Sample Outline for Argumentative Synthesis

Topic: Television and Children

I. Introduction

Provide some background on television -- how long it's been around, what kind of shows are on it, how some people think it's bad, etc.
Raise the specific issue of children and television and the controversy over whether TV is good or bad for children.
My position statement: Despite the existence of some unsuitable television shows, on the whole, children who watch television are not damaged; in fact, children can benefit from watching television.

II. Reason 1: Television can be a means of education for children.

Shows like Sesame Street and Mister Rogers Neighborhood teach them a variety of skills from counting to getting along with others.
- Integrate some information from Essay 1 on what educators think of PBS.
- Integrate some information from Essay 2, which discusses the importance of learning at an early age.
Even non-educational shows give them an awareness of other kinds of people and other cultures that they may not be familiar with personally.
- Integrate some information from Essay 2 that discusses how many children do not come into contact with other cultures or races until they are in their teens.

III. Reason 2: Television provides children with a safe means of entertainment.

While running and playing are important for children, they also need some "down time" just as adults do.
- Integrate some information from Essay 1 that discusses some of the specific entertainment-only shows on TV such as Saturday morning cartoons.
- Integrate some information from Essay 3, which discusses the role that Walt Disney cartoons play in a child's life.

IV. Counterargument: Television is full of violence, sex, and bad language.

Begin by citing information from Essay 3, which discusses the number of violent acts a child can expect to witness on TV by the time he or she is twelve years old.
React to such a problem with the following refutation: TV is not to blame if children watch such violence; rather parents are to blame because they don't monitor their children closely enough.
- Integrate some information from Essay 1 on how certain networks such as the Discovery Channel and PBS contain no offensive television
- Integrate some information from Essay 2 on how educators believe that parents still must do a better job of keeping track of their child's interests.

V. Conclusion: Discuss how television can become better than it already is.

Note:

This outline follows a persuasive organizational strategy although the conclusion does address some possible solutions.
This outline appears to plan for a five-paragraph paper. Two of the paragraphs are devoted to reasons and one paragraph is devoted to counterarguments. Papers can be longer than five paragraphs, of course. A third reason could easily be raised. Or, the writer might want to come up with other counterarguments and devote a paragraph to each counterargument.
There is no rule that states counterarguments must come last. You might begin with a counterargument, and then move to your reasons.
Note how each body paragraph would appear to synthesize at least two sources.
Essay 2 appears to address television little if any. Rather, the writer uses Essay 2 because of what it says about education.
This paper saves the counterargument for a separate paragraph, but the writer could raise and refute counterarguments throughout the essay. For example, a counterargument for Reason 1 might be that though a show like Sesame Street educates children, it also encourages short attention spans because most of the segments on Sesame Street last anywhere from ten seconds to two minutes.