Classical Argumentative

Analyzing the Logic of an Article,
students are required to search three academic articles that they anticipate using in their argumentative
essay and respond to the logic questions below. Each entry should be 150 words minimum.
Students should include their topic of interests and topic focus. For example: Topic- Video Games and
Topic Focus- Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider Series’ Lara Croft: Feminist Digital Icon or Patriarchal
Sexist Fantasy
Students should then explain the importance of the issue (50 words minimum). This information should
be headed as follows: Significance of Social Issue
Example: The feminist reception of Lara Croft as a game character has been ambivalent to say the
least. The question itself presupposes an either/or answer, thereby neatly expressing the polarities
around which most popular media and academic discussions of Lara Croft tend to revolve. It is a
question that is often reduced to trying to decide whether she is a positive role model for young
girls or just that perfect combination of eye and thumb candy for the boys. It is also increasingly
difficult to distinguish between Lara Croft the character in Tomb Raider and Lara Croft the
ubiquitous virtual commodity used to sell products as diverse as the hardware to play the game
itself.
The above information should appear first, and then, questions of logic of article.
Each set of questions should be titled and numbered accordingly.
The Logic of (Title of Article), Author, & Publication
(Example: Logic of Gender and Videogames: The Political Valency of Lara Croft. Maja Mikula. Journal
of Media and Cultural Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2008)
1) The main purpose of the article is ______________________. (State as accurately as possible the
author’s purpose for writing the article.)
2) The most important information in this article is _____________________. (Figure out the facts,
experiences, and data the author uses to support his/her conclusion.)
3) The main conclusion(s) in the article (Identify the key conclusions the author comes to and
presents in the article.)
4) The key concepts the reader needs to understand in this article are _______________________.
(Figure out the most important ideas the reader would have to understand in order to understand
the author’s line of thinking.)
5) How will this article assist you in developing your argumentative essay? (Briefly explain how the
article will help you develop your argumentative essay.)