For this paper, you’ll develop a persuasive argument based on a topic of your choice. Pick a topic you’re passionate about: it could be a current event or issue, a social or political stance–anything that you’re curious about and committed to.

EXCEPTIONS: You cannot argue a "stalemate" topic, a.k.a. a topic that many people consider to be strictly moral: abortion, capital punishment, etc. I also want to restrict Covid-related topics: if you really want to do one, come talk to me about it and we can discuss it. 

Try to make sure your argument is really a good persuasive argument. For example, "Playing video games helps develop life skills" is not a good topic–many researchers already agree with this. Try to step outside the box to find something fresh, or put your own spin on it!

Once you have your core argument (thesis), you’ll back it up with claims. Each claim deserves its own paragraph. In turn, each paragraph should contain ethos, pathos, and logos. To convey your control of these rhetorical elements, you will submit your essay in color code. Text that represents ethos should be blue; text that represents pathos should be red, and text that represents logos should be green. The more colorful your paper, the greater your infusion of rhetorical strategies.