Description

This is an argumentative essay assignment to Enrique Dussel’s article ‘Was America Discovered or Invaded?’

Goal in this essay is to construct an argument related to the primary claim(s) of your Dussel’s essay. The Precis (uploaded) isolates the main argument(s) of Dussel’s work, and now it is time for you to make and defend your own claim(s) in response. You are entering into a conversation with Dussel and the text, showing how and why you think Dussel’s arguments are or are not agreeable, sufficient, convincing, etc. Consider why you are or are not convinced by the text, and why your audience should come to a similar evaluation.

The argumentative essay should provide the following, at the minimum:
• A thesis claim that is directly related to the main argument(s) or claim(s) of your chosen text
• Summaries and/or paraphrases that orient an unfamiliar reader to the ideas under investigation
• Quotations that are unpacked in a way that shows how you are engaging in conversation with the author of your chosen text
• A clear presentation of your argument – Do you agree with the author’s claims or disagree? A little bit of both? Why? What rationale and research can you use to support or refute the claims being made in your chosen text?
• Incorporation of support for your argument through careful, nuanced argumentation and support from additional sources
• An indication of what is at stake in the argument your making – This should be alluded to in your introduction/thesis claim, and then expanded upon in your conclusion.

Some additional research may be necessary in order to support your arguments. Please ensure that you are only using items listed through the University of Toronto library system, so that you are only using scholarly texts. There is no required number of sources for this assignment – use your best judgment to assemble sources that you think would support the claims you’re making (focus on quality of resources and their use, rather than quantity). You can look up other works by the same author, responses to that author’s work, essays on similar topics, etc.