The essay of refutation should challenge another argument by establishing that its claims, evidence and inferences are flawed and unacceptable.  Students may choose from any published editorial, speech or essay appearing in print or on the World Wide Web.

1. Find an argument that you want to refute. You might consider looking in one of the following world wide web sources if you are having a hard time finding something: The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, The Congressional Record, or The Witmarsum.  Or you might look at hard copy sources such as the following which are available in our library: The New York Times, Vital Speeches, The Christian Century, The
Mennonite, or The Nation.

2. Your essay of refuation should include the following:

• a summary of the argument you are refuting: claims, evidence, purpose, etc.
• an acknowledgment of the strengths, if any, of the argument.
• a preview of those aspects of the argument that you believe are flawed.
• a refutation of those claims appearing in this argument that you believe are not well-supported.
• evidence to support your own claim that the argument should be rejected:
• evidence from the text that the argument's supporting materials are inadequate or not credible
• evidence that contradicts the evidence offered by the argument
• evidence from the text that the inferences are flawed
• evidence that the argument is unethical

4. You are encouraged to show a draft of this essay to a classmate for feedback.

5. The essay will be graded according to the following criteria:

• organization
• evidence
• reasoning
• partisanship (you need to be clearly opposed to another argument!)
• clarity