Paper #1, First Full Draft


Use the feedback you got on your analysis and evaluation to put the two together into a full draft of Paper #1. In this draft, you should think of yourself as explaining to your reader why you think the short argument you are working with is or is not a cogent argument (or is a cogent argument with some problems or a fallacious argument with a few bright spots).

Think of your reader as someone who has read the argument but who has not taken PHIL 2 and needs to have the analysis and evaluation of the argument explained carefully. Also, imagine a reader who is inclined to disagree with your evaluation; work at convincing the reader that your evaluation is worth considering.

Introduce the paper with that reader in mind. Explain why it's an important or interesting issue to look at, where you found this argument, what your first impressions of it were, or anything that will get your reader interested in hearing your "take" on the analysis and evaluation of this argument. Also, it's considered proper in academic writing to give the author's full name and the full title of the text, if there is one, the first time you mention them, and then to refer to the author by last name throughout the paper. There's no need for footnotes or a Works Cited page or bibliography for this paper, as long as you give all the information about exactly where you got the text (newspaper or magazine title, date), what its title is (if any), and who the author is right in the introduction.

Clarify and develop your analysis and evaluation by illustrating with at least one syllogism, possibly more. If you are saying, for example, that the argument is cogent with some problems, show a syllogism that is cogent andone that has some problems.

Some of the following questions might help you "flesh out" your paper: