Now that you've done some research (really preliminary research) and figured out the controversy and tension that is surrounding your topic, it's time to reexamine your topic and narrow it down even further. Remember, you DON'T want a broad topic. Instead, you want something that is narrow in scope (specific), yet still debatable.

For example, say this is what I did for my topic proposal: 

EXAMPLE 1:

Topic: ISIS

Diagnosis: Too broad! There is waaaayyy too much to write about when it comes to ISIS. It would be too daunting to look at ISIS as a whole. 

To help me focus my topic, I would answer these questions: 

1. What specifically about X (i.e. ISIS) do I want to explore? 
2. What is going on regarding X (ISIS) right now? What is the news saying about X? What are some new developments regarding X? New concerns? New issues? 

Say to yourself: Okay, it's great that I want to look at something regarding ISIS, but what specifically about ISIS do I want to explore? 

Next step: I do some research (like you are doing) and even look on Wikipedia and do a quick Google search, and then I come up with a specific question that will guide my research: 

Specific question: What is the U.S.'s involvement in tightening its borders due to recent terrorist attacks? 

·        

THEN, after doing research on that specific question (which you will continue to research next week), my claim will most likely answer the question: 

Claim question: “Should the U.S. tighten its borders due to recent terrorist attacks?”

Finally, my claim will be either: "Yes because x, y and z." OR "No because x, y and z." 

(Note: This is a very simple claim. Do not worry about the claim just yet. I am trying to show you the evolution of my thinking.) 

Want another example? Here we go...

EXAMPLE #2:

Topic: Death Penalty

What about the death penalty?

Avoid arguing “Should the death penalty be legal?”

After doing some quick research on the death penalty, this is what I found from Yahoo News:

·         In Georgia, an inmate was recently executed on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. Records from previous executions show the legal drug generally starts flowing within a minute or two when a warden leaves the execution room. A newspaper reporter was allowed to be in the room when the inmate was strapped to the gurney and the IV lines were placed. The reporter noted how nurses appeared to have trouble placing the needle in his left arm, and the process took about an hour, which is longer than usual. He was the fifth inmate executed this year in Georgia, which is the most executions the state has carried out in a calendar year since 1987.

Specific question: Is Georgia’s current method of the death penalty inhumane and does it need to be changed?

Claim: Yes/No because x, y and z. 

Third time's the charm... 

EXAMPLE #3: 

Topic: Police Shootings

Specific Question: What can be done to support police but at the same time protect citizens' rights so they are not violated during police/pedestrian interactions? 

Potential Claim: All police should have to wear body cameras as part of their uniform. 

Last example :)...

Example #4:

Topic: Steroids in Baseball 

Controversy: Currently there has been much controversy surrounding steroids in baseball.  From Roger Clemens’ vehement denials to the congressional hearings, it seems that every sports show or sports page in the nation is addressing this controversy.  For this paper I plan to study this issue; I will be looking at the controversy from multiple points of view: the players’, coaches’, media, and fans’ perspectives.

Specific Question: Is there any place for anabolic steroids in professional sports? 

Claim: There is no place for anabolic steroids in professional sports. 

So, after all of this, what's the assignment??

Due Monday, December 14th

• Post on the blog the following (in this format): 
• Your Topic: ____________________ 
• Controversy:  In 2-3 sentences, write why this is so controversial and why it's a topic that needs to be looked at right now. 
• Specific question(s) that will guide your research: ________________

(Example #4 is a good model to help you) 

Once you post to the blog, we will spend some time in class looking at one another's topics and we'll help one another with them next week. 

GOOD LUCK! I'M EXCITED TO SEE HOW YOUR THINKING HAS EVOLVED! 

Controversial Topics for Argument Paper

Brainstorming Activity for Argument Topics

Before you start researching and writing your paper, it's important that you brainstorm ideas of debatable topics that you may want to explore further. This means that you need to allocate some of your time to exploring news websites to learn more about current events, humanitarian issues, and controversial topics. To help you get started, check out the list of sites below, but please don't feel limited to these.  

http://www.procon.org/debate-topics.php

http://idebate.org/view/top_100_debates

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate

https://theteachingfactor.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/50-persuasive-speech-debate-topics-relevant-today/

http://idebate.org/debatabase

http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/recent-topics

Choosing an Argument Topic that Works:

DO	DON’T
Choose a topic you are interested in learning more about	Choose a topic you’ve already made up your mind about
Choose a topic with some urgency—something that needs to be argued now	Choose a topic that is dated, unless it has pressing importance now
Choose a topic where there is something at stake that has important implications for people	Choose a topic that is an either/or proposition, or that simply compares and contrasts
Choose a topic that allows you to find information from a variety of stakeholders	Choose a topic for which you can only identify pro/con positions
Choose a topic that provides an opportunity for primary research and analysis	Choose a topic for which you can’t think of any site for primary research and analysis

By the end of class, you should have educated yourself about the facts and background of three specific issues or conflicts. It's best to first read "objective" news articles. Remember, you don't want to formulate an opinion JUST YET. AVOID JUDGEMENT!!! 

What's due by the end of class: 

• Post your three issues/conflicts/controversies that you are interested in exploring further. 
• For each issue, you need to include the sources you've looked at thus far. 
• Lastly, write down questions you have about each topic. What are you most curious about? Of course, you are going to have many, many questions, but limit it to a few per topic. Your peers will read your questions and will help you out with suggestions. They may even know some of your answers and can therefore respond to your questions. 

NOTE: Write your post on Google docs first so you don't lose your work!