Introduction
APK excelled at argumentation! :)
"Argument is to me the air I breathe. Given any proposition, I cannot help believing the other side and defending it.:
Gertrude Stein
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. "
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chapter one is entitled "Understanding Argument". Human beings seem hardwired to argue! We encounter arguments everyday, everywhere. We all know that a classroom debate or a response to an online post is an argument, but consider too that everytime you turn on the TV, read a newspaper or magazine, or even write a job application, you are witnessing/participating in argument. Your book gives various other examples.
Argument is particularly signigicant in a college class such as this. As stated in your book, "both class discussions and academic writing often take the form of argument" (3). When you are presented with a topic, your response to that topic calls for argumentation; you will state your opinions (usually in third person) and support them.
Why do Instructors assign argument? (Box on pg. 4)
* To encourage students to develop and defend a position.
* To help students learn to look closely at their own (and others') ideas.
* To give studetns the tools they need to convince others of the validity of their own ideas.
* To help students learn to resolve conflicting points of view.
An argument is NOT a quarrel or attack. It is not "spin". It is not a denial of someone else's position-- it is imperative to present evidence to support your argument.
There is a difference between FORMAL arguments (those that you develop in academic discussion and writing) and INFORMAL arguments (those that occur in daily life about things like politics, sports, social issues, etc.). While formal arguments tend to focus on facts, informal ones tend to focus on emotion and opinion. Informal arguments also lack the structure of a formal argument (such as the link between a viewpoint and evidience).
An argument takes a stand and presents evidence that helps to convince people to accept the writer's position. An argument never actually proves anything (if it did, then there would be no argument!). The goal of an argumeent should be to convince others to accept or acknowledge the validity of a particular position.
What is wrong with this argument??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tumwBLp--FU&feature=related
Is this what the media considers debate?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H95RsXv0axo&feature=related
What would Plato and Aristotle think of that?
These are U.S. Senators. Is this healthy debate that will lead to American progress?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Msx2TGEI4
Some people are angry at government and want to argue against policy and for change. This is one way they do this... what do you think about the effectiveness of their rhetoric? What would Plato and Aristotle say?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S38VioxnBaI&feature=related
VITRIOL: Bitterly scathing, caustic. Sarcasm that is severely critical.
This has no place in formal argumentation.
Do our words have power? Do they have consequences?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pdwTQ4xA8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7046bo92a4
Most arguments you encounter in college are quite complex and contain more than "2 sides". There's an example about "torture" in your textbook on pgs. 6-7. Consider also a literary argument. We can "argue" the theme or some aspect of "characterization", but there will always be more than "2 ways" to argue it. The possibilities of what to focus on and how to narrow the focus are vast.
What kinds of statements are not debatable? (Pg. 5-6)
Debatable: There must be conflicting opinions or facts that call the validity of the statement into question. The following are not suitable for argument:
1. Statements of Fact: This can be verified by research, so it is not debatable.
Example: Some colleges make lectures available as podcasts. (Can't argue this-- it is fact.)
-- Making podcasts available enhances the education of students. (Can be argued).
Your THESIS should always contain a debatable statement.
2. Statements of personal preferences or tastes are not debatable.
Example: Diet soft drinks are gross. (Can't argue this-- it is just a preference.)
--Diet soft drinks contribute to obesity and therefore should not be sold in school cafeterias. (Debatable-- you'd h ave to supply evidence- facts, statistics, and expert opinion- to establish that your opinion is reasonable.)
3. Unsupported expressions of religious faith or belief (or other strongly held personal convictions) are not the basis for an argument. You may believe such statements are self-evident, but they may not be self-evident to your audience.
Example: Due to the commandment "thou shalt not kill," it is obvious that the death penalty should be abolished. (This is not self-evident to all people and should not be presented as factual evidence to support a claim).
--The death penalty should be abolished because it violates the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law. (Now, this is debatable... you'd have to give supporting evidence that establishes this as a reasonable opinion).
** I once had a student write a paper on John Lennon, and his "argument" was that John Lennon was a bad guy because he did drugs. He never did understand why he received a failing grade on the paper. Any insight?
**Aristotle assumed that at their core, human beings were logical and that they would respond to a well-constructed argument. Such an argument would resonate with people and convince them that the conclusion that they were hearing or reading was correct.
Is this completely accurate? Why or why not?
Persuasion is a general term to refer to how a speaker or writer influences an audience to adopt a belief or follow a course of action. Aristotle examined the different means of persuasion that can be used:
LOGOS (appeal to logic) PATHOS (appeal to emotion) and ETHOS (appeal to authority)
Argument, at its core, is the appeal to LOGIC.
However, appeals to emotion and authority can also be persuasive. To test a writer's credibility, ask yourself:
Does the writer demonstrate knowledge of the subject? Maintain a reasonable tone? Seem fair? Have credentials? You will use this in choosing your articles for your research paper.
