The goal of a persuasive paper is to convey your support, or opposition for a topic that you, or someone chooses. Along the way, you will weigh the pros and cons of both sides of an argument in society today. The idea is not to divide the class with your political views, but rather build upon your skill to communicate both in writing, and speaking.

1) Have a thesis statement in your first paragraph that clearly describes the goal, or goals of this essay.

2) Your persuasive essay must strongly support your argument for, or against the topic.

3) Your work must be devoid of opinion-based statements such as; “I feel”, or “I think”.

4) The argument you present must be founded upon your research, which must be cited for this essay. (We will discuss this in class the week of 01/22-01/23.)

5) This essay must not only be written, but also be recorded onto a file for submission. (Also to be discussed in class.)

6) Your sources must be credible, and not some social media post. Ideally, it should not originate on Wikipedia, or an unfounded site. (Also to be discussed in class.)

7) Your paper (single spaced) should be no less than 1,000 words, and no more than 2,000.

8) You must have a main body in your paper which seamlessly transitions from one point to another.

9) You must have a conclusion that sums up your body of work.