Argumentative Writing Assignment DescriptionThe fourth writing assignment is an argumentative essay. The focus of the essay comes from a segment of an episode of The Simpsons. In "Burns, Baby Burns" (Episode 4F05, original airdate: Nov. 17, 1996), Mr. Burns's illegitimate son spots his father on a train. As Mr. Burns's son chases after the train, he asks the conductor where the train is headed. The conductor replies, "Springfield." When Mr. Burns's son asks what state, the train whistle drowns out the conductor's reply. The writers of the show have not revealed the state where Springfield is located, but one can find many clues in the episodes. This assignment is to produce an argument supporting what the correct location of the city of Springfield is. In order to develop your argument, several items will be useful. A complete description and grading rubric are available. Included with the description is a listing of all the states that have a populated area named Springfield. Additionally, you can view several video clips from the television show. These clips will be your primary source of information; each offers different clue(s) about the location of Springfield. There is also a list of Internet resources that may be helpful. Because many of the clues offered in the video clips are contradictory, you may be selective in the information you use. The assignment requires you to develop and write a cohesive argument. This means it should be valid and sound and not commit any fallacies. The evaluation of your essay will be based on these these criteria and not on whether you have discovered the secret location of Springfield. Because arguments are based on facts you discover through research and investigation as well as information you already know, you will be provided with clips from the show that provide clues to the home state of the Simpson family. These clips are available in the computer labs. In addition, you may use information you can gain through via the Internet such as which states have nuclear power plants (at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission web site - http://www.nrc.gov). You may also rely on other knowledge you possess such as the capitals of states. The aim of this assignment is to present a sound argument that can withstand counter-arguments. In order to reach this goal it is necessary to complete three tasks. The first is to present your premises or reasons and provide justification for thinking that they are true. For knowledge that is not commonly known you will need to provide a reference or source to indicate where the information came from to satisfy the demand that the information is true. Second, it is necessary to explain why the premises lead to the conclusion you are asserting. What is required is an explanation of why an individual must accept the conclusion if the premises are accepted. This second task is the justification for thinking the argument is valid. If your argument is valid (the second task) and the premises are true (the first task), then your argument is sound. Finally, it is important to identify evidence that appears contrary to your conclusion and clarify why it does not refute your position. The assessment of your argument will rest on the basis that your argument is valid (why the premises do support the conclusion), is sound (proof that the premises are all true), and addresses possible counter-arguments. A grading rubric is available to provide details about the assessment. To get you started, the following list of states with populated places named Springfield has been gathered from the United States Geographic Survey from the United States Department of the Interior appears below. (http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html)
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