Review the following videos:

• Review the following videos:

  Identifying Premises and Conclusions (Links to an external site.)
  What Is an Argument? (Links to an external site.)
  What Is a Good Argument? (Part I) (Links to an external site.)
  What Is a Good Argument? : The Logic Condition (Links to an external site.)

In this class, we learn to evaluate issues in light of the reasoning on all sides prior to arriving at conclusions. We aim to evaluate the quality and quantity of evidence, striving to be as objective as we can about what is most likely to be true.

If you have not done so already, begin by choosing a topic from the

Final Paper Options

list (located in your online classroom) to use in your writing assignments in this course. The next step is to formulate a specific research question that is important regarding this topic. You may review

The Research Process (Links to an external site.)

resource for more information. So, if your topic is gun control, you would formulate a specific question, such as, “Are universal background checks effective at reducing violent crime in America?”

Once you have formulated your question, conduct research from non-scholarly sources on the internet (e.g., news articles, op-eds, etc.) that present substantive reasoning on each side of the issue.

Your task is to present and evaluate the reasoning from a non-scholarly source on each side of your issue. There is no need to take sides on the issue at this stage. In your analysis, strive to be as objective as possible, evaluating the reasoning from a neutral point of view. For an example of how to complete this paper, take a look at the

Week 1 Example

paper.

Your paper should include clearly labeled sections addressing the following elements:

• Introduction (approximately 100 words)

  Explain your topic.
  State the specific question that you are addressing.

• Presentation of an Argument

  Describe the non-scholarly source (e.g., an op-ed, newspaper article, website, etc.) on one side of the issue.

  Summarize the key points made (approximately 50 words).

  Present what you see as the main argument from that source. Make sure to present your argument in standard form, with the premises listed above the conclusion. (approximately 100 words)
  Evaluate the quality of the reasoning in this source (approximately 200 words)

  In completing your evaluation, consider assessing how well the research supports the premises of the main argument and how strongly the reasoning supports the conclusion of that argument.

• Presentation of an Argument on the Other Side of the Issue

  Describe the non-scholarly source on the opposite side of the issue.

  Summarize the key points made. (approximately 50 words)

  Present what you see as the main argument from that source. (Make sure to present your argument in standard form, with the premises listed above the conclusion.) (approximately 100 words)
  Evaluate the quality of the reasoning in this source (approximately 200 words)

  In completing your evaluation, consider assessing how well the research supports the premises of the main argument and how strongly the reasoning supports the conclusion.

   

• Must be 600 to 1,000 words in length (not including title and references pages), double-spaced, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the APA Style (Links to an external site.)
• Must include a separate title page with the following:

  Title of paper
  Student’s name
  Course name and number
  Instructor’s name
  Date submitted

Here is the list of options from which to choose your paper topic. The idea is to use the same topic for all three papers in this course. If you want to switch topics between papers or if you want to choose a topic not on this list, it is best to consult with your instructor first.

Your paper topic is a particular question that you will attempt to resolve using logic and critical thinking. Choose a question from the list below that interests you and about which you feel that you will be able to conduct scholarly research and construct logical arguments on both sides. Feel free to modify the question into something more concrete and specific if it would allow for a stronger or more interesting paper.

Here are the topics from which to choose (they are organized into categories to make it easier to narrow down your choice):

Ethical Questions:

· Is it permissible to use capital punishment on persons convicted of certain crimes?

· Is physician assisted suicide morally acceptable when a person is suffering from a painful, incurable, terminal condition?

· Is abortion morally acceptable when the woman’s life is not in danger due to the pregnancy?

· Is it acceptable to purchase clothing made by underpaid and poorly treated workers in other countries?

Legal/Political Questions:

· Should a photo ID be required for voting?

· Should legal marriage be available to couples of the same sex?

· Should marijuana be legal for recreational use?

· Should vaccinations be required for all children of certain ages?

Economics:

· Does federal assistance for college education for people with low incomes help the economy in the long run?

· Are government subsidies (e.g. for agriculture, oil exploration, etc.) generally good for the economy?

· Would shifting to alternative sources of energy (wind, solar, etc.) be likely to benefit or harm our economy in the long run?

Daily Life:

· Does the use of Social Media tend to improve or harm relationships?

· Are video games (or is pornography, TV, etc.) addictive (or harmful)?

Education:

· Is online education ‘as good as’ on ground education generally?

· Is it unwise to major in the arts or humanities (given debt to employment ratios, etc.)?

· Should the government shift to funding charter schools rather than public schools?

Health/Medicine:

· Is the use of therapy (or yoga, meditation, religion, etc.) effective in improving one’s long term well-being?

· Are psychiatric drugs beneficial for (or detrimental to) long term mental health?

· Do vaccines cause autism or other harmful diseases?

· Does alternative medicine (e.g. acupuncture, homeopathic medicine, etc.) work better in many cases than standard western (allopathic) medicine?

Environment

· Should the government regulate the emissions of greenhouse gas emissions?

· Is our current rate of rainforest clearing (or ocean fishing, etc.) sustainable?

· Should wolves (or bison) be allowed to roam free in certain areas in the western states?

Animal Ethics:

· Which types of animals possess consciousness (or reasoning, language, emotion, etc.)?

· It is ethically acceptable to raise animals for food on factory farms?

· Should people be required to spay/neuter pets?

Science and Reality:

· Is there evidence for non-physically explainable phenomena being real (ESP, auras, astrology, ghosts, etc.)?

· Is intelligent design science?

Parenting:

· Is the ‘cry it out’ method good for babies?

· What methods of discipline have been shown to be best for child development?

· Is breast feeding better than formula in all cases?

· Are children raised with opposite-sex parents better off in general than those raised with same-sex parents?

·

Should ‘junk food’ be allowed in public school vending machines?

· Should sex education be taught in public schools?