EVIDENCE OUTLINE

In this homework, you will provide me with a road map of both the evidence you have gathered in support of your argument and the structure of your argument at the paragraph level.

This road map will contain several parts:

I. INTRODUCTION:  in 150-225 words, (A) define your topic or argument in a nutshell and (B) explain why this topic or argument matters for your field.

II. CLAIM/EVIDENCE/WARRANT OUTLINE

This portion of the assignment does not address your lit review; instead, this portion of the assignment is your outline for the body of your capstone.

The bulk of your final capstone argument will almost certainly be a series of cl/ev/wa paragraphs in the body of your work. This portion of the assignments makes the full arc of those paragraphs and their interconnections clear and allows you to know if you have sufficient evidence for your arguments.

In this section of the of road map, I want you to provide me with at least 20 (20) cl/ev/wa structures in bullet-point form. Each of these structures will likely represent a paragraph of actual text in your final capstone–so you will be outlining here roughly ten pages of your capstone.

That is, you will identify the claim, provide me with (a) the direct quotation (or, if necessary, the indirect quotation) and appropriate citation in a consistent format of your choosing, and (b) the warrant that explains how and why your evidence supports that particular claim.  Claims for which you have not provided evidence—likely textual evidence from a written source—will not be counted toward your twenty-structures minimum. Similarly, only evidence with specific citations (including the necessary page numbers or the like) will count as evidence toward your twenty-structures minimum. But you do not need transitions or full sentences as you are just providing bullet points (although it’s fine to include full sentence).

EXAMPLE:

CL:  Prior to 1985, scholarly attention to Latinos in higher education focused on language barriers; however, as English proficiency increased dramatically in the later 1980s but Latino graduation rates still lagged other groups, the focus shifted to other types of barriers.

EV: “Nearly all studies note that language barriers impede Latino graduation rates” (Journal of Fritz Studies, Issue X, January 12, 1983)

EV: “Language barriers can not explain Latino graduation rates but underinvestment in urban high schools can.”  (Journal of Stuff, Issue Y, February 2021)

WA: <<APPROPRIATE WARRANT>>

III.

In addition to the 250 to 350-word excerpt you provide me, you will provide the full evidentiary base for each of your cl/ev/wa structures. If you are quoting from an article, provide a screenshot of the full page  from which you quoted (even if you quoted only a sentence). If you are making an argument from a document or chart or the like, produce the whole document. In short, provide what is needed to assess the responsible use of evidence in your capstone. Be sure to include this evidentiary base in the word document you submit through blackboard–so use screen shots or whatever images are necessary to include the material.  (How to take screenshots Mac and PC)  Contact me if you have questions–for some projects this may be a little trickier than in others.