However, not all convincing arguments are good ones! Philosophy posits that we should argue "for the greater good". Can you think of examples in History of persuasive "voices" that were not "good"?
How do we STRUCTURE an ARGUMENT? (Ch. 1)
We must go beyond stating (thesis) and supporting (topics and evidence) our argument. Look at the "pillars" diagram on pg. 12: Thesis, Evidence (x3), Refutation of opposing arguments, Concluding statement. If you do all this in the correct order, then you build a strong argument.
Thesis Statement: Appears in the first paragraph and states your position on an issue. An agrumentative essay must have an argumentative thesis- one that takes a firm stand on a debatable issue. For more on thesis, click the "thesis/topic" tab on this website.
Evidence: The material (facts, observations, expert opinion, examples, statistics, etc.) that supports your thesis statement. This appears in body paragraphs.
Refutation: This is when you acknowledge and refute (argue against) points that others may make to challenge your argument. More info. is in Ch. 7.
Refutation will be very important to the 'casebook' essay that you write. Often "refutation" is less important in literary essays-- it just all depends on the given subject. For example, if you are arguing whether or not Hamlet is mad, then refutation is very important, as scholars have tackled this question countless times with no real conclusion; to be convincing, you'll have to refute the evidence on the opposing side. However, if you wish you argue that Willy Loman was a representation of the American Dream gone awry, then you will have less refutation because this is a widely accepted premise.
Concluding Statement: This will reinforce your position. Individual assignments will call for specific information in the concluding paragraph of your essays. Conclusions don't merely summarize your paper-- they further the thesis. A conclusion may end with a call to action for some cause, relating the specific topic to in a broader way (what can society learn from Willy Loman's characterization? How can they apply the author's broad message to their own lives?), or just provide social commentary on the given issue/subject. Social commentary is the message or meaning imbedded within a text (poem, play, story, painting, song, film, etc.) that has relevance on a global, social, or personal level.
[Most of the above info. is from your textbook.]
How we write an essay will largely depend upon the topic and specific directions you are given for each assignment. However, some key aspects will remain the same for any assignment:
1. We will always include a header on the upper left hand corner of our papers and a centered, unique title that reveals something about our focus.
2. We will always ease into our topic with some sort of lead-in or hook. The thesis statement will appear in the first paragraph and be stated clearly.
3. We will write a particular type of academic essay (the college "theme") that calls for succinct organization and balance.
4. We will never include less than 5 sentences in a paragraph, and we will balance the lengths of our paragraphs so that we don't have some that are very short and others that are very long.
5. We will begin each body paragraph with a TOPIC statement that clearly introduces the central idea of that particular paragraph. We will stick to stating then elaborating/proving ONE idea per body paragraph.
6. We will attempt to write creative, intellectual conclusions that make a lasting impression on our readers. We will not begin by saying "in conclusion", nor will we ever begin a paragraph with "this paper will be about", etc. These are juvenile, ineffective "techniques".
7. We will always REVISE our essays in at least two different ways: 1. Peer Editing 2. Face-to-Face tutoring 3. Online tutoring via Smart Thinking or Grade Results. It is very important that you show up to class on peer editing sessions and give your classmates FEEDBACK. If you are a genius at writing, still show up! Your input is quite valuable.
8. We will always STAPLE our essays.
9. We will always read and reread the directions of the essay at least 3 times.
10. We will always ask for help and guidance if we need it.
I loved college, and although my college days are long behind me, I make it a priority to learn something new every single day. One good way to continue the learning process is through podcasts; these are available for download on your MP3 player or computer, or can be found on ITUNES or YOUTUBE. Some great ones are Freakonomics Radio, Ted Talks, Philosophy Bites, Big Ideas, Science Friday, and The Critical Thinker. Here is a podcast that is directly relevant to what we are studying this week. I'd like to share it with you:
Video: Start at 1:57
Gertrude Stein
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. "
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chapter one is entitled "Understanding Argument". Human beings seem hardwired to argue! We encounter arguments everyday, everywhere. We all know that a classroom debate or a response to an online post is an argument, but consider too that everytime you turn on the TV, read a newspaper or magazine, or even write a job application, you are witnessing/participating in argument. Your book gives various other examples.
Argument is particularly signigicant in a college class such as this. As stated in your book, "both class discussions and academic writing often take the form of argument" (3). When you are presented with a topic, your response to that topic calls for argumentation; you will state your opinions (usually in third person) and support them.
Why do Instructors assign argument? (Box on pg. 4)
* To encourage students to develop and defend a position.
* To help students learn to look closely at their own (and others') ideas.
* To give studetns the tools they need to convince others of the validity of their own ideas.
