Models and visuals (pop-up windows)
Annotated introduction to an argument
Introduction to argument
Sample lines of argument: citizen journalism and the shift to online news
Citizen journalism and the shift to online news
Thesis: The shift from print to online news provides unprecedented opportunities for readers to become more engaged with the news, to hold journalists accountable, and to participate as producers, not simply as consumers.
- Print news has traditionally had a one-sided relationship with its readers, delivering information for passive consumption.
- Online news invites readers to participate in a collaborative process—to question and even contribute to the content.
- Links within news stories provide transparency, allowing readers to move easily from the main story to original sources, related articles, or background materials.
- Technology has made it possible for readers to become news producers—posting text, audio, images, and video of news events.
- Citizen journalists can provide valuable information, sometimes more quickly than traditional journalists can.
Sample lines of argument: biotechnology in sports
Biotechnology in sports
Thesis: Athletes who use any type of biotechnology give themselves an unfair advantage and disrupt the sense of fair play, and they should be banned from competition.
- Athletic achievement nowadays increasingly results from biological and high-tech intervention rather than strictly from hard work.
- There is a difference between the use of state-of-the-art equipment and drugs and the modification of the body itself.
- If the rules that guarantee an even playing field are violated, competitors and spectators alike are deprived of a sound basis of comparison on which to judge athletic effort and accomplishment.
- If we let athletes alter their bodies through biotechnology, we might as well dispense with the human element altogether.
Sample lines of argument: health care coverage for children
Health care coverage for children
Thesis: State governments should take the initiative in extending health care coverage to all children within the state.
- State governments are more efficient providers than the federal government.
- States can tailor approaches to local conditions.
- State schools, communities, and workplaces stand to benefit from a healthy population of children.
- Some states have already demonstrated that it is possible to deliver wide coverage efficiently.
Sample lines of argument: bridge design
Bridge design
Thesis: It is possible and desirable to design more elegant bridges that are safe and cost-effective.
- Bridges historically have been public sculptures—works of art on a grand scale.
- Some common designs, such as steel truss bridges, not only are ugly but also are prone to failure.
- New materials allow for lighter bridges using less material with no loss of strength.