Project #1

Narrative Argument

DUE: In Blackboard by Friday, Sept. 24th, no later than 11:59pm.

For your first essay, you’ll use the personal essay form to engage in a standard academic
convention: argument.

Your purpose is to persuade an audience of your peers—other Mason college students—to

consider your perspective. If you want to write to a different or more specific audience, talk to
me. A narrative argument is a loose (or open-form) genre, but we’ll come to understand the
genre conventions by reading and discussing samples.

Additional Details
We will brainstorm and discuss possible topics in class, but here are things to keep in mind:
 Your topic must be something that you can make relevant to your student audience. But it
does not have to be about academics or Mason; generally, successful arguments aren’t
about Mason. Pick something about which care and have an experience-based opinion.
 Don’t focus solely on the narrative/experience; think about the larger argument that you
want to write about and how to make it relevant to your Mason student audience.
o Part of making an audience-relevant and aware argument is that the audience has
a stake in the issue and/or power to help enact the argument. So don’t write about
something trivial or that students don’t have power to change (like parking!).
 Be wary of a topic that could seem trite or familiar. Try to have something unique to say.

The complexity of your argument may influence your essay’s length, but a default length is
approximately four pages (1,000-1,250 words).
Remember: word counts are approximate guidelines; don’t fixate on them as you draft.

Research Requirement: Complexities and Counter-Argument

While you’ll start with your own opinion and experience, effective writers don’t end there.
Instead, they are inquisitive and consider perspectives that challenge or complicate their own.
You must look beyond your own opinions and respond to possible objections and concerns. In
addition to exchanging ideas with classmates, you can read a few opposing or complicating
sources or talk to Mason students who don’t share your experience and beliefs to understand
what counter-arguments you’ll need to respond to.

No formal (print or online sources) are required, but many narrative arguments use them to
further develop and support the ideas. If you choose to formally incorporate research into your
paper, by paraphrasing or quoting interview subjects or using formal sources, you must provide
parenthetical citations and a works cited page. Do your best to cite the research, and see me if
you need help, but there’s no grade weight for citation errors as we’ll start focusing on research
and citations during your next essay.

While discussing nonfiction narrative arguments from published writers, we will pay
particular attention to the writer's position/thesis, the ways they show open-
mindedness and respond to reader objectives, and the narrative itself: its
structure, pacing, and emphasis; its use of rhetorical appeals; how well evidence
supports the primary claim; and to the extent to which tone and language help
make the argument. You’ll then employ these techniques in your essay.
Created by the Composition Program, George Mason University, Spring 2019. This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Learning Objectives
We’ll focus on the following throughout this project:
 Understanding the complexities of argument and honing your persuasive writing skills
 Responding to the rhetorical situation: We’ll focus specifically on the nuances of audience
awareness (understanding and writing to a complex target audience) while achieving your
purpose
 Anticipating and responding to reader objections (counter-argument) and using outside ideas
to shape your argument and stance
 Using evidence to support your claims (even if just personal and anecdotal evidence)
 Honing your ability to produce clear, well-organized, rhetorically-aware writing (aware of
purpose, audience and basic genre conventions)

If you have questions, ask. If you need help, use my office hours and the Writing Center.

Post Script Questions:

This is informal writing, but it must be submitted with your essay. Remember: I will not grade an
essay without a meaningful post-script, and your paper will accrue late penalties while I wait for
it. Please include your post-script as a new page at the end of your essay (after your works cited
page, if you need one).

1. *Explain at least three ways that you served your audience. Be specific. For example,
don't say that you "used appropriate language”; instead, discuss specific language choices
that you made.
2. *What “sources” (formal or informal) did you consult to go beyond your own experience
and opinion and to understand possible reader objections? What impact did these
“sources” have on your opinions and essay?
3. What’s your argument/thesis (just in case it’s not clear)?
4. Discuss what you learned from this essay: about writing, argument, yourself as a writer,
etc.
5. What process steps would you use for another assignment? For what types of assignment,
and why? What would you rethink, and why?
6. What do you like best about your essay?
7. What concerns do you have about your essay? What do you want me to pay special
attention to or comment on?
8. Anything else?

*Has grade weight

15% of Final Course Grade

Created by the Composition Program, George Mason University, Spring 2019. This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.