Option #1: Arguments and Meaning in Social Issues

Directions:
Using the concepts learned through the readings and lecture pages, select one social issue that particularly interests you. Now find a newspaper editorial on the subject and construct an outline of an argument made on the subject. Be sure to distinguish between an argument and an explanation. For a good example of how you might approach this, see page 46ff of van Cleave (2016).

What are the main conclusions? Premises? What premises are missing? What is their conclusion? Using external scholarly sources, can you determine if the argument is sound? (Refer to Van Cleave, 2016, Chapter 1.) Is the argument inductive, deductive, or a mixture of both? You should employ the principle of charity to understand the argument at hand.

Requirements: Cite all claims and ideas using scholarly sources. While it is acceptable to write in the first person, be sure to cite your sources to support your inferences. Include at least one or two scholarly sources that are not part of the required or recommended reading for this course. The CSU-Global Library (Links to an external site.) is a good place to find these sources. Your paper should be four to five pages in length and formatted according to the CSU-Global Guide to Writing & APA (Links to an external site.). Papers should be double-spaced, 12-point font Times New Roman.   Include the following in your essay: a brief introduction (Links to an external site.), a conclusion (Links to an external site.), and a separate reference page formatted according to CSU-Global APA requirements. You may wish to review the template paper for assistance as you create your essay.