Claim of Policy Paper

Outcomes
Writers will learn to use outside evidence to support a claim and continue to practice source integration and the conventional standards for a college essay.

Definition
A claim of policy is argument that a condition should (or must) exist. As your book points out, it offers change or solution for a problem. It is a call for action, for a change in problems that affect the polis or, government (literally, “the city”).

Troubleshooting
It is easy to commit the either/or fallacy with claims of policy (to present arguments as only having two sides) and it is easy for a policy argument to reach the dreaded arena of stasis (stagnancy).

Directions
· Come up with an instructor-approved claim. A claim is good if it is reasonable (spending billions of dollars because we think aliens should have condos to live in when they take over New York is not a good claim for a college class, though it might be entertaining); it is good if the scope is small (the Skysox should/should not move their stadium to lower downtown COS); it is good if it can persuade a broad, general audience (arguing that nurses should be allowed to wear their hair dyed in rainbow colors might be an interesting argument, but it isn’t going to reach much past nurses themselves); and, the argument is good if it is specific rather than general and overdone (we should stop emitting carbons into the atmosphere because it’s bad for the environment is too big and too general; however, saying that all new cars should have a 0-2% emission of harmful carbons by 2020 is a good argument).

· When you have your claim, get your source. For this paper, using Google as your primary search companion is okay as long as your source is reliable. You may not use more than two outside sources because this is a short paper.

· Write your paper, paying attention only to your argument as you draft.

· 2 pages minimum, 3 pages maximum. Utilize MLA format throughout