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Touchstone 4: Contrasting Normative Arguments in
Standard Form
Scenario: In this assignment, you will make two contrasting normative arguments about what one
ought to do. Both arguments will be about the same topic; thus, at least one of the arguments will
contradict your personal opinion. You will compose the arguments in standard form, as a series of
statements that end with your conclusion. Do not write your arguments as an essay.
Assignment: Download the submission template below, which further breaks down the steps
involved in this assignment. You will return the completed template as your Touchstone submission.
 Touchstone 4 Template
In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this
course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the
Touchstone.
A. Directions
Step 1. Choose one topic from the following list:
Should people eat meat?
Should ma*****na be legal?
Should pet cats be kept indoors?
Should zoos exist?
Should customers leave a tip in a coffee shop?
Should seat belt wearing be mandatory?
Should children be required to take gym/physical education?
Should public roads be used for private car parking?
Step 2. Develop two logically contradictory normative conclusions on this topic.
The conclusions need not be phrased exactly the same as they are phrased in the topic list, but they do
need to be logically contradictory to one another. For example, if you selected the topic "Should people
eat meat?", your conclusions might be:
People should not eat meat./People should eat meat.
But it would also be acceptable to choose:
People should reduce their meat consumption./People need not reduce their meat consumption.
It is morally permissible to eat fish./It is not morally permissible to eat fish.
Note that you need not indicate which conclusion you actually agree with. An omnivore might write an
excellent logical argument for veganism

Touchstone 4: Revise an Argumentative Research Essay
ASSIGNMENT: Review the in-text comments and summary feedback you received on your
Touchstone 3.2 draft to enhance your writing. You will then submit a revision of your Touchstone 3.2
draft that reflects the evaluator's feedback, making all necessary changes to the idea development,
organization, style, and conventions. Make sure to include a copy of your Touchstone 3.2 draft
below the reflection questions for this unit.
As this assignment builds on Touchstone 3.2: Draft an Argumentative Research Essay, that
Touchstone must be graded before you can submit your final research essay.
 Sample Touchstone 4
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for
this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo
the Touchstone.
A. Final Draft Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
1. Editing and Revising

Have you significantly revised the essay by adjusting areas like organization, focus, and clarity?
❒ Have you made comprehensive edits to word choice, sentence variety, and style?
❒ Have your edits and revisions addressed all the feedback provided by your evaluator?
2. Cohesion and Source Integration
❒ Is the information presented in a logical order that is easy for the reader to follow?
❒ Have you included smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs?
❒ Have you introduced your sources clearly and in a way that demonstrates their validity to the
reader? Are your sources formatted correctly following APA style?
3. Conventions and Proofreading
❒ Have you double-checked for correct formatting, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and
capitalization?
❒ Have you ensured that any cited material is represented accurately?
4. Reflection
❒ Have you displayed a clear understanding of the revision proces

Touchstone 3.2: Draft an Argumentative Research Essay
ASSIGNMENT: Using your outline and annotated bibliography from Touchstones 1.2 and 2.2, draft a
6-8 page argumentative research essay on your chosen topic.
As this assignment builds on Touchstone 2.2: Create an Annotated Bibliography, that Touchstone,
as well as Touchstone 3.1, must be graded before you can submit your research essay draft.
 Sample Touchstone 3
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for
this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo
the Touchstone.
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone
until it meets these guidelines.
1. Argumentative Thesis Statement
❒ Have you included a thesis in your introduction includes a clear, arguable stance and supporting reasons?
2. Argument Development
Are all of the details relevant to the purpose of your essay?
❒ Is the argument supported using persuasive rhetorical appeals and source material (i.e., direct
quotations, paraphrasing, and summary)?
❒ Is your essay 6-8 pages (approximately 1500-2000 words, not including your references or
reflection question responses)? If not, which details do you need to add or remove?
❒ Does the essay consist of at least seven paragraphs – an introduction, five body paragraphs (with
at least one for the counterarguments and rebuttals), and a conclusion? Are the body paragraphs
ordered logically to strengthen the argument?
❒ Do your topic sentences make original and supportable points? Do your topic sentences directly
support your thesis statement?
3. Research
❒ Have you introduced, contextualized, and cited outside sources effectively using quotation,
summary, and paraphrase techniques?
❒ Are the sources incorporated smoothly, providing the reader with signal phrases and context for
the source information?

Touchstone 3.1: Construct a Rogerian Argument
ASSIGNMENT: As you learned in this unit, a Rogerian argument is one that presents two sides of a
debate and argues for a solution that will satisfy both sides. Given the two articles linked below that
present opposing sides of an issue (mandatory uniforms in schools), construct your own 2-3 page
Rogerian argument essay in which you attempt to arrive at a concrete, workable solution or "middle
ground."
The essay should contain the following components:
❒ I) An introduction that presents both sources (i.e., author, title, year of publication, and
position in the debate) and your middle ground thesis statement.
❒ II) A body paragraph that summarizes the pro-uniform rationales.
❒ III) A body paragraph that summarizes the anti-uniform rationales.
❒ IV) A body paragraph that critically compares and contrasts both sides of the debate.
❒ V) A conclusion that further develops your proposed middle ground solution and
demonstrates how it satisfies both sides of the debate.
Article 1: "School Dress Codes and Uniform Policies"
Article 2: "Dressing Diversity: Politics of Difference and the Case of School Uniforms"
 Sample Touchstone
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo
the Touchstone.
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone
until it meets these guidelines.
1. Introduction
❒ Have you briefly introduced the author and publication context (year, journal, etc.) of Article 1?
❒ Have you briefly introduced the author and publication context (year, journal, etc.) of Article 2?
❒ Have you ended the introduction with a thesis statement/claim that presents a clear, workable
solution that could be viewed as a "middle ground" between the two sides?
2. Body Paragraphs
❒ Have

