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Communication
UNIT 4
Unit 4
Differentiating arguments and opinions

Exploratory Writing
 Argument is often confused with opinion. Indeed, arguments and
opinions sound alike. Someone with an opinion asserts a claim that
he thinks is true. Someone with an argument asserts a claim that she
thinks is true. Although arguments and opinions do sound the same,
there are two important differences:

Arguments have rules; opinions do not. In other words, to form an

Differentiating argument, you must consider whether the argument is
arguments and reasonable. Is it worth making? Is it valid? Is it sound? Do all of its
parts fit together logically? Opinions, on the other hand, have no
opinions rules, and anyone asserting an opinion need not think it through for
it to count as one; however, it will not count as an argument.

Arguments have support; opinions do not. If you make a claim and

then stop, as if the claim itself were enough to demonstrate its
truthfulness, you have asserted an opinion only. An argument must
be supported, and the support of an argument has its own rules. The
support must also be reasonable, relevant, and sufficient.
 WHAT IS AN ARGUMENT?
When you make a claim and then support the claim with reasons, you are making an argument.

WE ASSUME THE FOLLOWING;

An argument has to defend a position in a debate between two or more opposing sides, it must be on a
controversial topic, and the goal of such writing must be to prove the correctness of one point of view over
another.

A related definition of argument implies a confrontation, a clash of opinions and personalities, or just a plain
verbal fight. It implies a winner and a loser, a right side and a wrong one. Because of this understanding of the
word “argument,” many students think the only type of argument writing is the debate -like position paper, in
which the author defends his or her point of view against other, usually opposing, points of view.
RHETORICAL ARGUMENT

If rhetoric is the study of the craft

of writing and speaking,
particularly writing or speaking The student must understand how
designed to convince and to think broadly about argument,
persuade, the student the particular vocabulary of
studying rhetorical argument, and the logic of
argument focuses on how to argument.
create an argument that convinces
and persuades effectively.
 The close sibling of rhetorical argument is
academic argument

Academic Argument used to discuss and evaluate ideas,

usually within a professional field of study,
Argument and to convince others of those ideas.

In academic argument, interpretation and

research play the central role
 An argument is a claim asserted as true.

An argument is arguable.

An argument must be reasonable.

RHETORICAL An argument must be supported.

ARGUMENT
An argument in a formal essay is called a thesis. Supporting
arguments can be called topic sentences.

An argument can be explicit or implicit.

An argument must be adapted to its rhetorical situation.

Rhetorical or academic Argument is
NOT

01 02 03 04 05
An argument An argument is An argument An argument is An argument is
need not be not a mere fight. does not have a not a mere not a statement
controversial or single winner or opinion. of FACT.
about a loser.
controversy.
source
https://viva.pressbooks.pub/letsgetwriting/chapter/what-is-argument/
The six
ingredients of
good writing
Ideas

Organization

Voice

Word choice

Sentence fluency

Conventions.
Source
https://www.smekenseducation.com/6-traits-of-writing/
Exploratory
Writing
EXPLORATORY VS ARGUMENTATIVE
An exploratory essay considers a topic or problem and explores possible solutions. This type of paper
also sometimes includes background about how you have approached the topic, as well as information
about your research process.

Whereas other types of essays take a concrete stance on an issue and offer extensive support for that
stance, the exploratory essay covers how you arrived at an idea and what research materials and
methods you used to explore it.

For example, an argumentative essay on expanding public transportation might argue that increasing
public transit options improves citizens' quality of life. However, an exploratory essay would provide
context for the issue and discuss what data and research you gathered to consider the problem.
WHAT IS EXPLORATORY WRITING?
Importantly, an exploratory essay does not reach a specific conclusion about a topic.
Rather, it explores multiple conclusions and possibilities. So, for the above example,
your exploratory essay might include several viewpoints about public transit, including
research from urban planners, transportation advocates, and other experts.

Finally, an exploratory essay will include some reflection on your own research and
writing process. You might be asked to draw some conclusions about how you could
tackle your topic in an argumentative essay or you might reflect on what sources or
pieces of evidence were most helpful as you were exploring the topic.

Ultimately, the primary goal of an exploratory essay is to make an inquiry about a topic
or problem, investigate the context, and address possible solutions.
 STYLE AND SOURCE
Style

While exploratory essays will generally follow academic style guidelines, they differ from other essays because they tend to utilize
a more reflective, personal tone. This doesn't mean that you can cast off academic style rules, however.

Rather, think of an exploratory essay as a venue for presenting your topic and methods to a sympathetic and intelligent audience of
fellow researchers. Most importantly, make sure that your writing is clear, correct, and concise.

Sources

As an exploration of your approach to a topic, an exploratory essay will necessarily incorporate research material. As a result, you
should expect to include a bibliography or references page with your essay. This page will list both the sources that you cite in your
essay, as well as any sources that you may have consulted during your research process.

The citation style of your essay's bibliography will vary based on the subject of the course. For example, an exploratory essay for a
sociology class will probably adhere to APA style, while an essay in a history class might use Chicago style.
OUTLINE AND FORMAT
An exploratory essay utilizes the same basic structure that you'll find in other essays. It
includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction sets up
the context for your topic, addresses why that topic is worthy of study, and states your
primary research question(s).

