Assignment 2: Editing Skills Practice

How sharp are your editing skills? Read the paragraph and find the errors. Copy the paragraph and paste it into a Word document. Correct the errors by using the review feature in Word to identify the problem area and how you would fix the issue. Justify your corrections with a corresponding page number from the APA manual when appropriate. Submit your assignment to the M6: Assignment 2 Dropbox byWednesday, June 18, 2014.

Review the following paragraph:

ACADEMIC ARGUMENT

At the heart of all academic writing is the concept of the academic argument.  Most of us don’t like to argue, so when the concept of an argument is raised, we think of parents and teenagers clashing over homework or husbands and wives quarrelling over money, we become uncomfortable and want to avoid this writing process.  An academic argument is not brawl, but it is instead an effort to persuade a reader through logic and reasoned thought to a writers’ point of view.  An academic argument is “an … attempt[s] to convince or persuade others through reason, logic, and evidence to do what the writer wants or believe as the writer wishes,” (Dialogues, p. 15)  At the core of the academic argument, is the idea that someone else might hold an opposing point of view.  Therefore facts are not arguable because there can be no disagreement about the information: George Washington was the first president of the United States or water freezes at a temperature of 32 degrees farenheit.  Since these are facts and there can be no debate on this information, this type of information is not a good basis for an academic essay.  Also, personal opinions based on preferences or tastes are not arguable.  A private perspective on a topic is subjective, an unverifiable judgement based on an individual’s reaction: Elvis is the greatest Singer of all time or reality shows are a waist of time.  Now these 2 opinions might be debated by others, but the other people’s opinions would still be rooted in there own personal tastes.  An academic argument takes a stand on an issue which is measured against principals fixed in broader cultural values and beliefs and therefore it provokes challenge and debate.  “‘I really liked the movie’ is not an argumentative stance.  It is a statement about a person’s tastes.  But the statement, ‘Johnny Depp’s portrayal of a wayward pirate illustrates his superior range as an actor’ invites opposition.  Other positions can engage the point critically.” (Mauk, Metz).  Therefore as a academic essay is constructed, the student writer needs to find an arguable subject, needs to solidify their position on the topic, and define a strategy on which to convince the reader of the writer’s point of view.

References:  Goshgarian, G., & Krueger, K. (2011). Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Boston, MA: Longman.

Mauk, J., & Metz, J. (2013). The Composition of Everyday Life: A Guide to Writing. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M6_A2.doc.

By Wednesday, June 18, 2014, deliver your assignment to the M6: Assignment 2 Dropbox.