We live in divisive times in which people have strong opinions about a number of issues that directly impact our lives. We have explored some of these issues in our discussions of Childish Gambino’s video “This is America”, the film Fahrenheit 451, and the documentary, The Social Dilemma. The emergence of the COVID-19 virus has presented a plethora of new issues and divisions within our society, some of which are debatable and some of which are not.

Your assignment is to write an argumentative research essay on an debatable issue raised in one of the texts we explored (“This is America”, Fahrenheit 451, and The Social Dilemma) or the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: gun violence, mass shootings, police brutality and excessive force, systemic racism, protest, government regulation, the impact of social media, mental health, censorship, and etc.

Your essay must include the following:

an introduction that includes a hook, a clear explanation of the issue and the two opposing viewpoints, and a clear, arguable thesis that makes a claim/takes a position on the issue.
support utilizing various argumentative strategies, including the appeals of logos, pathos, and ethos.
clear, logical organization.
evidence integrated from eight (or more) credible, scholarly sources.
discussion of the opposing viewpoint (finding common ground or refuting).
documentation of sources with in-text citations and a Works Cited page.
be at least 1,750 words.