You will deliver an argumentative presentation which means you take a position or view on a topic and offer an argument for that position.

Possible Topics

• A political position (e.g., arguing for or against a particular policy like Universal Basic Income).
• Critically evaluating pieces of media (e.g., arguing that The Office is better than Parks and Recreation).
• A debate within a particular subculture (e.g., arguing that the College Football Playoff Committee should have put Florida State in the 2023 playoffs instead of Alabama).
• Trying to objectively justify one of your opinions (e.g., dogs are better than cats).

Developing a Topic

Once you have a few possible topics, answer the following questions for each of them:

• What do I already know about this topic?
• What would I like to know more about this topic?
• What would I like to argue about this topic? (What position will you take?)

Developing a Position

• Be specific. What is your position and why.
• A level of complexity that would lead to a full presentation.
• It is open enough to interpretation that rational people could agree or disagree with you.

Now that you have a few broad topics, you need to select one that is appropriate for the assignment, has enough information available, and will hold your interest. For each of the topics you have generated, search a few keywords in Google, Library Search, and Google Scholar.

• Is there a lot of information available or only a few sources?
• What words are being used in titles and abstracts (article summaries) to describe the topic?
• Are there names, dates, places, things, etc. that are repeatedly mentioned?
• Is there anything more specific about a topic that sounds interesting?

For help using Google, Library Search, and Google Scholar, check out these guides:

• Advanced Searching in Google
• Library Search
• Getting the most out of Google Scholar
• Reading Scholarly Articles