Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology

Thinking about Your Topic

Before you can start to do research, develop a thesis statement, or plan the structure of your argument, you need to think a bit about the topic you have chosen. You can use invention strategies, such as freewriting (writing without stopping for a predetermined time), brainstorming (making quick notes on your topic), or clustering (creating a diagram to map out your thoughts) to help you discover ideas you might write about. You can also explore ideas in a writing journal or in conversations with friends, classmates, family members, or instructors.

Freewriting

Brainstorming

Clustering

“Nearby schools” and “Other US schools’ are drawn by two different lines leads to “Our Campus” which is drawn by a line that leads to “Topic: The Green Movement on College Campuses” which is circled. This leads to two different lines, one is “Advantages of Green Campus” and the second is “Problem of Green Campus.” The “Advantages of green campus” has three points drawn by three lines. The first point is “Helps environment”. The second point is “Could save money?” and the third point is “Creates concerned and active student body”. The second line from “topic” leads to “Problems of green campus” has three main points and sub points drawn by lines. The first point is “Getting all students involved”, the second point is “$” leading to two sub points “Cost to student” and “Cost to school”. The third point is “Keeping students interested” which has three sub points drawn by three lines. The first is “Posters,” the second is “Conferences” and the third is “Classes.”

When you finish exploring ideas, you should be able to construct a quick informal outline that lists the ideas you plan to discuss.

Informal Outline

By grouping your ideas and arranging them in a logical order, an informal outline like the one above can help lead you to a thesis statement that expresses the position you will take on the issue.