Touchstone 2.2: Create an Annotated Bibliography
ASSIGNMENT: Using your research question, working thesis, and outline from Touchstone 1.2,
create an annotated bibliography that provides a synopsis of your sources and an explanation of
how you will use them.
As this assignment builds on Touchstone 1.2: Write a Research Question, Thesis, and Outline, that
Touchstone, as well as Touchstone 2.1, must be graded before you can submit your annotated
bibliography.
 Sample Touchstone 2.2
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for
this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo
the Touchstone.
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
1. Annotated Bibliography
Make sure to:

Alphabetize the entries, according to APA Style.
❒ Include the required bibliographic information in APA format for each entry.
❒ Include 5-6 sentences for each entry that provide a short summary of the source (with paragraph
or paragraph-numbered citations) and how you plan to use it to support your argument.
❒ Include at least seven entries in your annotated bibliography, all of which must be credible and
current (within the last 10 years) academic sources. (Use Google Scholar if you do not have access
to an academic search database through your institution).
❒ Choose your own sources, but use no more than three websites (there is no limit on the number
of online scholarly journals used).
❒ Thoroughly check the formatting requirements for the different source types.
❒ After each relevant entry indicate the source type in parentheses (book, peer-reviewed journal,
newspaper/magazine, and credible website) by including the source type in parentheses after the
relevant entry.
2. Reflection
❒ Have you displayed a clear understanding of the research activiti

Touchstone 2.1: Evaluate a Source
ASSIGNMENT: For this essay, you will select one of the sources that you intend to support your
argument. Which source you choose is up to you; however, it should be substantial enough that you
will be able to talk about it at length, and intricate enough that it will keep you (and your reader)
interested.
The introduction of this paper will involve introducing the source: After you recap your argument,
provide the author, the title, and the context (where you found the source, where it was originally
published, who sponsored it, etc.)
You will then go on to evaluate the source on two levels:
1. Credibility (at least one full paragraph): Using the information in this unit as a guide,
evaluate the source’s authenticity and reliability. Look at all the information that you can
find about the source to establish the author’s (or sponsor’s) trustworthiness.
2. Usefulness (at least one full paragraph): Using a combination of summary and analysis,
examine the source on a critical level. Determine what the source’s purpose (thesis) is,
and how it arrives at that goal. Examine its value to you and the project you are working
on. How will it help you prove your own points? How might it come in handy to back up a
claim (or address a counter-claim)?
Finally, you will include a conclusion which shows your final assessments on both counts. In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for
this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo
the Touchstone.
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone
until it meets these guidelines.
1. Source Identification
The introduction of this paper will be introducing the source:
❒ Have you recapped your research paper’s argument?
❒ Have you provided the author's name?
❒ Have you provided the source title?

Touchstone 1.2: Write a Research Question, Thesis, and
Outline
ASSIGNMENT: Following the Topic Selection Guidelines below, choose an argumentative topic to
research. This will be your topic throughout the entire course, so the activities required for this
assignment will provide the foundation for your future Touchstones. The topic for an argumentative
research paper must be an arguable topic, meaning that it involves a stance that advocates for a
concrete course of action and at least three supporting reasons which are defensible with credible
sources. Additionally, it must take a stance that someone could hypothetically disagree with. You
will need to take a firm position on the topic and use evidence and logic to support the position.
Touchstone 1.2 includes a research question, a working thesis, a detailed outline, and a reflection
on this pre-writing process.
 Sample Touchstone 1.2
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for
this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo
the Touchstone.
A. Topic Selection Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: You may choose any topic you wish as long as the stance is arguable and the supporting
reasons are defensible with evidence. Your topic should be current, appropriate for an academic context and should have a focus suitable for a 6-8 page essay.
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this
course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the
Touchstone.
EXAMPLE THESIS STATEMENTS
1) Rather than ending at age eighteen, compulsory education in the United States should be lifelong in
order to improve civic engagement, teach new skills, and stave off cognitive decline, thus extending life
expectancies.
2) Local governments, businesses, and property owners should replace conventional grass lawns with lawn

Touchstone 1.1: Engage with a Work of Research
ASSIGNMENT: For this essay, you will select one of the articles provided below and engage in a 2-
3 page summary and response dialogue with the source (not including cover pages, headings,
reference lists, or reflection questions). This will involve providing a detailed summary of the
source's argument and responding to that argument with your position based on the information
provided in the source.
Article Option 1: "The Recess Debate: A Disjuncture between Educational Policy and Scientific
Research"
Article Option 2: "Sugar in School Breakfasts: A School District's Perspective"
 Sample Touchstone
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for
this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo
the Touchstone.
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone.
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone
until it meets these guidelines.
1. Article Summary
❒ Have you introduced the title of the article and the author by name?
❒ Have you communicated the source's purpose?
❒ Have you included all of the source's main points, using page-numbered citations as you
paraphrase?
❒ Have you restated the source's argument in your own words?
2. Article Response
❒ Have you provided your perspective on the source's argument?
❒ Have you used at least two specific, cited examples from the source to illustrate why you either
agree or disagree with the argument?
3. Reflection
❒ Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations,
and/or examples in all responses?
❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?
B. Reflection Questions
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.
1. What ideas originally came to mind when you first read through the article? Did your initial
response to the article change after reading it for a second time? (3-4 sentences)
2. How does paying attention to the way you respond to a source help you formulate your stance on
a topic? (2-3 sentences)

Young person and must reside at Tanke Oke Odo Ilorin Kwara State.

Ability to read and write is required

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