraphrases. Include page number for direct quotes. APA requires the date to be included in in-text citations. Note: No page number necessary for paraphrases. Paraphrasing means restating in your own words the original author’s EXACT meaning – not just rearranging words in the author’s original text. You can embed a short quote of a key phrase in paraphrased material and give the page number of the quote. A writer of a research paper should synthesize the information gained from sources and weave them into a discourse, using the sources as evidence to support key points. A paper which is just a string of quotes shows that the author made no attempt to come to grips with the subject, but is just regurgitating information.
CONCLUSION: Should not be a regurgitation of your whole paper, but should give it closure. Some summation is okay – echoing your main theme. Your conclusion could project into the future of the technology or research, if appropriate.
REFERENCE PAGE: Reference page in APA style. Rely on an APA style manual for the exact style of citation for various sources. If you are unsure about a particular source, we can discuss.
Criteria for Assessment:
• Provides clear and concise overview of the central issue and related subordinate issues
• Identifies and explains key points of controversy among multiple perspectives
• Thoughtful and appropriate integration of key commonplaces throughout the essay
• Clear and concise articulation of the author’s perspective
• Provides compelling, relevant, and comprehensive support for key claims and for potentially controversial assumptions
• Provides reasoned assessment of beliefs, values, assumptions, and emotions inherent to arguments in support of diverse perspectives
• Provides logically coherent and internally consistent arguments
• Avoids fallacies of argument
• Identifies a range of ethical alternatives and their anticipated consequences
• Builds on the contributions of dissenting and supporting views
• Reflects careful consideration of dissenting voices and divergent means of support
• Provides a means of accountability for those affected by the author’s perspective
• Demonstrates sensitivity and responsiveness to interests, needs, beliefs, and values of the broader deliberative community
• Clear, concise communication of ideas and perspectives
• Sustains audience interest and attention throughout
• Adherence to appropriate and relevant standards of communication, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling
