Chapter 1

Writing arguments

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In writing an argument, you take a stand on a debatable issue. The question being debated might be a matter of public policy:

Should religious groups be allowed to meet on public school property?
Is nuclear energy emerging as an environmentally favored alternative to oil and coal?
Should a state enact laws rationing medical care?

On such questions, reasonable people may disagree.

Reasonable people also disagree about many scholarly issues:

Psychologists debate the role of genes and environment in behavior.
Historians interpret causes of the Civil War quite differently.
Biologists challenge one another’s predictions about the effects of global warming.

When you construct a reasonable argument, your goal is not simply to win or to have the last word. Your aim is to explain your understanding of the truth about a subject or to propose the best solution available for solving a problem—without being needlessly combative.

In constructing your argument, you join a conversation with other writers and readers. Your aim is to convince readers to reconsider their opinions by offering new reasons to question existing viewpoints.

Checklist for constructing an argument

Academic English: Giving voice to an argument

Sample student writing (arguments):

Argument paper: Jacobs, “From Lecture to Conversation: Redefining What’s ‘Fit to Print’”

Argument paper: Hammond, “Performance Enhancement through Biotechnology Has No Place in Sports”

Argument paper: Lund, “Preserving Yellowstone’s Winter Wilderness”

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Argument paper: Sanghvi, “Preserving Winter Access: Snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park”