This is the big picture. The universe is made of galaxies, the world is made of continents, and the country is made of states. Your issues paper will have a few major sections of the paper that help you make your case. In his treatise on rhetoric, Aristotle gave the simplest arrangement possible: state your case, and then prove it. Rhetoricians since Aristotle have developed a useful five-part arrangement that seems to work for most arguments:
- Introduction: Draw in your readers and state your claim.
- Background: Give the facts of the case, its history, and its importance, and review key terms or technical background knowledge.
- Reasons and evidence: Bring your evidence together and argue your claim through your reasons.
- Refutations and counterclaims: Review arguments that go against yours—acknowledge them or refute them.
- Conclusion: Summarize the case, suggest implications that answer the question “So what?” and arouse your audience to take action or adopt a new attitude.
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