Scholarly Arguments

[WLOs: 1, 2, 3] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 5]

In the Week 1 Presenting Arguments assignment, you objectively and neutrally evaluated reasoning on each side of your question from non-scholarly sources. For this assignment, you will objectively and neutrally evaluate and present the reasoning from scholarly sources on the same question. For an example of how to complete this paper, take a look at the Week Three Example paper (in the classroom). Be sure to incorporate any relevant feedback you got from the instructor on your first paper.

Conduct research from scholarly sources on each side of your issue and write a paper that includes the following:

• Introduction (approximately 100 words)
  • Explain your topic and state the specific question that you are addressing.
• Presentation of an Argument
  • Describe the scholarly source on one side of the issue.
    • Summarize the key points made. (approximately 100 words)
  • Present what you see as the main argument from that source in standard form with the premises listed above the conclusion. (approximately 100 words)
  • Evaluate the quality of the reasoning in this source.
    • You may address questions such as how adequately the article supports the premises with research and how strongly the premises of the argument support the truth of the conclusion. (approximately 200 words)
• Presentation of an Opposing Argument
  • Describe the scholarly source on the other side of the issue.
    • Summarize the key points made. (approximately 100 words)
  • Present what you see as the main argument from that source in standard form, with the premises listed above the conclusion. (approximately 100 words)
  • Evaluate the quality of the reasoning in this source.
    • You may address questions such as how adequately the article supports the premises with research and how strongly the premises of the argument support the truth of the conclusion. (approximately 200 words)
• Evaluation of Arguments in Non-Scholarly and Scholarly Sources (approximately 200 words)
  • Discuss the differences in the quality of the reasoning or in the degree of support in the sources that you analyzed (Scholarly and Popular Resources (1) (Links to an external site.)).
    • Some specific types of questions you might address here include: Who is the target audience? What types of motives may be influencing these authors? Discuss any logical fallacies in any of the sources.
  • Conclusion (approximately 50 words)
    • Reflect on how this activity might influence how you conduct research in the future.

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The Scholarly Arguments paper

• Must be 900 to 1,500 words in length (not including title and references pages), double-spaced, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s 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

For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).

• Must use at least three scholarly sources in addition to the course text. The Help! Need Article (Links to an external site.)tutorial can also assist with searching for
• The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper guide. (Links to an external site.)
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.