What does it mean to be controversial?

Most of your college writing assignments will instruct you to take a position or to make an argument. While it's important to learn how to weigh the evidence and draw conclusions that may be different from those of other scholars, it's also important to remember that in academic writing, the most controversial position isn't necessarily the strongest one to take. It might be tempting to manufacture a controversial argument by over-generalizing or caricaturing the ideas you oppose, but ultimately this kind of argument will be neither convincing nor interesting. Any argument you make should be the result of careful thought, and should follow from a fair reading of the evidence available to you.

Consider, for example, Francis Deng's paper on the use of psychostimulant drugs among college students. This paper, written for Deng's Expos course and published in the 2008-2009 Exposé, argues that the current debate about the illicit use of psychostimulant drugs such Ritalin obscures the social context in which drugs are used, stigmatizing those who really need them, and reinforcing the very conditions that encourage their use. Deng's argument is controversial because it challenges the common discourse about drug use, providing a fresh analysis of the evidence to support his claim. At the same time, Deng carefully and fairly summarizes the viewpoints that he is challenging. There are certainly more controversial arguments to be made on this topic, arguments that would generate controversy for its own sake. For example, one could argue that the use of psychostimulants is leading to an entire generation of ignorant students, or that the opposition to the use of these drugs represents a conspiracy to punish those who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities. But to make one of these arguments, Deng would have had to misrepresent his sources, either by exaggerating the implications of their claims or leaving out evidence that would contradict these interpretations.