Requirements:

It follows the proper format for an outline

Thesis Statement at the beginning of outline -> full sentence form

Topic Sentences (P’s) for 4 to 6 body paragraphs -> full sentence form

Body paragraphs (4 to 6) need to follow PIES structure, unless in is a C/R paragraph (ConcessionRebuttal new

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) which should follow the structure presented on the C/R handout.

Specific support is present in the outline -> 3 different sources in 3 different body paragraphs at least (suggested to use source support – one – in every body paragraph) – actual quote/paraphrase should appear in outline.

In-text citation is provided in outline -> (Lname #)  or (“Title of Article/Webpage” #) depending on source.

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EXAMPLE OUTLINE FOR ESSAY III

Thesis: To battle religious intolerance and blind hate towards religions in America, religious illiteracy needs to be addressed in schools. Learning Faith, a student run organization, could educate the school community about the truth about religions, contend against misconceptions and stereotypes, and prove that learning about another faith is beneficial to one’s life.

P1: Religious intolerance and discrimination is a regular occurrence in America, from mindless bullying at school to hate crimes towards groups.

I: There are many religions being practiced in the United States, however, society is becoming more liberal, too. Religious people are sometimes discriminated based on their faith and what they practice, especially those in the smaller groups of faith.

E: “Experiences Religious Minorities in Public School Settings” – A study done showed how junior high and high school students of religious minority (Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Universalist Unitarian) were being bullied at school. Both classmates and teachers bullied through speech, intimidation, discrimination, exclusion, and physical attack. “According to FBI hate crimes statistics, there were 1,400 antireligious hate crime incidents in the United States in the year 2011” (Phillips).

S: Religious intolerance and discrimination is still going on and desperately needs to be addressed. Innocent believers are being physically and emotionally hurt every day.

P2: Religious illiteracy – the lack of knowledge on common religions – is a main cause for religious intolerance.

I: If one isn’t taught the basics of different religions, they are unaware of what others believe, practice, and especially the reasoning behind it. The religions can seem logically wrong or absurd at first, and non-believers could judge and discriminate.

E:
Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know – and Doesn’t – “…in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, when an Indian American man was shot and killed at an Arizona gas station by a vigilante who believed the man’s turban marked him as a Muslim…who was actually a Sikh” (Canegi 16). If people were educated about the difference between a Muslim and a Sikh (and also why all Muslims aren’t terrorists), then the senseless death could have been avoided.

S: When people are educated about religions and the “absurd” ideas are clarified, they understand believers and their practices. Educated non-believers wouldn’t discriminate, and believers wouldn’t have to fear of being judged.

P3: Stereotypes and misconceptions is an effect of religious illiteracy, leading into intolerance.

I: Because of the lack of knowledge about different faiths, people can be quick to judge and misconceptions arise. The media often feeds one viewpoint – most of the time negative – while the true or consistent viewpoint is hidden away. This leads to stereotypes of religions based on tiny extremist group of the faith and leads to more intolerance.

E: “Experience Religious Minorities in Public School Settings” – “…several Catholic participants were told, ‘You don’t believe in Jesus. You pray to Mary and statues. You’ll burn in Hell!’” (Hubert). (Worship of Mary, saints, and statues is a common misconception of the Catholic Church). Common stereotypes are that Muslims are terrorists and Christians hate gays.

S: If people were more religiously literate, they would not believe in the misconceptions and stereotypes of religions. Believers would not have to worry about being associated with the extremists in their religion.

P4: Learning Faith is an organization that uses the Internet and social media to educate people about religions.

I: Using engaging material, Learning Faith can teach about different faiths of the world. For instance, infographics (images with statistics, diagrams, and symbols) can show the basics of a religion and then compare and contrast with other religions.

E: “Teaching for Religious Literacy” – while the source is about how to teach religion in schools (which is also a great solution), it gives ideas on how to educate the religious illiterate. Some points are someone has to teach the students they have, not the ones they wish they had and to reveal the assumptions that society often has (Jorge 116).

