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Discussion Overview
As we have talked about, arguments are often shared to benefit a group of people rather than just to prove that we are “right” or “win” a debate. When we engage in persuasive exercises with people who share a community with us, whether at work, in our families, at school, or in our town, we have a greater chance of success when we carefully consider the different stakeholders and how our recommendations may affect them.
For this unit’s discussion, you will analyze different stakeholders’ positions in your argument and find one source that demonstrates an area of common ground you expect to find among the many stakeholders. Be sure to review this week’s learning activities on search techniques before searching for a source. Then, respond to the following prompts in at least two well-developed paragraphs:
- Share your revised thesis and tell us who the key stakeholders are. Whom does this issue affect that we do not often hear from? What aspects of the argument do you expect most stakeholders to agree about? Identify three search terms you could use to find evidence that helps to illustrate the common ground between stakeholders. Hint: The learning activity “Choosing & Using Keywords” can help you figure out what search terms to use as you seek out common ground sources.
- Using the search terms above, find one source in the Purdue Global Library that helps to illustrate the problem and establish common ground with stakeholders. Identify one main idea from the source you want to use and why you selected that source.
- Ask an open-ended question to classmates based on what help you need either finding common ground or doing the background research on your topic.
- Finally, wrap up your post by sharing the author’s name, the title of the source, and the link to the source.
For peer feedback this week, think about what stakeholders may be missing from the post. Offer some other ideas about what the different stakeholders might agree about or answer the open-ended question.
NOTE: You can begin working on a references page for your upcoming assignments by tracking the key elements of each source:
| Author’s name | Publication date | Title of source | Publication information | URL |
Academic Writer can help you identify the type of source you have and create a properly formatted citation in APA style.
REFERENCE THE READING:
Refer to and credit the unit reading concepts to help validate your ideas and give you practice with using and crediting source information. When you refer to concepts from the unit’s reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like “According to . . . [name of reading].” If you are directly quoting the reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. See the Purdue Global Writing Center’s Using Sources for resources on APA citation formatting.
WRITING EXPECTATIONS:
All discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the discussion.
RESPONSES TO INITIAL POSTS:
Respond to at least three of your classmates’ initial posts. Be sure to address their writing concerns and what you think they might also do to achieve their writing goals. Advance the discussion by asking relevant questions that motivate your classmates to continue the discussion. A strong response would be around 100 words. Also, refer to and credit unit reading material in your posts to help support your ideas.
