Class 6 ftf
- 1. S EWRT 1A Class 5
- 2. AGENDA Teams 1 Review: Basic features of an Argument essay Formatting Sources Discussion: Chapter 6: Arguing a Position. Pp 276- 287: Statsky, Estrada, and Etzioni. Writing: The Argument: Reasons and support Counterarguments: refutation/accommodation
- 3. 2. The teams will change on or near essay due dates. 3. You must change at least 50% of your team after each project is completed. 4. You may never be on a team with the same person more than twice. 5. You may never have a new team composed of more than 50% of any prior team. 1. We will often use teams to earn participation points. Your teams can be made up of 4 or 5 people.
- 4. S Points will be earned for correct answers to questions, meaningful contributions to the discussion, and the willingness to share your work. Each team will track their own points, but cheating leads to death (or loss of 25 participation points). S Answers, comments, and questions must be posed in a manner that promotes learning. Those who speak out of turn or with maliciousness will not receive points for their teams.
- 5. At the end of each class, you will turn in a point sheet with the names of everyone in your group (first name, last initial) and your accumulated points for the day. It is your responsibility to make the sheet, track the points, and turn it in. Sit near your team members in class to facilitate ease of group discussions Billy R III Lan N IIII Jose S III Christine L II 13 points
- 6. Your First Group! S Get into groups of four. (1-2 minutes) S If you can’t find a group, please raise your hand. S Once your group is established, choose one person to be the keeper of the points. S Write down members’ names S Keep track of points S Turn in your sheet at the end of the class period.
- 7. Essay #2: The Argument Essay Revisited: (three to five pages) 150 points Please see the assignment for the complete prompt. Please see the calendar for the due date. Prompt Introduction Using both your in-class essay and the basic features of an argument essay, write an essay arguing for the supplies you have chosen to take with you into the wild. Present the issue to readers, and develop an argument for the purpose of confirming, challenging, or changing your readers’ views on which supplies are the most important for survival. You will use at least two outside sources to help convince your readers that the supplies you have chosen are the most efficient for the job. This is not a minor revision, but rather an entirely new essay. Do not rely on your in-class essay for more than a brainstorming document. Review
- 8. Research: Using Digital Media Questions? Exploring Websites can can enrich your understanding of an issue and help you find statistics, authorities, or other evidence to support your position. Here are some suggestions: Look for sites related wilderness survival. See what experts say about essential supplies. Enter keywords — words or brief phrases related to the issue or your position —into a search tool such as Google. For example, Statsky could have tried keywords such as children’s competitive sports, or she could have tried the question Should children participate in competitive sports? You could also try Googling your keywords plus statistics, anecdotes, or facts. Bookmark or keep a record of the URLs of promising sites. You may want to download or copy information you could use in your essay, including visuals; if so, remember to record source information.
- 9. Getting Started with Sources Questions? There are three main ways to uses sources in your research paper. You may quote. You may paraphrase. Or you may summarize. All three require an in-text (parenthetical) citation! Make sure you bookmark or keep a record of the URLs of promising sites. You may want to download or copy information you might use in your essay, including visuals; if so, remember to record source information
- 11. 1” Margins all around Alphabetical Order Title Centered Five spaces Works Cited Last Name 1 Bagchi, Alaknanda. "Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi's Bashai Tudu." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41-50. The Bible. Authorized King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998. Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic, 2008. Zinkievich, Craig. Interview by Gareth Von Kallenbach. Skewed & Reviewed, 27 Apr. 2009, www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek- online/news/detail/1056940-skewed-%2526-reviewed-interviews-craig. Accessed 15 Mar. 2009. Website Book Periodical Specific version
- 12. S Discussion: Review: The Basic Features Chapter 6: Arguing a Position. Pp 276- 287: Statsky and Estrada.
- 13. Reviewing the Basic Features: Arguing Positions Pp 294-95 1. A Focused Presentation of the Issue 2. A Clear Position 3. Plausible Reasons and Convincing Support 4. Anticipating Opposing Positions and Objections
- 14. In Teams • Essay Discussions: Statsky and Estrada
- 15. 1. How does Statsky present the issue in a way that prepares readers for her argument? 2. How does she qualify her position in par. 2? 3. What reasons does she forecast here, and in which paragraphs does she discuss each reason? 4. How does Statsky try to refute the objection in paragraph 6? 5. How effective do you think Statsky’s argument in par. 7 is? Why? 6. In criticizing some parents’ behavior in pars. 8–9, Statsky risks alienating her readers. How effective is this part of her argument? 7. How effective is Statsky’s use of concession and refutation in paragraph 9? 8. How effectively does Statsky conclude her argument? 9. Are Statsky’s sources adequate to support her position, in number and kind? Has she documented them clearly and accurately? In your groups, answer the following questions concerning “Children Need To Play Not Compete” by Jessica Statsky
- 16. Sticks and Stones and Sports Teams Names by Richard Estrada Answer These Questions 1. How does Estrada present his issue? Is it focused? How? 2. What is his position? Where is his thesis? Is it clear? 3. What are his plausible reasons for his position? Does he use statistics, authorities, or anecdotes for support? Where? 4. Where and what are his counterarguments? See paragraphs 6 and 7. Highlight the sentence in each paragraph that best states an opposing position.
