ACADEMIC ENGLISH III Sept. 24, 2014

What is the author trying to argue? How does he/she support his/her point? What kind of evidence is used? Do you think the author presents an effective argument overall?

Today Argumentative writing (continued) - Logical fallacies - opposing arguments + rebuttals

Argument One of the keystones of university learning - Expressing a point of view & supporting it w/evidence - Involves use of research, critical thinking, & logic A good piece of argumentative writing: - Demonstrates your understanding of material - Demonstrates ability to use or apply the material i.e.) critique, apply it to something else, explain it in a different way.

Argument It is something you do on a daily basis - Academic - Non-academic The more you improve your skill in argument, the better you are at: - critical thinking - reasoning - making choices - negotiating - weighing evidence

Argument – a group of statements An argument consists of: - Claim: Drinking water daily is good for your health (i.e., thesis statement) - Support : as it cleans out your liver and reduces the level of toxins in your blood. (i.e., evidence and reasoning throughout an essay) Example: Drinking water daily is good for your health as it cleans out your liver and reduces the level of toxins in your blood.

Argumentative Writing - Example Body paragraph 1: Cake increases study performance. Elementary school students have increasing pressures to do well in school as expectations of what they should learn and how much they should learn change. As a result, elementary school students now study more difficult subjects, such as math, for longer periods of time. By increasing study performance, cake can help students cope with these new demands. First, cake has been proven to increase concentration. A study found that children who eat just one piece of cake per day have 30% better concentration than children who have no cake (Wonka, 2011). An increase in concentration can allow students to cope with increased class demands, especially in more difficult classes, such as math, which require concentration to solve complex problems. Cake also has a positive effect on reaction time. The chemicals in cake improve the function of the reticular formation, allowing cake eaters to more quickly process visual and auditory information (Jones, 2009). Increased reaction times allow students to answer questions faster and to more readily understand explanations and examples. By providing a much needed increase in study performance, cake should clearly be included on the daily menu of elementary school cafeterias.

Reaching Logical Conclusions Example 1 Premise 1: Non-renewable resources do not exist in infinite supply. Premise 2: Coal is a non-renewable resource. Conclusion: ? - Coal does not exist in infinite supply.

Logic – What is it? “A formal system of analysis that helps writers invent, demonstrate, and prove arguments.” (O.W.L.: Para 2) In logic: - Test propositions against each other to determine accuracy. Logic is not simply the absence of emotion in an argument, or “common sense”.

Logic - Syllogism Most famous type of logical sequence. - Developed by Aristotle. Aristotle’s most famous syllogism: Premise 1: All men are mortal. Premise 2: Socrates is a man. Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal. Premise 2 tested against Premise 1 to reach conclusion. Since both premises are valid, there is no other logical conclusion.

Logic In logic: Argument = The assertion of a conclusion based on logical premises. Premise = Proposition used as evidence in an argument. Conclusion = Logical result of the relationship between the premises

Reaching Logical Conclusions Example 2: It can often take several premises to reach a conclusion. Premise 1: All monkeys are primates. Premise 2: All primates are mammals. Premise 3: All mammals are vertebrate animals. Conclusion: Monkeys are vertebrate animals.

Using logic in writing Simply creating a syllogism… Premise 1 Premise 2 Conclusion …is not enough to convince all readers. 1. Not all readers will automatically follow your line of reasoning. 2. The elements of the argument needs to be expanded.

Using logic in writing To convert a logical syllogism into a written argument: - Present each premise clearly - Provide evidence to support each premise - Draw a clear connection to the conclusion

Using logic in writing – Example Context: The government in Moronville wants to use taxpayer money to construct a new stadium. The author of the following argument is opposed to this.

Using logic in writing – Example 1 Author’s logic: Premise 1: Projects funded by taxpayer dollars should benefit a majority of the public. Premise 2: The proposed stadium constructions benefits very few members of the public. Conclusion: Therefore, the stadium construction should not be funded by taxpayer dollars.

Using logic in writing – Example 1 Author’s logic: Premise 1: Projects funded by taxpayer dollars should benefit a majority of the public. Premise 2: The proposed stadium constructions benefits very few members of the public. Conclusion: Therefore, the stadium construction should not be funded by taxpayer dollars. This conclusion is logical. However, if there is no elaboration, it may not be persuasive to the audience.

Using logic in writing – Example 1 The author elaborates on the premises (explains them adequately) and provides evidence to support each premise.

Logical Fallacies - When creating an argument, be careful with using “faulty logic”. - At times, a writer may go off course with his/her logic or may write an argument that has no logical support. - In the next few slides, we will examine some common logical fallacies

Paper 1 - Choose a prompt and start researching BOTH SIDES - Read the information sheet - Deadline (final): Oct Journal assignment 2: Deadline = Monday (3:00 pm)