Arguing the Causes of Gun Violence

Paper details:

Length: 4-5 pages Research Requirements: 3-5 external sources Format: Your Op-Ed (Opinion-Editorial) should follow MLA paper format. See the MLA section of Writer’s Reference: MLA-5 (Manuscript format; sample research paper). The Challenge: Your second essay assignment challenges you to argue the most significant causes of a crisis. Your audience for this project is UAB students and faculty. In your analysis, you will want to explore when, why, and how the crisis originated. Regarding uncovering causes, the textbook Inventing Arguments states, “the past is important – it is not dead. And anyone bound for serious study of the present and future must first understand the link to the past. History itself is a collective debate about what happened, who was involved, and who was responsible.” The text also states that “different perspectives will generate different answers to the question Why did this happen?” These answers “are assertions about causes,” or the arguments people make about causes. Furthermore, the reader says that “in any organization, academic discipline, or public situation, the most valuable contributions often come from those who can look beyond the obvious causes and make a case for some lurking cause, some factor that others might overlook. Such contributions take inventive thinking and well-wrought arguments” (Chapter 10). So what you need to do for Essay 2 is to look beyond the obvious in order to make a compelling and revelatory argument about the origins and causes of the crisis you are discussing. The causes of the crisis should be your primary focus. (You will be asked to explore solutions to a crisis in Essay 3, so you should not present solutions in Essay 2.) Choosing a Topic: Write on the same topic you wrote on for Essay 1, choose a different topic from the list, or come up with your own topic. NOTE: If you want to write on a topic that is not on the list OR if you want to write on a different topic than the one you wrote on for Essay 1, then you need to email me for approval. And as stated previously, when choosing your topic, try to think beyond moral or political subjects that are often discussed in black and white terms, such as abortion. These issues are not only too personal but will likely lead you to polarized discussions, or to the ends of conversations rather than to their beginnings. Genre: Conceptualize your genre as an Opinion-Editorial for Kaleidoscope that addresses the UAB student body and faculty. Opinion editorials introduce the topic and establish its importance, present a clear perspective on the issue, and support this viewpoint with specific reasons and credible evidence. Again, you will want to think about how your ideas might interest and engage the readership of Kaleidoscope, the UAB student newspaper.