Analysis of a current debate

End with your thesis statement: this is your position on this topic, including why you believe this is the best position (“I believe…. because…..”).

EACH BODY PARAGRAPH “should be organized by theme, point, similarity or aspect of the topic. Your organization will be determined by the patterns you see in the material you are synthesizing” (Drew).

Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that identifies a key point of the debate, followed by relevant quotes or paraphrases from more than one of the debaters, along with your discussion and analysis of this point. “Relevant” means that the selected ideas are related to the statement made in your topic sentence. Use transition words to connect ideas smoothly and show how they are related.

The paper should be organized by points, NOT by sources. Each paragraph should include support from two or more debaters around a single key point that emerges from your analysis of the discussion. It is possible that if one author raises a substantially different point from anyone else, you might choose to dedicate a paragraph to that author alone, but a single-author paragraph should be the exception, not the norm. Remember, practicing synthesis is the point of doing this exercise!

Sources: The first time you use each author, provide full name and credentials. For example: Susan Knutson, a writing professor at the University of Minnesota, believes that it is important to read all assignments carefully and refer back to them frequently. If you use that author again, you can refer to him or her by last name only. For example: According to Knutson, this will help students improve their grades in the class. If you use a direct quote, you must show the quoted language by using quote marks! For example, According to Knutson, “Every student needs to pay close attention to what is assigned.” For this assignment you will not include page numbers or a References page.

THE CONCLUSION: Bring your paper to an interesting end and provoke the readers to think about the importance, relevance, or possible consequences of this topic.

· Refer back to your thesis: explain which position (or ‘side’) you find most persuasive and why

· If you think anything is missing from the discussion or you believe the debate could be ‘framed’ differently (by shifting the central question, for example), discuss this here.

· If you find there are additional beliefs or assumptions, or broader concepts that underlie the main opposing opinions, discuss these here.

You are allowed to use outside source in the conclusion, but it is not required. If you choose to use extra source, please signal that you are doing so and provide a link that takes your reader directly to the source.