Paper 2 Assignment Instructions
Paper 2 Assignment: “The Persuasive Effects of Quantitative Data or, ‘That’s What Studies Show’”
When arguments are being made for or against a particular political policy, bill, or even party stance, the phrase “studies show” is often invoked as a way to shore up the validity of specific claims. Known as an appeal to quantitative data, this form of argumentation uses statistics, research results, and the conclusions of experts to make its case. For this essay, you will explain how quantitative data is being used to forward a particular claim. Your job is not to make the quantitative argument yourself, but to analyze a specific example of how quantitative data is being used to support a political claim. To do this, you will focus on the topic below, examine both the evidence provided and an example you have found yourself, and write an essay that details how these sources are deploying quantitative evidence.
Topic: Immigration/Discussing “dreamers”
Recently, there has been significant bipartisan support for “dreamers”: immigrants, without citizenship, who were brought to the U.S. as children. For example, in July 2017, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) came together to introduce a new Dream Act, thus “reminding Americans that there is strong bipartisan support for Dreamers.” This reflects 2016 Morning Consult and Politico polls which report that “78% of American voters support giving Dreamers the chance to stay permanently in America, including 73% of people who voted for President Donald Trump.”[1]
Pre-Writing Steps:
Review the research that has been provided for you about this topic. Choose three sources that work well together and make notes on how they use quantitative data.
On your own, find one additional source that adds to the arguments in the three sources from the provided list. Make sure that this new source also used quantitative data and that it works well with the three sources you have already chosen.
