Welcome to Unit 3! Our seminar will start on the hour!

Let’s Discuss “Audience” Your audience should be clearly defined. A general audience is not appropriate for your project in this course. Note how audience changes the way you approach the entire paper!

Example: Diet Pills Let’s say that you are persuading your audience that diet pills should not be sold over the counter. How would you approach a target audience of the FDA, the agency who makes the decision? How would you approach a target audience of pharmacists in your community? Let’s talk about your topics and potential audiences!

Questions to Ask Who has the ability to make the change or implement the solution I am arguing for? What would they already know about the topic? What is their stance on the topic likely to be? What tone will be most effective for this audience? How much background material will they need?

Defining Audience One reason we do research on both sides of the issue is because we have to know the supporting points on both sides. Reading research that takes the opposing position is a great way to get to know the concerns your audience will have. Note that our audience will most likely not be people who already believe as we do—if that were the case, the argument would not be necessary!

Defining Audience (cont.) For legal issues, writing to your state legislator is a great way to focus the audience. If you ‘re working with an employment issue, the logical audience is employers who would have a vested interest in the issue. For school issues, think about the school officials/school board as your audience.

From Topic to Issue Topics are broad areas of interest. For instance, the separation of Church and State is a topic area. To focus on a specific issue, you would want to determine what the controversies are that are contained in the larger topic. Prayer in school, Intelligent Design, the 10 Commandments in public buildings are issues. Select an issue that is current and specific.

From Issue to Thesis What is your position on the issue? What is the central problem or controversy? Who do you want to act to fix the problem? What do you want them to do? Why? How? Your thesis should be audience specific. Consider who you want to persuade. A general audience is not acceptable.

Issue + Research Question Answers = Thesis How does a topic vary from a research question and a thesis? Topic: A topic is a general subject that your paper covers. For instance, your topic might be the proposed Guest Worker Program. Research Question: Research questions help you narrow your topic down and also to learn more information about the topic so you can form an informed thesis and position on it. Some sample research questions might be: What is the Guest Worker program? How will it change immigration? What are the main reasons why folks argue it is good? Why do folks argue that it is a bad idea?

Issue + Research Question Answers = Thesis (cont.) Thesis: The thesis is what you come up with after doing research and determining what you are going to argue. For instance, a thesis on this topic might be: The Guest Worker Program should not be enacted because it only temporarily allows workers to legally stay in the U.S., leading to a revolving door of non- citizen workers, rather than actually reforming immigration policies. Note that the thesis focuses on a specific position (no GWP) and also previews the main reasons why the writer is arguing against the plan.

Unit 3 Project: APA Title Page 1. Open a new, blank document in Microsoft Word. 2. Make sure your font size is between 10 and 12, your margins are set to 1” on all sides, and your document is set for double-spacing. 3. Insert a header that includes a shortened version of your title and the page number [Example title: New Ways of Mind Mapping could be shortened to Mind Mapping ]. 4. In the upper-left (not in the header), you will want to type Running Head and follow that with the abbreviated version of your title. The title should be in all caps. 5. Find the approximate middle of your paper and type the full title of your paper, your name, and the name of your school (Kaplan University). 6. At the bottom of the page, type your course and section number, the name of your professor, and the due date of the project.

Reminders Using Microsoft Word, compose a title page based on your Unit 7 project Font size: 10 or 12 Page margins: 1 inch (top, bottom, left, and right) It must be double-spaced. Do not add to what is required (No color, graphics, title page, etc.). Please use black text on a white background only.

Questions???