* To help students learn to resolve conflicting points of view.
An argument is NOT a quarrel or attack. It is not "spin". It is not a denial of someone else's position-- it is imperative to present evidence to support your argument.
There is a difference between FORMAL arguments (those that you develop in academic discussion and writing) and INFORMAL arguments (those that occur in daily life about things like politics, sports, social issues, etc.). While formal arguments tend to focus on facts, informal ones tend to focus on emotion and opinion. Informal arguments also lack the structure of a formal argument (such as the link between a viewpoint and evidience).
An argument takes a stand and presents evidence that helps to convince people to accept the writer's position. An argument never actually proves anything (if it did, then there would be no argument!). The goal of an argumeent should be to convince others to accept or acknowledge the validity of a particular position.
What is wrong with this argument??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tumwBLp--FU&feature=related
Is this what the media considers debate?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H95RsXv0axo&feature=related
What would Plato and Aristotle think of that?
These are U.S. Senators. Is this healthy debate that will lead to American progress?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Msx2TGEI4
Some people are angry at government and want to argue against policy and for change. This is one way they do this... what do you think about the effectiveness of their rhetoric? What would Plato and Aristotle say?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S38VioxnBaI&feature=related
VITRIOL: Bitterly scathing, caustic. Sarcasm that is severely critical.
This has no place in formal argumentation.
Do our words have power? Do they have consequences?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pdwTQ4xA8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7046bo92a4
Most arguments you encounter in college are quite complex and contain more than "2 sides". There's an example about "torture" in your textbook on pgs. 6-7. Consider also a literary argument. We can "argue" the theme or some aspect of "characterization", but there will always be more than "2 ways" to argue it. The possibilities of what to focus on and how to narrow the focus are vast.
What kinds of statements are not debatable? (Pg. 5-6)
Debatable: There must be conflicting opinions or facts that call the validity of the statement into question. The following are not suitable for argument:
1. Statements of Fact: This can be verified by research, so it is not debatable.
Example: Some colleges make lectures available as podcasts. (Can't argue this-- it is fact.)
-- Making podcasts available enhances the education of students. (Can be argued).
Your THESIS should always contain a debatable statement.
2. Statements of personal preferences or tastes are not debatable.
Example: Diet soft drinks are gross. (Can't argue this-- it is just a preference.)
--Diet soft drinks contribute to obesity and therefore should not be sold in school cafeterias. (Debatable-- you'd h ave to supply evidence- facts, statistics, and expert opinion- to establish that your opinion is reasonable.)
3. Unsupported expressions of religious faith or belief (or other strongly held personal convictions) are not the basis for an argument. You may believe such statements are self-evident, but they may not be self-evident to your audience.
Example: Due to the commandment "thou shalt not kill," it is obvious that the death penalty should be abolished. (This is not self-evident to all people and should not be presented as factual evidence to support a claim).
--The death penalty should be abolished because it violates the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law. (Now, this is debatable... you'd have to give supporting evidence that establishes this as a reasonable opinion).
** I once had a student write a paper on John Lennon, and his "argument" was that John Lennon was a bad guy because he did drugs. He never did understand why he received a failing grade on the paper. Any insight?
**Aristotle assumed that at their core, human beings were logical and that they would respond to a well-constructed argument. Such an argument would resonate with people and convince them that the conclusion that they were hearing or reading was correct.
Is this completely accurate? Why or why not?
Persuasion is a general term to refer to how a speaker or writer influences an audience to adopt a belief or follow a course of action. Aristotle examined the different means of persuasion that can be used:
LOGOS (appeal to logic) PATHOS (appeal to emotion) and ETHOS (appeal to authority)
Argument, at its core, is the appeal to LOGIC.
However, appeals to emotion and authority can also be persuasive. To test a writer's credibility, ask yourself:
Does the writer demonstrate knowledge of the subject? Maintain a reasonable tone? Seem fair? Have credentials? You will use this in choosing your articles for your research paper.
However, not all convincing arguments are good ones! Philosophy posits that we should argue "for the greater good". Can you think of examples in History of persuasive "voices" that were not "good"?
How do we STRUCTURE an ARGUMENT? (Ch. 1)
We must go beyond stating (thesis) and supporting (topics and evidence) our argument. Look at the "pillars" diagram on pg. 12: Thesis, Evidence (x3), Refutation of opposing arguments, Concluding statement. If you do all this in the correct order, then you build a strong argument.
Thesis Statement: Appears in the first paragraph and states your position on an issue. An agrumentative essay must have an argumentative thesis- one that takes a firm stand on a debatable issue. For more on thesis, click the "thesis/topic" tab on this website.
Evidence: The material (facts, observations, expert opinion, examples, statistics, etc.) that supports your thesis statement. This appears in body paragraphs.
