BSc (Hons) Logistics and

Supply Chain Management

(Final Year)

Study Skills

Assessment 2 Essay and

Research Process

Abigail Rebecca Hlabano

2117245

2117235

12/11/2021
Contents

Definitions..........................................................................................................................................2

Elements of an Argumentative Essay......................................................................................3

Approaches to argumentative essays.........................................................................................4

Structure.............................................................................................................................................7

Three ways to write a thesis statement.......................................................................................8

Example............................................................................................................................................10

References.......................................................................................................................................13

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 ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Definitions

 A basic definition of an argumentative essay is a genre of writing that takes a

position on a debatable topic. A successful example of this essay will use

logical arguments and facts related to the topic to convince the reader of the

chosen position.

 Argumentative essay writing requires the writers to cultivate and analyse

arguments to initiate an array of interpersonal and textual contact for reader

consideration (FUNG & MEI, 2015)

 Argumentative essays are easy for readers to follow because they have

straightforward writing structure should have a straightforward structure. The

purpose this essay is to clearly outline a point of view using sound reasoning,

and evidence. (staff, 2021)

 Argmentative essays are a form of academic writing that requires an author

presents both sides of an argument or issue. The primary purpose of an

argumentative essay is to inform rather than persuade (S, 2020)

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Elements of an Argumentative Essay

 Position: a stand is taken, for instance, the writer may be arguing that

tobacco products or cannabis should be made illegal. A point should be made

to express the writer’s chosen position and why. For example, they may

provide exact reasons to show how tobacco products may be damaging

people’s health. (S, 2020)

 Evidence: This is where facts are gathered from different sources to support

the writer’s reasons. It is essential to provide citations and references for

where information was collected to show concrete evidence. Not proving

proof may lead to information not being considered. The writer could cite

health studies or scientific journals. (S, 2020)

 Counterarguments: in this section the opposing side of the argument is

addressed. The writer provides their own point of view on the opposing

argument. (S, 2020)

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Approaches to argumentative essays

An argumentative essay is aimed to provide an impartial approach; arguments

should be based on logic and evidence and should not be exaggerated or appeal to

emotion. (Caulfield, 2020) it is reliant on evidence-based opinions.

Toulmin arguments (Caulfield, 2020)

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as

necessary for the purpose of the argument:

1. A claim is made

2. Justifications (evidence) for the claim are provided

3. Explain how the justifications support the claim

4. Possible contradictions to the claim are discussed, demonstrating that

alternative perspectives have been considered.

The Toulmin arguments is a common approach when writing this type of essay.

Establishment of a clear connection between the writer’s claims and the evidence

supporting them is very critical in an argumentative essay. (Caulfield, 2020)

Let us say the writer is making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace

anti-discrimination measures. they might:

1. Claim the results of unconscious bias training may be undesirable, and

organisational resources may be better spent on other approaches

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 2. Cite data to support their claim

3. Explain how the data indicates the ineffectiveness of the method

4. Anticipate objections to their claim data-based claims, indicating the validity of

these objections and their reasons.

Rogerian arguments (Caulfield, 2020)

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps that might repeated although the

essay:

1. Discuss opposition points that the writer may agree with and why they might

hold this position

2. Draw attention to the drawbacks with this position

3. Present your own position, showing how it addresses these drawbacks

4. Suggest a possible compromise—what elements of the writer position do

they believe the opposition could benefit from adopting?

This model highlights both sides of an argument and seeks to attain a middle

ground. It is particularly useful where there are strong disagreements on the issue

discussed, this allows the writer to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

(Caulfield, 2020)

Say the wants to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education.

They might:

1. Acknowledge the overreliance on websites such as Wikipedia by student

demographic

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 2. Argue that teachers are biased against the reliability of Wikipedia as an

academic website

3. Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can be used a teaching tool to

students about referencing

4. Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for

teachers who are sceptical of its usefulness.

Classical Approach (S, 2020)

This is the most common approach of the three and follows five steps below.

 The introduction consists of the thesis statement and familiarises the reader

with the main purpose of the essay. Example: Cancers, heart attacks, and

obesity are some of the many health complications that are attributed to the

use of Tobacco products

 History on the subject where the writer can introduce studies that show the

effect of being raised in a smoking environment can have on children’s

upbringing.

 Main arguments the writer presents the main points of their arguing position.

For example, they could write about how the feeling of addiction makes it

difficult to give up smoking or the feeling of withdrawal being too difficult to

withstand.

 Rebutals — Here the writer presents their counterarguments. Example: some

people believe that genetic predisposition is more impactful in causing health

problems than smoking. However, there is major evidence which shows that

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 smoking can cause bigger long-term damage to lungs than a genetic

predisposition to cancer.

 Conclusion all the main arguments are presented, solutions are provided and

a suggestion of future studies to be conducted may also apply here.

