English 1302: Week Ten

1. English 1302: Week Ten Writing the Researched Argument

2. Class Exercise: Enthymeme • On a piece of paper, complete the following using your thesis draft: • First, write out the MAJOR PREMISE (Large, general assumption informing your thesis claim) • Next, write out the MINOR PREMISE (specific statement that follows logically from the MAJOR PREMISE) • Last, form a CONCLUSION (arguable claim that works from the MAJOR AND MINOR PREMISE) • Examples: • MAJOR PREMISE: Crooks should not be elected to public office (general belief/assumption) • MINOR PREMISE: Ed is a crook. (statement) • CONCLUSION: Ed is a crook and therefore should not be elected to office. • MAJOR PREMISE 2: Governments are responsible for the health of their citizens • MINOR PREMISE 2: Smoking in public endangers the health of bystanders. • CONCLUSION 2: Government should ban smoking in confined public places.

3. Class Overview • Enthymeme Exercise • Argument Structure and Requirements • Paragraph-Level Structure • The Language of Textual Support • Logical Claims and Fallacies • Thesis Workshop

4. Researched Argument: Reminders • Your argument 2.1 (due April 12) must: • Have an identifiable thesis that 1) makes an arguable claim on a scholarly topic and 2) provides clear, logical reasons (“why”) in support • Use “should,” “must,” or “would” in the thesis • NOT be written in the first-person (this is still a scholarly work: stick to arguing the logic/evidence and not your informal or personal views) • Be 1500 words minimum in length • Should organize body paragraphs around REASONS (one per paragraph) that support the CLAIM • Contain a counterargument and rebuttal section: this can be done in one paragraph, but I HIGHLY ADVISE doing it in two: one paragraph of summary of the counterargument source, and the other considering and rebutting the counterargument source. Don’t generalize the source: respond to its actual claims. • Employ logical evidence and lines of argumentation throughout (should be clear of fallacies or undeveloped thinking) • Utilize at least SIX scholarly sources as textual support • Remember: your argument is only as strong as its reasoning. • Ask: is this a claim a reasonable person would make?

5. Paragraph-Level Structure • Whereas the literature review usually requires you to examine evidence that “builds” toward a synthesis claim, the researched argument can begin from the claim and follow through with evidence and logic: • EX: (Thesis claim: Primary schools in the United States should lower the number of state-wide student assessments ) • TOPIC SENTENCE (REASON): Content-based questions cannot fully prepare students for the critical and procedural thinking required by the job force and higher education. • UNPACK REASONING/ASSUMPIONS: When content is stressed over procedural knowledge, learning and retention is less effective because content in many subjects is variable, encouraging arbitrary memorization as opposed to critical understanding. • PROVIDE EVIDENCE: In recent studies, upper-level high school students who were taught a content-heavy curriculum showed dramatic decreases at two and three years after the duration of their study compared to a control of procedurally taught students (Zimmerman 123). (REPEAT AS NECESSARY) • CONNECT EVIDENCE LOGIC: Major issues in retention like these threaten the validity of content-based assessments. If U. S. schools emphasize content over procedure, they not only negate the purpose of most curricula but also run the risk of squandering time and economic resources . • EXPAND AS NECESSARY • CONCLUDING/OUTCOME STATEMENT: Because content focus demonstrably detracts from retention and comprehension, such assessments pose too great an educational risk to remain the logical center of state curricula.

6. The Language of Textual Support • In an argument, YOU are making the claims that you will then back with researched evidence • Whereas in the literature review you focused on what “researchers were saying” at the sentence level (e. g. “Researcher B contends that X is true”), the researched argument does the opposite: • ARGUMENT EXAMPLE: Genetic modification of seeds has led to economically unfair practices that allow corporations to manipulate intellectual property law to the disadvantage of foreign landowners (Stockhausen 22). • LIT REVIEW EXAMPLE: Stockhausen et al. argue that the genetic modification of seeds does____ (22). Their findings also suggest that unfair practices may lead to wide-scale abuse, although some researchers like Weber contend that basic law and not IP law should account for these potential issues. • Remember to focus on the claim and the logic: support claims that depend on research with appropriate in-text citations (author’s name and page number).

7. Logical Fallacies Identify the problems with the following claims: • Weber’s finding conflicts Stockhausen’s research, but because Weber is not a specialist, his research is not valid. • If “vaping” contains ingredients common to cigarettes, its health effects will carry the same detriment. • Paper testing cannot assess procedural thinking because of its format. • If inaugural female leaders like Merkel have earned enough support for reelection, then a similar level of support can be expected in the United States. • All educators value discipline, and so it would be detrimental to eliminate enforcement of late penalties and social propriety. • Because e-cigarettes put off a minor amount of harmful chemicals, banning their public use could set a precedent that would allow the banning of other minor chemical exposures, possibly leading to further penalties on alcohol.

8. Tips and Tricks for Arguments • Keep your reasons (topic sentences) logically connected and ordered with the strongest first. • Make sure that your claims are reasonable by using qualification (be sparing, though!): stating that “all poetry encourages subversion through rhyme” is a very different claim from “Some poetic forms challenge belief through direct comparison and rhyme.” • Even evidence is vulnerable to logical attack: make sure your sources match your claims closely without any need for serious “doctoring” or “hedging.” • Show confidence by avoiding hesitant claims and excessive passive voice • Don’t trust your reader to share the same cultural assumptions: all assumptions need to be clear and accountable. • Don’t dismiss or “drop” evidence to the contrary: account for it carefully. Signs of “suppressed” evidence can make anyone look “guilty.”

9. Thesis Workshop • Using the enthymeme exercise, try revising your thesis claim in three different ways: • Using “should” as the main verb • Using “must” as the main verb • Using “would” as the main verb • Next, come up with two reasons why your audience “should” believe your claim. Pitch these to your group (1-4) people and decide: • Which version is most effective • Which reasons are most logical and why

10. Homework FOR RAIDERWRITER: • Go over Reading 11 (in RW) CAREFULLY for class next week. FOR CLASS (WORTH 8 POINTS PARTICIPATION CREDIT): • Bring with you (PRINTED together: no credit for late or unprinted work) a polished draft of: • Your thesis • Your counterargument and rebuttal sections (two FULL paragraphs). • You will want to bring your counterargument source as well.