Choosing a Topic Topic is general “realm” of a paper Best topics are related to what you already know Topics should be narrow, specific, appropriate for.

Choosing a Topic• Topic is general “realm” of a paper• Best topics are related to what you already know• Topics should be narrow, specific, appropriate for given

amount of time and page space (2-3 pages)• What do you find interesting?• Write ideas down on paper: brainstorm• Be willing to modify or alter topic as your writing and research

progress

Specific or Too Broad?Causes of WWII

Effect of Climate Change on Midwestern Farmers

Global Warming

Impact of Software Piracy on Consumers

Impacts of the Angolan Civil War on the Diamond Mining Industry

Blood Diamonds

Mountain Top Removal

Mineral Monopolies: China’s Rare Earth Minerals Monopoly and Impact on World Markets

Evaluating TopicsTopic is Too Broad When:• It’s not clear after first paragraph which direction the paper is

going, which issue it wants to develop• Reader thinks the paper is about one thing, writer meant

another• Internet search yields thousands of hits• Not enough time/space to present all details

Refining/Narrowing Topics:• Find a unique slant or angle• Answer why it’s important to you• Answer why it’s important to know about this topic

Thesis Statements• A strong Thesis Statement in the opening paragraph indicates

a narrow topic• Concise, one- or two-sentence statement telling reader the

topic, writer’s position towards the topic, and the specific supporting points of paper

• A good thesis is an idea that could be easily disagreed with (not: the sky is blue, we need to help the poor…)

• A good thesis takes a stand

Weak Topics and Theses

Sierra Leone, Angola, and Liberia are three prominent nations that have had trouble with rebels and blood diamonds. Their individual issues will be discussed throughout the next three paragraphs.

World poverty has caused many causes and effects.

Capital Punishment: Ethical or Not?

Unethical Practices and their Consequences

Make Convincing Arguments• Acknowledge and treat opposing viewpoints fairly• Argue “dispassionately” about your position. Don’t rant from a

soapbox.• Maintain objective and professional or scientific stance

towards your position and the evidence which supports it.• Limit paragraphs to discussing one general idea or piece of

evidence• Use professional, objective word choice and tone• Avoid common Logical Fallacies

Logical Fallacies• Flaws in the logical structure of an argument

• Can be shown dissonant or contradictory in logical or symbolic terms (2+2=5).

Common Logical Fallacies

• Appeal to authority• Strawman• Ad Hominem• False Dichotomies/Black and White Dichotomies• Appeals to tradition• Rhetorical Questions• Hasty/Broad Generalizations• Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc (after this, therefore

because of this)

Strawman• Ignoring a sound opposing position—or—setting up,

substituting, distorting, or exaggerating it with a weaker one.• Basically, broad generalizations which you can easily defeat with

your own position

“Free marketeers don’t believe in rules or laws of any kind.”

“Skeptics of global warming and other alleged environmental terrors care nothing about future generations and might also be in the pay of Big Oil.”

Appeal to Authority

• Someone without expertise in the subject argued is a fallacious argument.

Ad Hominem

• Attacking the person holding an opinion rather than the opinion itself.

“Don’t believe Jack when he says there’s no God. He doesn't even have a job.“

"Candidate Jane's proposal about zoning is ridiculous. She was caught cheating on her taxes in 2003.“

“Clinton has a poor foreign policy. Look at what he was up to in the Oval Office.”

False Dichotomy

• Also “Black and White Fallacy,” “False Dilemma”

• Presenting a limited set of alternatives (usually two) and then arguing as if there are only these two

“If you don’t like the current policies, leave the country”

"It’s owls versus jobs: the environment or the economy."  

“If you’re not for the war, you’re unpatriotic”

Appeals to Tradition• Premise is held true because it has a

tradition of being thought to be true.

“This mode of government has lasted over 200 years without any change. It

must be right.”

“People have believed in God since the beginning of time, which proves his

existence.”

“What opponents of strip mining in West Virginia fail to realize is that mining is one of civilization’s oldest industries.”

Rhetorical Question• Asking question for the “effect” rather than for the actual information (soap box)• It doesn’t expect a reply

“When are we going to give this country’s old folks the health care they deserve?”

"With all the violence on TV today, is it any wonder kids bring guns to school?“

"Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution?“

Hasty & Broad GeneralizationsHydraulic mining was made popular because it was a quick

and easy method to extract gold, and was many times more productive than the old method of just using a shovel and pick. The mining companies were looking for an easier way to make money, and only cared about that, not the negative results that hydraulic mining was doing to the land. During this time, most people cared more about gaining money, and not the toll that gaining money in this fashion was taking on the environment and land. The farmers were the first to start complaining about the affects that hydraulic mining was having on the land, but it wasn’t until mass flooding started to occur when a group called the Sierra Nevada Club started to push for reforms in the mining industry in terms of hydraulic mining.

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc(after this, therefore because of this)

• Also “the false cause” or “correlation not causation”• Since event B followed event A, then B must have been caused

by A• The rooster crows just before dawn; therefore, the crowing

causes the sun to rise

“More and more young people are attending high schools and colleges today than ever before. Yet there is more juvenile delinquency and more alienation among the young. This makes it clear that these young people are being corrupted by their education.”

Can You Find the Fallacies?

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-27-2001/stephen-wins-

Questions?