It is not necessary to pick just one of these models to use, the writer may pick and

choose different elements from each to construct their ideal essay, it is worth

considering these for those who struggle to structure their arguments. (Caulfield,

2020)

Structure

1. Introductory paragraph. In the first paragraph the writer presents the topic

along with suitable information needed to by the reader to fathom the writer’s

argumentative position. This is also a suitable time to introduce the thesis. (S,

2020)

2. The thesis statements. This forms part of the first paragraph as a simple one-

sentence summary of your main point and claim. (S, 2020)

3. Body paragraphs. Each of the three or more body paragraph should aim to

convince the reader to agree with the writer’s arguing position, each

paragraph should cover its own point coupled with supporting evidence. This

evidence may consist of examples, text citations and conducted research.

The body paragraphs require the writer to tackle opposing viewpoints and

refute them or explain why they disagree. (S, 2020)

4. Conclusion. It consists of one paragraph that reiterates the thesis and sums

up all the arguments made in the body paragraphs. A good conclusion will

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 appeal to a reader’s emotions instead of introducing new material. In some

cases, writers will use a personal anecdote explaining how the topic

personally affects them. (S, 2020)

Three ways to write a thesis statement (Kearney, 2020)

1. Question/Answer Format: the simplest way to write a thesis statement is to turn

the topic into a question and then answer that question. The question has to be

understood clearly so that the answer can be given. i.e.

 Does smoking cause serious health problems for addicts? (Fact)

 What is “substance abuse?” (Definition)

 What are the causes of addiction? (Cause)

 How important is it for children to avoid smoking? (Value)

 What can you do to curb addiction in young people? (Proposal)

2. Disprove objections: State one side of the argument and present a refuting

statement. The writer presents one side of the argument “there is no way to curb

addiction in young people” and disprove it by saying “there are fewer addiction cases

when young people are educated about drug addiction from childhood” What makes

this statement stronger (and more appealing) is the reference to studies that will

back up the argument.

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3. Roadmap: An additional way to make a strong thesis is to do a "Roadmap" which

informs the reader in just a few words the three or more main points to be covered. A

claim is stated, a stance on the claim is taken, and the main points that will back up

your stance. Although it is long-drawn-out, it methodically frames what the essay will

discuss. Not only is this helpful for the reader, it helps the writer to easily focus on

these points and not lose their way when crafting the essay.

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Example

LEGALISATION OF SEX WORK

Should sex work be legalised? The sex work industry has proven to be one of the

most profitable industries today. Sex work is defined as the exchange of sexual

services, performances, or products for monetary benefit. (Lutnick & Cohan,

November 2009)] Sex work is voluntary sexual transaction which does not include

coerced or non-consensual sexual transactions such as child prostitution and or

human trafficking.This transaction must take place between consenting adults who

are of the legal age and mental capacity to consent [ (International, 2019)].Although

sex work is illegal in many countries due to ambiguity in the law, it is not illegal in all

its forms, for example in the United States of America prostitution is illegal however

pornography is not. The many forms of sex work spark a debate of whether it should

be legalised.

Job creation vs morality

Sex work is one of the most lucrative industries today, this is due to its many forms

from webcam modelling to phone sex operators, sex workers perform erotic acts

online or through the phone in exchange for financial compensation. These workers

perform these services without ever meeting their clients, they may also sell videos

of their performances (Isador, 2019). In today’s world sex work has managed to

create a way to earn a living for people without job qualifications, however some

people may view sex work as an immoral way of earning money, reducing sex to a

financial transaction undermines normal human relationships, marriage, and the

family. (europe, n.d.). as many countries in the world are religious oriented, sex work

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is greatly frowned upon and associated with heathenism, considered unholy as it

stands against many of the countries believes.

Safety vs safety

Legalising sex work will make workers less vulnerable to violence from clients, which

may include robbery, assault or murder and the violators get away with it because

sex workers don’t have protection from the law (Holston-Zannell, 2020). The panic of

being arrested or stopped and questions by the police may force sex workers who

work in the street to move to locations that are less secure, or pressure them into

rushed negotiations with clients and this may compromise their ability to evaluate

risks to their own safety. Sex workers are usually hesitant to report violent incidents

to the police as they fear being prosecuted for the type of work, they engage in

(Organistion, 2013). On the other hand, legalisation may not be the best solution, for

example after legalising prostitution in Germany research uncovered that despite

this, women were still being abused in huge mega brothels and human trafficking

gangs continue to traffic girls from eastern Europe, South America, and Africa into

sexual slavery. The sex industry remains unregulated and insufficiently policed and

this the prevalence of drugs, corruption, and other crimes, this is reported by

Germany’s Family Ministry. (europe, n.d.)

