Steps to Writing a Synthesis Argument

When you’re writing any argument, including one that’s informed by sources, it’s important to start by figuring out what you know. Even if you have only a vague idea of the issues surrounding a controversy, even just a gut reaction, putting your ideas on paper or on the screen will give you a sense of what you already know, what you don’t know, and what you need to know. Doing so will also provide a context for reading ideas others have on the topic.

ACTIVITY

Take fifteen minutes and brainstorm your response to the following prompt:

Why do you think the public is so outraged when it finds out that a professional athlete has taken performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)? Is this outrage appropriate?

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Now let’s focus on three specific essays from this chapter’s Conversation on cheating. These all take up some dimension of the controversy about PEDs. Before we get started, read (or reread) these sources carefully: