MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/4E8B5899/RefutationalEssay.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Refutational Essay Assignment

Dr. Gass

HCOM 235

Spring 2009

Refutational Essay Assignment

Effective advocacy requires not only the ability to advance one's own position, but to refute opposing positions as well.  The refutatio= nal essay assignment is designed to provide you with an opportunity to directly clash with the arguments and evidence presented by another author.

For your refutational essay you should select one of the target essays provided by the instructor= and write a direct refutation of the author's major arguments.&nb= sp; You should rebut the author’s position by:

·      =   challenging the author’s claims and reasoning=

·      =   applying tests of evidence

·      =   identifying weaknesses in inferential leaps<= /p>

·      =   pointing out fallacies in reasoning

·      =   providing counter-evidence for the opposing position

To conduct a thorough refu= tation you will need to conduct outside research to locate evidence that counters the author's position. If you rely on the Internet for information, make sure the sources are qualified experts in the fields in which you are quoting them.

Your = refutational essay should be approximately 4-6 pages in length (not counting references), typed, double-spaced, and carefully proof-read for typographical and spelli= ng errors.  You will be graded on the quality of your writing, the qualit= y of your ideas, and the quality of your research.  Wherever you cite or re= fer to the words, ideas, or data of another author you must supply a complete reference.  Failure to do so constitutes an act of plagiarism= .

Your refutational essay represents 20% of your course grade.  This assignment= is due on April 14th.  If you'd like to see some = sample essays, please stop by my office.