- 17. The Introduction: A Focused Presentation of the Issue Will you start with the original assignment? Or are you going to use a different approach? The Thesis: A Clear Position A statement that tells your readers simply and directly what you want them to think about the issue and why. You might also forecast your reasons, mentioning them in the order in which you will take them up in your argument You addressed your first basic features in your homework:
- 18. A Well-Supported Position: Reasons and support S In arguing for a position, writers may provide various kinds of supporting evidence, including facts, statistics, examples, anecdotes, and quotes from authorities. S Facts are statements that can be proven to be true. However, a statement that is not true or only partially true may be asserted as fact. Therefore, readers may need to be reassured that an asserted fact is reliable and comes from a trustworthy source. S Statistics are sometimes mistaken for facts, but they are only interpretations or correlations of numerical data. Their reliability depends on how and by whom the information was collected and interpreted. S Examples and anecdotes illustrate what may be true in certain situations; effective writers do not usually offer them as hard-and-fast evidence of the universal truth of their positions. Using them can, however, make an argument less abstract and enable readers to identify with those affected by the issue. S Quotes from authorities can carry weight if readers see them as knowledgeable and trustworthy.
- 19. Developing your Argument S State Your Tentative Position. Look at your thesis, that is, your current position on the issue. As you develop your argument and counterargument, you may refine this claim and decide how to formulate it effectively for your readers. For now, say as directly as you can where you stand on the issue. S List Possible Reasons. Now, take a moment to list the reasons for your position. You will need reasons for bringing each of the tools you argue are the most effective for survival. Try to come up with as many reasons as you can. Later, you may add reasons or modify the ones you have listed.
- 20. Collect Evidence. Make notes of the evidence — such as authorities, facts, anecdotes, and statistics — you might be able to use to support your reasons. You may already have some evidence you could use. If you need to do research, make notes of sources you could consult. Choose the Most Plausible Reasons. Write several sentences explaining why you think each reason would be likely to convince your particular readers to take your argument seriously. Then identify your most plausible reasons. If you decide that none of your reasons seems very plausible, you might need to reconsider your position, do some more research, or choose another issue. At Home
- 21. Counterarguments: acknowledge/ refute/accommodate S Writers of position essays try to anticipate other widely held positions on the issue as well as objections and questions readers might raise to their argument. Writers have three options in anticipating readers’ alternative positions and objections: S they can simply acknowledge readers’ views; S they can accommodate them by making concessions; or S they can try to refute them. S Anticipating readers’ positions and objections can enhance the writer’s credibility and strengthen the argument. When readers holding an opposing position recognize that the writer takes their position seriously, they are more likely to listen to what the writer has to say. It can also reassure readers that they share certain important values and interests with the writer, building a bridge of common concerns among people who have been separated by difference and antagonism.
- 22. S To analyze how Estrada anticipates and counterargues opposing positions, let’s go back to his essay. S Reread paragraphs 6 and 7, where Estrada introduces two opposing arguments to his position. Which sentence in each paragraph best states an opposing position? S Examine paragraphs 6–9 to see how Estrada counterargues these two opposing arguments. For example, notice that he both concedes and refutes. Why he would attempt to do both? What seems to be his attitude toward those who disagree with him or, at least, object to parts of his argument? Counterarguments in “Sticks and Stones”
- 23. From “Sticks and Stones”
- 24. Counterarguing Readers’ Objections S List Possible Objections. Look for places where your argument is vulnerable. For example, think of an assumption that you are making that others might not accept or a value others might not share. Imagine how people in different situations — different neighborhoods, occupations, age groups, living arrangements — might react to each of your reasons. S Accommodate a Legitimate Objection. Choose one objection that makes sense to you, and write for a few minutes on how you could accommodate it into your argument. You may be able simply to acknowledge an objection and explain why you think it does not negatively affect your argument. If the criticism is more serious, consider conceding the point and qualifying your position or changing the way you argue for it. If the criticism seems so damaging that you cannot accommodate it into your argument, however, you may need to rethink your position. S Refute an Illegitimate Objection. Choose one objection that seems to challenge or weaken your argument, and write for a few minutes on how you could refute it. Do not choose to refute only the weakest objection while ignoring the strongest one. Consider whether you can show that the objection is based on a misunderstanding or that it does not really damage your argument. You may also need to modify your position to make sure the objection is not valid.
- 25. Counterarguing Opposing Positions S Consider Other Positions. Identify one or more widely held opposing positions and consider the one you think most likely to be attractive to your particular readers. Try to represent the argument accurately and fairly. Decide whether you need to do research to find out more about this opposing position. S List Reasons for the Opposing Position. List as many reasons as you can think of that your readers are likely to give in support of this position.
- 26. S Accommodate a Plausible Reason. Choose one reason that makes sense to you, and write for a few minutes on how you could accommodate it into your argument. Consider whether you can concede the point and yet put it aside as not really damaging to your central argument. You may also have to consider qualifying your position or changing the way you argue for it. S Refute an Implausible Reason. Choose one reason that you do not accept, and write for a few minutes on how you could refute it. Consider trying one of these strategies: argue that readers’ values are better served by your position; point out where the reasoning is flawed (for instance, that it commits a straw-man fallacy by refuting your weakest reason and ignoring stronger ones); show that the argument lacks convincing support (for instance, that an example applies only to certain people in certain situations or that alternative authorities disagree). If you do not have all the information you need, make a note of what you need and where you might find it. (Note: Do not choose to refute a position no one takes seriously. Also, be careful not to misrepresent other people’s positions or to criticize people personally.) At Home
- 27. HOMEWORK Collect evidence and choose the most plausible reasons. Draft the reasons and support section of your essay (Slide 20). Post # 6 Accommodate a legitimate objection and refute an illegitimate Objection (Slide 24) Post # 7 Consider Other Positions. Accommodate a plausible reason and refute an implausible reason. For example, is there a different tool that most people might choose? Why is that choice not as strong as yours? (Slide 26)
Editor's Notes
- #17: Still, however willing I may have been to go along with the name as a kid, as an adult I have concluded that using an ethnic group essentially as a sports mascot is wrong.