Now that you have examined characteristics of persuasive nonfiction and practiced analyzing the validity of various claims, it is your turn to read about a topic that interests you and analyze various arguments about that topic. For this assignment, choose a topic that you find relevant, or pose an open-ended question that does not have a clear right or wrong answer. For example, you might explore topics in areas such as politics, the environment, education, health, or perhaps sports. Or think of a question that begins with the word should and research responses to this question. A question such as "Should female athletes be paid as much as male athletes?" would likely elicit pro and con opinions on both sides of the issue, whereas a question such as "Should children have access to healthy food?" is not as debatable. Newspaper editorial columns are generally a good place to start your search.

Once you have chosen an interesting topic that is widely debated from both sides of the issue, research and review at least three persuasive articles that comment on the topic. Keep in mind that you do not want to analyze texts that share the same commentary; make sure that you have chosen a diversity of opinions. Your task is to examine these arguments closely under your "magnifying glass" and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Do any of the arguments misrepresent opinions as facts? Is there valid evidence provided to support the claims? Are logical fallacies used to misguide the reader?

After examining the differing arguments, you will compose your own article that reviews and comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments. Your focus is not to present your own take on the issue but rather to educate your reader as to the validity of various arguments surrounding the issue. Your composition should briefly summarize the topic and the main ideas of each article before pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of each argument. 

You will need to use resources outside of this course to complete this assignment, so please submit a Works Cited document with your assignment submission. If you need assistance, visit the Developmental Module for information on citing resources. Before you begin, review the Persuasive Nonfiction Analysis Checklist to make sure that you include all of the items required for full credit.

Once you have completed your persuasive nonfiction review, please submit your work to the dropbox.