Argumentative Essay

1. HYDRAULIC FRACKING & environmental impacts

2. Genetically modified foods & consumer health

3. Child Labour in cocoa & coffee industries

4. Big pharma and the ethics of TV advertising

5. DNA Rights-who owns your genetic code?

Choose one of the 5 topics listed above. Research the history, examples, causes, impacts ancftthical issues surrounding the subject. Be sure to understand the arguments being used by all parties. There may be more than 2 sides of the issue.

You need a minimum of 15 resources and at least 5 need to be academic in nature (journal articles, books, professional periodicals). Multimedia sources like documentaries and other videos do count as resources. Wikipedia does NOT count as a credible source; however, you can use it as a starting place to look for other resources.

Once you thoroughly understand the issue, begin applying the appropriate ethical reasoning principles and theories you learned in class in order to formulate your own argument. Write an argumentative essay supporting your point of view or position.

The essay should match the following structure.

1. Introduction-

a. Hook: a sentence that grabs the reader’s attention

b. History/background: What is the issue at hand? Who cares? Where is the issue prevalent? Why is it important?

c. Thesis statement: last sentence of your introduction where you clearly state your position/point of view on the topics and provide an overarching reason.

II. Your Argument-

a. Claim 1 (can use opportunity to refute opposition’s argument along the way)

• Evidence 1a-statistics, examples, testimony
• Evidence lb-statistics, examples, testimony
• Evidence 1c-statistics, examples, testimony

b. Claim 2

• Evidence 2a-statistics, examples, testimony
• Evidence 2b-statistics, examples, testimony
• Evidence 2c-statistics, examples, testimony

c. Claim 3
• Evidence 3a-statistics, examples, testimony
• Evidence 3b-statistics, examples, testimony
• Evidence 3c-statistics, examples, testimony

III. Oppositions Argument or Position

a. Opposing view 1
• Refutation 1

b. Opposing view 2
• Refutation 2

IV. Ethical Decision Making Approaches & Theories

a. Explain which ethical decision making approaches and theories your relied upon to reach your conclusions and why.

V. Summary/Conclusion
a. Restate the importance of the issue
b. Paint the picture of the world if your plan IS or IS NOT implemented