What issue or controversy concerns you? What current debate engages you?

What issue or controversy concerns you? What current debate engages you?

11.)    The ongoing conflict in Syria and countries policy with letting refugees in. Whether or not to let them into the country depending on the circumstances in said country etc. etc.

22.)    Should the United States put more emphasis on gun control and use?

What position do you want to take? How can you state your stand? What evidence might you need to support it?

11.)    I would like to take the point against allowing refugees, or at least showing the danger that they can represent to a country. I can make the stand by showing statistics of gang rape in Germany, or how Canada only allows Syrian families in their borders to try and combat this rape gang.

22.)    I would take a position against gun control. I can state my mine by comparing the current situation in America to those states with higher control of firearms. I would need shooting statistics, as well as populations of countries along with estimated guns owned by civilians.

How might you refine your working thesis? How could you make statements more accurate, definitions clearer, or categories more exact?

11.)    I would have to state my issues with refugees right off the bat along with outlining some issues they present culturally as well as economically. The statement would be made clear by using clear language and some hooks like substantial statistics.

22.)    Gun control is a hard topic to tackle, with shootings happening quite often it is a hard topic to pin. My statements have to be dead accurate with enough counter evidence as well as supporting so that I make my point perfectly clear.

What assumptions are you making? What clarification of or support for these assumptions might your audience need?

11.)    I am assuming that people are at least somewhat informed or opinionated about allowing refugees into the United States. Or other countries for that matter, however clarification will have to be given out throughout the entire assignment. Whether it be crime statistics, or economic statistics, everything has to be addressed and combatted in its own section.

22.)    I am assuming that my audience knows something of gun violence, such as school shootings and what not. I will have to inform them on gang violence and the amount of illegal firearms that they may or may not have at their disposal.

How might you qualify your thesis? What exceptions should you note? What other views might you want to recognize?

11.)    In support of my topic I will bring up crime rates and economic distress as it relates to refugees coming into the country. I will however have to note the crime rate and other things before the influx of refugees in order to come to an informed opinion. I might want to recognize the human element that takes place with these things. That people are simply trying to find a better life for themselves in a new country.

22.)    I will have to include oodles of comparisons to heavily gun controlled nations and just how we compare to them. It is important to do this as to gain support for my topic that more legislation isn’t going to force violence to go down but rather in some cases force it to go up.

(Patrick McGill)