Refutation: This is when you acknowledge and refute (argue against) points that others may make to challenge your argument. More info. is in Ch. 7.
Refutation will be very important to the 'casebook' essay that you write. Often "refutation" is less important in literary essays-- it just all depends on the given subject. For example, if you are arguing whether or not Hamlet is mad, then refutation is very important, as scholars have tackled this question countless times with no real conclusion; to be convincing, you'll have to refute the evidence on the opposing side. However, if you wish you argue that Willy Loman was a representation of the American Dream gone awry, then you will have less refutation because this is a widely accepted premise.
Concluding Statement: This will reinforce your position. Individual assignments will call for specific information in the concluding paragraph of your essays. Conclusions don't merely summarize your paper-- they further the thesis. A conclusion may end with a call to action for some cause, relating the specific topic to in a broader way (what can society learn from Willy Loman's characterization? How can they apply the author's broad message to their own lives?), or just provide social commentary on the given issue/subject. Social commentary is the message or meaning imbedded within a text (poem, play, story, painting, song, film, etc.) that has relevance on a global, social, or personal level.
[Most of the above info. is from your textbook.]
How we write an essay will largely depend upon the topic and specific directions you are given for each assignment. However, some key aspects will remain the same for any assignment:
1. We will always include a header on the upper left hand corner of our papers and a centered, unique title that reveals something about our focus.
2. We will always ease into our topic with some sort of lead-in or hook. The thesis statement will appear in the first paragraph and be stated clearly.
3. We will write a particular type of academic essay (the college "theme") that calls for succinct organization and balance.
4. We will never include less than 5 sentences in a paragraph, and we will balance the lengths of our paragraphs so that we don't have some that are very short and others that are very long.
5. We will begin each body paragraph with a TOPIC statement that clearly introduces the central idea of that particular paragraph. We will stick to stating then elaborating/proving ONE idea per body paragraph.
6. We will attempt to write creative, intellectual conclusions that make a lasting impression on our readers. We will not begin by saying "in conclusion", nor will we ever begin a paragraph with "this paper will be about", etc. These are juvenile, ineffective "techniques".
7. We will always REVISE our essays in at least two different ways: 1. Peer Editing 2. Face-to-Face tutoring 3. Online tutoring via Smart Thinking or Grade Results. It is very important that you show up to class on peer editing sessions and give your classmates FEEDBACK. If you are a genius at writing, still show up! Your input is quite valuable.
8. We will always STAPLE our essays.
9. We will always read and reread the directions of the essay at least 3 times.
10. We will always ask for help and guidance if we need it.
I loved college, and although my college days are long behind me, I make it a priority to learn something new every single day. One good way to continue the learning process is through podcasts; these are available for download on your MP3 player or computer, or can be found on ITUNES or YOUTUBE. Some great ones are Freakonomics Radio, Ted Talks, Philosophy Bites, Big Ideas, Science Friday, and The Critical Thinker. Here is a podcast that is directly relevant to what we are studying this week. I'd like to share it with you:
Video: Start at 1:57
The Basics-- MLA FORMATTING OF ESSAYS
All essays will be written in MLA format. This includes rules for headers, titles, margins, fonts, citations, etc. You should've mastered this last semester. If you need to brush up, then visit these websites.
Here's a tutorial for how to format Microsoft Word 2007 for MLA Style
http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~jwalker/tutorials/mlaword2007.html
Purdue OWL can help you format as well:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Everyone should submit their essays to Smart Thinking for editing/online tutoring. Here is the web link: http://www.smarthinking.com/
You can also go there through your ANGEL account!!
http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~jwalker/tutorials/mlaword2007.html
Purdue OWL can help you format as well:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Everyone should submit their essays to Smart Thinking for editing/online tutoring. Here is the web link: http://www.smarthinking.com/
You can also go there through your ANGEL account!!
Below are some of the basic rules for doing a report in the MLA style. The full list of rules can be found in your Little Brown Handbook!
Name info:
Place your name and the course information in a block at the left margin beginning 1-inch from the top of the page. (This is right below the default top margin.)
Title:
No title page is required. Center the title two double spaces below your name information.
Spacing:
Double-space all pages.
Margins:
Use 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, left and right.
Indents:
Each paragraph is indented in the first line by ½ inch.
Page #:
Put the page number at the right margin ½ inch above the top margin. Precede the page number with your last name, like: Smith 4
References:
In the body of the paper, references are placed in parentheses using the author's last name and the page number(s) where the referenced information is located, like:
(Brown 21-24).
Works Cited:
Used instead of bibliography. Use a separate numbered page. Title of the page is "Works Cited", centered 1-inch from the top of page. Double space all lines. Use a ½" hanging indent for all source entries. Author's last name goes first. Alphabetize entries.