College Wri*ng English 101 Chapter 2: Argument as Inquiry

Transcription

1 College Wri*ng English 101 Chapter 2: Argument as Inquiry

2 Essen*al Ques*ons What is inquiry? (explora*on) Is it possible in America today to convince anyone of anything he doesn t already know? Are there enough places where this mingling of minds occurs to sustain a democracy? sound bites, talking points, talk- show- style shou*ng matches: all reduce truth seeking behavior.

3 Reflect on yourself Are you both an inquirer and a persuader? Do you engage thoughrully with alterna*ve points of view, truly listening to other perspec*ves, examining your own values & assump*ons? Purpose of inquiry When should you change your mind? How can you responsibly change your mind?

4 Ac*vity 1: Idea Log Updates Use p to add to your idea log. Use chart on p.25 (iden*fying controversies). Also try speech- topics.com Use 3C: These prompt you to learn more about an issue & to determine your own stance. Curiosity Confusion Concern Share your list with your classmates. S*mulate conversa*on, engage in conversa*ons, figure out what you think.

5 Genres of Argument Pg List: mark with post- it note for future reference In partners or solo, go to BBC iwonder: h`p:// Explore a few topics and compare to the list on pages What genre is each ar*cle? Goal: to understand the genres of argument as well as the cultural and professional contexts that cause people to write arguments Are any of these people going to be you?

6 Believers vs. Doubters As a believer, your role is to be wholly sympathe*c to an idea. Listen carefully. Suspend all disbelief. Iden*fy appeals to different audiences. Determine all possible reasons for believing the idea. As a doubter, your role is to be judgmental and cri*cal, finding fault with an idea. Find counterexamples and inconsistencies to undermine the idea. Play devil s advocate.

7 Ac*vity 2: Belief vs. Doubt Divide into groups based on the color on your desk. I will assign one of the following topics. Make a list of beliefs and a list of doubts for your topic. 1. A student should report someone chea*ng on an exam or plagiarizing. 2. Women should be assigned to combat duty equally with men. 3. Athletes should be allowed steroids and human growth hormones under doctor supervision. 4. Illegal immigrants already living in US should be granted amnesty and placed on fast track to US ci*zenship. 5. Welfare recipients should be subject to random drug tes*ng. 6. Fast- food restaurants should be responsible for refusing service to the obese. 7. Gun owners should be required to register all firearms and pass a skills/ competency test. 8. All students should be required to meet a state- created test or benchmark for gradua*on.

8 Rhetorical Context Rhetoric: the art of effec*ve or persuasive argument Context: the circumstances, situa*on, or sejng Genre what type of argument is this? Who wrote it? What are their creden*als regarding this topic? Who is the intended audience? What is the author s mo*va*on for wri*ng? What is the author s angle of vision how are they approaching the issue? What are they leaving out? (Imagine a zoom angle versus panoramic in photography.)

9 Thinking Dialec*cally Compare mul*ple views on an issue. 1. What would each writer say to another s argument? 2. How do your own views change or adjust aler reading each argument? 3. How much do the writers agree and disagree? 4. How much do you agree and disagree? 5. What new ques*ons do you have aler reading? 6. Aler reading all arguments, what is your new or adjusted view?

10 Ac*vity 3: Terminology Divide into groups of 3-4. I will assign one of the following topics. Discuss the meaning and important parts of each. Type notes to give to the class for your topic. notes to teacher: hilary.thompson@ohio.kyschools.us 1. Placing a text in its rhetorical context (p ) 2. Reading to believe an argument s claims (p ) 3. Reading to doubt an argument s claims (p ) 4. Thinking dialec*cally (p )

11 Summary Wri*ng Summary: an abstract, a précis, a synopsis Presents only text s major points & eliminates suppor*ng details Compare your nonfic*on summaries with the defini*on. What can you revise or improve?

12 Summary Recommenda*ons Page 40- recommenda*ons for an effec*ve summary 1. Read for general meaning 2. Reread slowly, write brief does & says statements for each paragraph Does- iden*fies paragraph s func*on Says- summarizes paragraph s content; main idea

13 Assignment (p.37) DUE: Monday, August 24 Find two recent arguments on a local or na*onal issue. Your choices should: 1. Represent different genres 2. Represent different kinds of arguers Prac*ce Reading to Believe. Summarize both arguments in one paragraph each (p. 41), prac*cing does & says statements. Include answers to some ques*ons on p in your summary. (Typed, 250 words MAX.) Summarize both arguments in one sentence each. (p. 42) /Share both arguments and summaries to: hilary.thompson@ohio.kyschools.us

14 Assignment (p.42-45) DUE: Using your arguments and summaries from before, prac*ce Reading to Doubt. Raise at least three objec*ons, ques*ons, or doubts about each argument. Think dialec*cally and respond to ques*ons on page 45. to: