ENGL 131Q – Today’s Goals: Warrants Announcements 11/5 Bring a copy of your proposal to class tomorrow

Agenda Goal: Examine and identify the assumptions (warrants) made in argumentative writing and apply them for critical reading and writing practices Agenda Notes on warrants Practice identifying warrants Identify and correct warrants Implications

Why learn this? Framework for analyzing academic arguments (in all fields) Helps understand and engage with complex texts critically Terms articulate the abstract components of writing Helps you articulate and notice “commonsense understandings” that have the potential to make your own arguments less persuasive Indicating areas of your argument that need sharpening Especially if it is an idea or concept that you can’t assume your reader will agree with Addressing and being aware of warrants: Outcome 3 (3.4) Abstract components: When I ask questions, a lot of it has to do with unaddressed warrants You decide which ones are the most important for your paper to address or elaborate on; pretty self-directed; Gives you another tool with which you can evaluate your writing

Warrants ASSUMPTIONS or beliefs that are often not explicitly stated in writing Links the claim to the reasons /evidence you produce(warrants justify the claim) Often start with the phrase “since,” but remember they are often not stated Can have multiple warrants throughout a paper (links evidence to the claim) Claim Any American can grow up to be president Reason/Evidence: Bill Clinton came from a poor town in a poor state to being president. Assumption/warrant: Since Bill Clinton didn’t have a lot of advantages growing up, the presidency is open to anyone All about assumptions in your argument. Your audience may or may not go along with those assumptions, so you have to consider your audience carefully Would probably need to state this warrant (doesn’t mean it’s open to everyone, issues or race/class/gender) Arguments about controversial subjects often flounder because the writers incorrectly assume that their audience will accept the unstated warrant (another example page 354)

More practice with warrants Sometimes, you don’t need to explicitly state the warrant (depends on audience), but a lot of the time, not stating the warrant can lead to major flaws in the development of the argument (Anyone can be President) Example: I need new shoes (claim). Everybody thinks I should get new shoes (evidence). What is the assumption here linking these two ideas? Assumption/warrant: Since there is a consensus, I should be persuaded Since this warrant is simplistic, and open to argument, explicitly addressing why a consensus is persuasive is needed -what value does a consensus have? How is it important in this situation? All about assumptions in your argument. Your audience may or may not go along with those assumptions, so you have to consider your audience carefully If the audience here is a parent, they are not going to buy this assumption, right? If it was a group of friends, that might be different

Another example Claim: I deserve an A on this exam Reason: because I studied for this exam. Warrant: Since I studied, I should get an A Why does this warrant fail given the intended audience (an instructor)? Instructor (audience) isn’t persuaded by the assumption (warrant) that studying means you did A level work What is the solution for addressing this warrant? Solution: coming up with a way to address the warrants OR realizing the argument needs to be changed Why does this warrant fail, given the intended audience? (instructor doesn’t accept the warrant that getting an A is a result of studying only) Maybe a parent audience would be more persuaded?

Group Practice: Find warrants Using the excerpt from the student paper find: 1. Working claim 2. Possible Evidence 3. Possible Warrants Work as a group to find these things in the paragraph and be prepared to share out. Is this a warrant that needs to be explicitly stated for a general academic audience? If you work quickly find multiple warrants for multiple pieces of evidence Working claim: graffiti is a legitimate art from and should not be pushed from society Evidence: legitimate when people use the genre for self-expression and social action Warrant (since people use it for good, this art is legitimate and deserves respect in society); or that self-expression is art; that using art for good reasons makes it legitimate Other warrants: since private property is protected by the law…. Warrant; self-expression is art and since graffiti is self-expression it is an art General academic audience: Probably doesn’t need to be stated, if this was a parent’s group or people mad about graffiti or even art critics, then yes

Finding Warrants in Preface from Tourists With Typewriters Using the preface we read for yesterday (considering this as a model of SA4) look for: 1. Working claim 2. Possible Evidence 3. Possible Warrants Work as a group to find these things in the paragraph and be prepared to share out. Is this a warrant that needs to be explicitly stated for a general academic audience? If you work quickly find multiple warrants for multiple pieces of evidence

ENGL 131Q – Thursday 11/6 Today’s Goals: Metacognitive reflection on SA4 – paper proposal Continuing work on how to build strong arguments Testing warrants in your paper proposals

Quick Write Briefly describe your process for you work on SA4 What was intuitive? What did you struggle with? Based on our work with warrants and paper proposal models this week how strong do you feel your topic and argument for SA4 are at this point? What work do you have to do over the weekend to finish SA4?

Warrants recap What is a warrant? ASSUMPTIONS or beliefs that are often not explicitly stated in writing Links the claim to the reasons /evidence you produce (warrants justify the claim) Often start with the phrase “since,” but remember they are often not stated

Is simply identifying a warrant enough? Claim: I deserve an A on this exam Reason: because I studied for this exam. Warrant: Since I studied, I should get an A Do we buy this warrant? Is it enough? Instructor (audience) isn’t persuaded by the assumption (warrant) that studying means you did A level work

Strong Arguments – The Penny Debate Get into two groups Team 1: Advocates for abolishing the penny Term 2: Advocates for keeping the penny You need: 3 claims 3 supporting pieces of evidence (one for each claim) Be prepared to address the warrants of your claims

Addressing warrants of your proposal claims Working with a partner continue evaluating your mini- claims, evidence, and warrants to test for argument strength Make notes about how you can shift, position, or change claims/evidence this weekend to strengthen your proposal Keep in mind tactics your partner is using and how this might be useful in your own proposal

Homework Continue testing the warrants of your mini-claims and evidence in SA4 Come see me in office hours or send me an e-mail if you have questions about specific claims you’re making and warrants! Turn in the final version of SA4 on Canvas Sunday 11/9 by 5pm