Health vs risk

Decriminalising sex work would make it easier for sex workers to have access to

healthcare services of which they were not able to access from fear of being

stigmatised if they ask for help at health centres, they believe they’ll be denied help

due the nature of their work (Holston-Zannell, 2020). The illegality and stigma

associated with this work form has resulted in the medical embellishment’s failure to

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view it through the lens of occupational health and safety and instead as a ‘risk of

trade” Although health problems associated with prostitution, such as sexually

transmitted diseases and violence, are commonly assumed to be "risks of the

trade,"(P, 1998). In contrary not legalising sex would be dangerous and risky for sex

workers health because in some instances they are not able to negotiate on the use

of condoms by clients which pose a high risk of getting infected by STDs.

Legalisation may also give brothel owners and pimps leverage over their employees

who are sometimes sex trafficked and held against their will as there will be less

needed to hide because what they are doing is no longer illegal.

Human Rights vs Protection

According to human rights watch sex work should be legalised since criminalising

adult, voluntary and consensual sexual services is an impediment of the human right

to personal autonomy and privacy. Consenting adults should not be policed on what

terms and with whom they can have sexual relations with. (watch, 2019) arguably

legalising sex work increases the size of commercial sex market which benefit

criminal enterprises that profit from sex trafficking (seo-young, et al., 2012) Sex

trafficking and the likes of child ponography are major issued that need to be

addressed by law enforcement but should not be confused with legal adults who

are willing to engage in sexual services. (Shay McHale, 2018)

In conclusion, the author agrees with the motion that sex work should be legalised as

it would be much safer and easier for those who are in the business to earn their

living freely without fear of being arrested or hurt. Legalisation would reduce the

number of violent attacks against or on sex workers and make it easier for them to

seek help from both law enforcement and healthcare. The sex industry could also

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generate a lot of tax revenue as it has been proven to be a highly profitable industry,

it’s been estimated legalising prostitution across the United States could give the tax

authorities around $20 billion a year. In Germany – which liberalized its prostitution

laws in 2002 – the legal industry is worth around €16 billion and tax revenue is a

major contribution to some city budgets. It’s time the sex industry is taxed like any

other business, so that those revenues can benefit society. (europe, n.d.)

References

Caulfield, J., 2020. scribbr. [Online]

Available at: https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/argumentative-essay/

[Accessed 11 11 2021].

europe, d., n.d. www.debatingeurope.eu. [Online]

Available at: https://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/arguments-legalising-prostitution/

#.YYgTIG1BzIV

FUNG, Y. M. & MEI, H. C., 2015. Improving Undergraduates’ Argumentative Group Essay Writing

through Self-Assessment. [Online]

Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1127448&site=ehost-live

[Accessed 10 11 2021].

Holston-Zannell, L. B., 2020. www.aclu.org. [Online]

Available at: aclu.org/news/lgbtq-right/sex-work-is-real-work-and-its-time-to-treat-it-that-way/

[Accessed 09 11 2021].

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International, A., 2019. www.amnesty.org. [Online]

Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/qa-policy-to-protect-the-human-rights-of-sex-workers/

[Accessed 08 11 2021].

Isador, G., 2019. www.vice.com. [Online]

Available at: https://www.vice.com/en/article/wjmbwn/cam-models-tell-us-how-much-money-they-

are-really-making

[Accessed 08 11 2020].

Kearney, V., 2020. owlcation. [Online]

Available at: https://owlcation.com/academia/How-to-Write-an-Argument-Essay

[Accessed 11 11 2021].

Lutnick, A. & Cohan, D., November 2009. Lutnick, Alexandra;Criminalization, legalization or

decriminalization of sex work: What female sex workers say in San Francisco, USA. Reproductive

Health Matters, 17,2009(34), pp. 38-46.

Organistion, W. H., 2013. Implementing comprehensive HIV/STI programmes with sex workers:

practical, Geneva: World Health Organisation.

P, A., 1998. Sex work and health: a question of safety in the workplace. J Am Med Womens Assoc

(1972), PMID: 9595900(Spring;53(2)), pp. 77-82.

seo-young, dreher, a. & neumayer, e., 2012. elsevier. [Online]

Available at: www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev

[Accessed 11 11 2021].

Shay McHale and Anika Talia Griffiths | published Sep. 3rd, 2., 2018. should sex work be legalised,

new york: Reporter Magazine.

S, J., 2020. essaypro. [Online]

Available at: https://essaypro.com/blog/argumentative-essay

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[Accessed 11 11 2021].

staff, M. c., 2021. How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay: Easy Step-by-Step Guide. 09 09.

watch, h. r., 2019. hrw.org. [Online]

Available at: hrw.org/news/2019/08/07/why-sex-work-should-be-decriminalised#

[Accessed 11 11 2021].

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