The topic for this essay is partly up to you. Your essay should be a critical discussion of an article (written by someone else) containing at least three arguments. The article could be an opinion piece in a newspaper or magazine, for example. The topic should be something that interests you. But it doesn’t matter what the topic is. (It could be climate change or religion or sports or economics or drug abuse… Anything that you feel inspired to write about.)
In your essay you’ll need to explain in your own words the arguments of this other person, making use of concepts we’ve been talking about. For example: premises, validity, fallacies. You don’t have to apply every single concept we’ve talked about, of course. But you should demonstrate your understanding of at least some. You’ll also need to be critical: Evaluate the reasoning in the article you’re writing about. Did the author give adequate reasons for his or her conclusions? Are there premises–explicit or implicit–that seem false or unjustified? What kind of argument is the author making, and does the argument succeed in its objectives? In addition, it’s fine to present your own opinion on the topic, supporting your opinion with your own reasons; but this isn’t required.
Your essay should be about 1200 words. (It’s fine if it’s a bit shorter or longer.)
No formal introduction or conclusion is needed.
No research is needed (or useful).
Please use 11 or 12 point font.
Please upload your essay as a Word or PDF file to the dropbox under “Assignments”.
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