The body paragraphs cover the research that you've conducted and often include
overviews of the sources that you've consulted. The conclusion returns to your
research question and considers possible solutions.
 INTRODUCTION

The introduction of an exploratory essay functions as an overview. In this section, you should provide context for your
topic, explain why the topic is important, and state your research question:

Context includes general information about the topic. This part of the introduction may also outline, or signpost, what
the rest of the paper will cover.
Topic importance helps readers "buy in" to your research. A few sentences that address the question, "so what?" will
enable you to situate your research within an ongoing debate.
The last part of of your introduction should clearly state your research question. It's okay to have more than one,
depending on the assignment.

If you were writing an exploratory essay on public transportation, you might start by briefly introducing the recent
history of public transit debates. Next, you could explain that public transportation research is important because it
has a concrete impact on our daily lives. Finally, you might end your introduction by articulating your primary
research questions.
Example of introduction
in exploratory writing
While some individuals may choose not to utilize public
transportation, decisions to expand or alter public transit
systems affect the lives of all. As a result of my preliminary
research, I became interested in exploring whether public
transportation systems improve citizens' quality of life. In
particular, does public transit only improve conditions for those
who regularly use these systems? Or, do improvements in public
transportation positively impact the quality of life for all
individuals within a given city or region? The remainder of this
essay explores the research around these questions and
considers some possible conclusions.
BODY PARAGRAPHS IN
EXPLORATORY WRITING

Body paragraphs

The body paragraphs of an exploratory essay discuss the research process

that you used to explore your topic. This section highlights the sources that
you found most useful and explains why they are important to the debate.

You might also use the body paragraphs to address how individual resources
changed your thinking about your topic. Most exploratory essays will have
several body paragraphs
 EXAMPLE OF BODY PARA IN
EXPLORATORY WRITING
One source that was especially useful to my research was 2016 study by Richard J. Lee and Ipek N. Sener
that considers the intersections between transportation planning and quality of life.

They argue that, while planners have consistently addressed physical health and well-being in
transportation plans, they have not necessarily factored in how mental and social health contributes to
quality of life.

Put differently, transportation planning has traditionally utilized a limited definition of quality of life and
this has necessarily impacted data on the relationship between public transit and quality of life.

This resource helped me broaden his conception of quality of life to include all aspects of human health. It
also enabled a better understanding of the stakeholders involved in transportation decisions.
 Conclusion

Your conclusion should return to the

research question stated in your
introduction.
HOW TO What are some possible solutions to
CONCLUDE IN your questions, based on the sources
EXPLORATORY that you highlighted in your essay?
WRITING While you shouldn't include new
information in your conclusion, you can
discuss additional questions that arose
as you were conducting your research
EXAMPLE OF CONCLUSION OF
EXPLORATORY WRITING
In my introduction – the question is - whether public transit improves quality of life for
all, not simply for users of public transportation.

The research demonstrates that there are strong connections between public
transportation and quality of life, but that researchers differ as to how quality of life is
defined. Many conclude that public transit improves citizens' lives, but it is still not
clear how public transit decisions affect non-users, since few studies have focused on
this distinct group.

As a result, I conclude that more research is needed to answer the research questions
stated above
 The introduction should outline the problem you explored and why it’s important. In
addition, you should briefly discuss 1) some of the problem’s possible causes; 2) the
institutions and people involved with the problem; 3) some of the possible solutions to
the problem. A brief overview of the types of sources you researched during your
inquiry.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

Body paragraphs should discuss the inquiry process you followed to research your
problem. These paragraphs should include the following:

Introduction of source (title, author, type of media, publisher, publication date, etc.)
and why you chose to use it in your exploration

Important information you found in the source regarding your problem

PARTS OF EXPLORATORY
WRITING Why the information is important and dependable in relation to the problem

Some personal introspection on how the source helped you, allowed you to think
differently about the problem, or even fell short of your expectations and led you in a
new direction in your research, which forms a transition into your next source.

CONCLUSION

The conclusion should restate the problem you explored, outline some of its possible
causes, review the institutions and people involved, and highlight some possible
solutions. If you still have any questions about the problem (and it’s ok to have some),
you will discuss them here. Talk about why you think you still have questions regarding
the problem you explored, where you might look to answer these questions, and what
other forms of research you would have to do.
WHY EXPLORATORY WRITING IS
DIFFERENT?

An exploratory essay is, in essence, a

retrospective of your writing and
thinking process as you work through a
Instead of writing to convince an
problem. It describes when, how, and
audience of the validity of a thesis, you
why you completed certain types of
will be writing to find out about a
research. This kind of writing is about
problem and perhaps to form some
how you work through problems that
preliminary conclusions about how it
require writing and research. You will
might be solved.
have to be introspective and think about
your thinking process in order for your
essay to turn out well.
SOURCES
https://www.bibguru.com/blog/write-exploratory-essay/

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/exploratory_papers
/organizing_an_exploratory_essay.html