TODAY’S GOALS Learn basic strategies for addressing counterarguments Continue developing preparations for the class debate

BASIC COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES 3 Main strategies Rebutting main ideas Questions are a powerful strategy here Anticipate what your opponents will say You can question your opposition’s argument/thesis (consider the language carefully), underlying assumptions of the opposing argument, the supporting reasons, or the evidence used to support those reasons Attacking evidence Many times your opponent’s argument will be strong on its own, but that does not mean it is completely rhetorically sound When you cannot find direct fault with a claim, consider disputing the reasons used to support that claim Examining the argument’s use of all three rhetorical appeals can be helpful here Conceding to opposing views or evidence: In some cases, a certain point of your opposition’s argument may be so strong that it is not easy to counter. In this case, you may wish to concede the point This is not “giving up”.” It acknowledges that an issue is complex and can actually make you seem like a more credible speaker overall However, you can, after conceding a point, you should transition the argument to an area in which your own view/reasons are strong or an area in which your opponent’s argument is weak

THESIS STRATEGIES REVIEW 7 Powerful thesis strategies we have discussed thus far Use “ should ” to propose solutions rather than state absolute facts Use “ because” to add forecasting elements or supporting evidence to your thesis Qualify your thesis with adverbials and auxiliary verbs such as “likely” or “can” to make your thesis less vulnerable to refutation Eliminate unnecessary words, clauses, and sentences to increase the Clarity of your thesis Make sure your thesis is Original and does not restate the same ideas of your secondary sources Increase the Credibility of your thesis by eliminating first person or references to your own opinions or beliefs Check to make sure your thesis is Arguable and contentious and not something everyone would agree on before seeing evidence

BASIC COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES Attacking a thesis If the thesis statement seems to be in response to a thesis question, offer your own possible answer to that thesis question Look for logical fallacies or underlying assumptions (logos) Look at ‘because’ clauses first as an easy way to identify underlying assumptions Ask questions that your opposing side cannot easily answer Find parts of the thesis that are too strongly stated and can be negated with a counterexample Consider a pathos appeal: an argument may be logical, but that does not mean it is sympathetic to all views. Use your audiences’ beliefs and emotions to convince them instead Attacking evidence or supporting reasons Consider the three rhetorical appeals to be a pyramid that holds up the argument; if one is missing or weak, attacking that area can cause the whole argument to fall apart Look for absolutes: if an argument says anything with complete certainty, all you need is a single counterexample to refute it Attack the credibility (ethos) of the evidence. Is it from a reliable source? Was their methodology flawed? Was their sample size large enough to be generalizable? Does the main idea of a supporting source align with the main idea of the counterargument? Many articles will use sources only for a particular piece of data, and if you look at the source of their information, you can often use it against them Look for logical fallacies and underlying assumptions

PRACTICE COUNTERARGUMENTS For each of the following, identify at least one underlying assumption and a possible objection or counterargument to the claim: A.“The family showed cruelty to animals because the way they killed the starlings caused needless suffering” B.“The family was justified in killing the starlings because starlings are pests” (Based off the situation on p. 341) C.The government has the right to monitor citizens’ electronic communications because this is the best way to prevent terrorism D.Social media has very negative effects on most people’s interpersonal relationships so parents should limit their children’s usage of it

GROUP ACTIVITY: COUNTERARGUMENT & THESIS PLANNING In your unit 4 groups 1.For each group member, write out a revised thesis based on your earlier planning and paying careful attention to clarity, originality, credibility, and arguability 2.Develop two counterargument strategies for each of the following claims: a)Doctors who assist their consenting patients in committing suicide are violating the hippocratic oath and must have their licenses revoked b)The United States needs to reduce the cost of college to make it more fair for lower income families and students

DEBATE TOPICS Designer Babies Cigarette/tobacco regulations Government surveillance

GROUP ACTIVITY: DEBATE PLANNING In your unit 4 groups Brainstorm ideas for how to structure your group’s debate as well as ideas for the content of your team’s speaking points 1.Generate at least 4 solid supporting reasons you could use for your argument (or 1 per group member if you have a team of more than four) 2.What are three supporting points that you will share with your opposing group? (Hint: they will be using these to plan their counterarguments, so plan strategically)

GROUP ACTIVITY: DEBATE PLANNING PT. 2 In your unit 4 groups: Continue planning for the strategy of your debate team. Focus on double checking your debate content, the quality of your sources, and backup plans that may be necessary. Make sure to determine: 1.What strategies will you use to counter the speaking points of the opposing group that have been shared with you? (Plan one strategy for each point) 2.What kind of data will you look for to support each your own main speaking points? Who will be responsible for finding this data? 3.What kind of organization/order will your group use for its presentation? Will you follow a set order or respond to the content of your opposing team? 4.Rhetorical appeals checklist: how are you using ethos, pathos, and logos? Try to come up with one example or supporting points for each. 5.If certain members of the debate are absent, how will you handle the content of their speaking point? For each group member, have at least one ‘second’ that is familiar with their speaking point and could step in if necessary. Indicate which members here. Suggestions: Don’t forget ethos and pathos (which were very scarce in the first debate), and make sure to focus on counterarguments, which are of central importance to this debate!

HOMEWORK: Read A&B Journal Entry 26 Focus: Thesis and forecasting At this point in the development of your classical argument essay, you should have selected a topic and be working towards a version of your thesis. Use this time to brainstorm a thesis for your classical argument essay as well as the reasons you can use to support it I suggest writing many theses or many different versions of the same thesis here. You can select the best one and edit it and refine it as the paper develops You may also find it helpful to begin thinking of what reasons you will forecast and use in your body paragraphs as these can sometimes be incorporated into your thesis with “because clauses” Journal Entry 27 Focus: CA Source Evaluation 1 Find the first source you will use for your classical argument essay Read and analyze the source. Sum up the argument it makes or find its thesis statement and write it here Identify the source as supporting your view, supporting an opposing view, or providing neutral background information Finally, play the Believing and Doubting Game to find the strongest and weakest elements of the source.