I'm going to try something a bit different. In the past, I have always steered students away from writing persuasive essays on topics that might be called "cliché social issues." By this I mean certain issues that people tend to passionately argue for or against without ever resolving anything. These include gun control, the death penalty, abortion, affirmative action, taxation, gay marriage, drug legalization, the drinking age, and many many others. For this essay, you will choose a topic of this kind (or probably a more-precise subtopic) and propose a solution to the issue (or a specific aspect of that issue) that will satisfy people on both sides.
Your essay will need to demonstrate awareness of the main arguments on all sides of the issue, but it will also need to propose a more nuanced solution than those we're used to hearing.
In addition to effective use of the skills we've already covered, this essay will be evaluated primarily on the extent to which it proposes an original solution to the problem and demonstrates a strong ethical appeal by respecting people on all sides of the issue.
I will provide more-thorough instructions soon, but for now begin thinking about a topic and how you might approach it. Take a look around the internet and see what some of the standard arguments are. I would like to be able to discuss this during Tuesday's class, so please have a topic in mind by then. I will probably ask you to have a working thesis for Thursday.
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