Why It Matters: Academic Argument Workshop

Why build an academic argument?Decorative image.

Building an academic argument sparks your search for convincing evidence, ignites your critical thinking processes, and compels you to begin thinking about how to organize your thoughts. Having a strong thesis is the backbone of a solid argument, and building a strong thesis is the backbone of the drafting process. Argumentative academic writing relies on a thesis statement so that the audience (the reader) understands where the writer is coming from.

As writers, we need to build strong arguments to fit the purpose of our writing tasks and we need to understand how to evaluate arguments in order to construct the most convincing, logical, sound argument possible. In order to do that, we need to understand how arguments and premises are connected (don’t worry, we will get to that).

So, how do we build a strong thesis statement? Building a strong thesis is a bit more involved than telling a friend that they will “love this movie” or that it is a “waste of time and money.” This writing workshop will help you learn how to evaluate arguments, build an argument, and develop a strong argumentative thesis statement.

Writing Workshop: Your Working Document

Every component of the working document will be introduced throughout this module in a blue box such as this one. Open your working document now and keep it open as you progress through the module.

  1. Go to the assignment for this module in your LMS. Click on the link to open the Working Document for this module as a Google Document.
  2. Choose “file” then “make a copy” to make your own version of the document. If you prefer to download it as a word or other file, you may.Screenshot of the file, make a copy, button inside of google docs
  3. Rename it as “YOUR NAME: Working Doc – Writing Essentials” and move it to a folder where you can easily find it.screenshot of copy document and renaming settings inside of google docs
  4. Next, go to the sharing settings and change it so that “Anyone with the link can comment.” This will enable your instructor to make comments on the document.Screenshot of GoogleDocs sharing settings set to "Anyone with the link can comment"
  5. Now hold onto this document—we’ll need it soon! (You’ll submit the link to your instructor once you’ve completed the Writing Workshop activities).