S: An engaging organization that can draw social media users to learn about religions could educate more about others’ faiths.

P5: Learning more about a different faith can positively impact oneself.

I: By learning about other people’s faith, not only does one’s knowledge about religions grow, but one can learn how to approach another kindly and respectfully. Abetter sense of religious tolerance and community in society.

E: “Interfaith Calling” – A Catholic girl started to learn about and immerse herself in the Muslim faith. Through her experiences, she made close Muslim friends, learned why Muslims believe in their faith, and learned how to have the same passion for her own faith as Muslims do for their own (Leonard).

S: Learning from another faith can benefit one’s life and maybe their own faith.

English 101

Argument/Persuasive Element

Concession/Rebuttal Paragraph

A concession/rebuttal (counterargument) paragraph needs to be composed of a concession point that looks at an opposing viewpoint and your rebuttal of that point. It is important to maintain a professional and empathetic voice throughout this section. Remember it will be the strength of ideas that will sway your audience, not the snippiness in your voice. Here are some things to remember when creating and completing this element of your research essay.

1. Transitions – Remember that you are changing tasks when you begin to look at an opposing viewpoint. The previous section was filled with support points that clarified your stance. You need to alert your audience to the change of purpose as you enter your concession. A proper transition should only be a sentence or two, but it will clearly signal to your audience that you are doing something different. Keep in mind that you are not only transitioning out of support and into the concession, but also out of the rebuttal and into another support paragraph or conclusion.

2. Concession – For a strong concession/rebuttal section, it is important that you identify an opposition view point that you can empathize with or at least find validity in. This is important because a strong concession will spend time clarifying, in an even handed manner, what this point is and why it is compelling. Keep in mind that a good concession point convinces your audience that you have looked at all perspectives on the issue, and that you have done so with care and diligence. This strengthens your position in the audiences’ mind and makes them more likely to agree with you in the end. It is important to avoid a list of concession points and focus in on one specific point the opposition may have to your argument.

3. Rebuttal – This section should take your opposition to task. Analyze why this opposition point is weak and is ultimately not strong enough to sway your opinion. Try to be specific in this section and not fall into expressing grand generalities. In the same way that your concession point is narrow and specific, you want to be sure that your refutation is aimed at picking apart this specific point. Be careful of the rebuttal sounding too much like a conclusion or recap of your major support points. Continue to be mindful of your tone and don’t go overboard cutting the opposition down, but you do want to be on the offensive.

Example Concession/Rebuttal Paragraph:

Though the problems with doctor-assisted suicide are many, there are proponents of legalization of assisted suicide. Those in favor of legalizing doctor assisted suicide will point to medical cases where a patient has been deemed terminally ill, and argue that these patients should have the ability to end their suffering on their terms. It is true that many patients who are terminally ill suffer for lengths of time while their body holds onto life. It can be very painful for loved ones to have to watch their parent, partner, or child go through this. The process of death can be very ugly and bring people to question what is right and wrong in terms ending a life with assistance from a doctor. While it is easy to find compassion in this perspective, it creates some major problems if doctor assisted suicide was legalized to end patient suffering. We would be changing the role doctor’s have been trained to play. Doctor’s take an oath to do all they are capable of to save a life. If assisted suicide was legalize doctors would be forced to end life. They would be put in the position of having to decide who can die. Not only does this compromise the morality of a doctor, but it opens the door to many legal issues hospitals would have to face. Families and loved ones of a patient whose life was terminated may take legal action if they were not behind the decision. Hospitals and doctors sole focus should be on maintaining health, not ending life.

When outlining a C/R paragraph, please consider the following format:

1. (CP) – Here I will present a full sentence that captures the Concession Point (opposition point of view).

· Jot in some info to show how I will explain/validate/develop this idea

(RP) – Here I will present a full sentence that captures my Rebuttal Point (refutation to the opposition).

· Jot in some info to show how I will explain/develop my rebuttal.