General Education, Composition Kaplan University CM 220 Unit 2 Seminar General Education, Composition Kaplan University

UNIT 2 ACTIVITIES Reading: Unit 2 overview; The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, pp. 36, 43, 156-166; Fallacy Gallery; article on campaign for non-smoking Invention Lab: Develop research questions and a potential working thesis statement Seminar: Thesis workshop, logical fallacy discussion, and discussion about graphic cigarette warnings article Project: “Elevator pitch” of big idea and research strategy Tech Lab: Slide presentations, traditional and animated options

What is a THESIS? The main idea expressed in a written or visual work It may be stated or implied The author’s hypothesis or argument encapsulated in a sentence is the THESIS STATEMENT

THESIS STATEMENT A thesis statement is composed of two parts: your topic + some point you want to make about your topic. Once you’ve chosen your topic, find a research question that you’d like to answer. That will give you your point. Without a thesis, your paper lacks direction.

RESEARCH QUESTION This is a question YOU would like to answer through your research. It can help you LIMIT your topic/big idea and provide you with a focus for a paper or argument. It should be appropriate to the subject and limitations of the assignment.

EXAMPLE RESEARCH QUESTIONS WHO benefits from decreased dependence on foreign oil? WHAT is the best type of alternative fuel vehicle? WHEN is the best time to invest in alternative fuel vehicles? WHERE is the engine in an electric car? HOW does an electric car work? WHY does the US support offshore drilling? SHOULD the US government offer tax incentives NOTE THAT NOT ALL RESEARCH QUESTIONS WORK FOR A PAPER/PROJECT.

Research Question to Thesis Topic/BIG IDEAS Education Public Health Research Question/LIMITATION How can student performance be improved in public schools? Should health insurance for smokers be more expensive? Thesis/POSITION Adopting an all year school schedule will improve student performance. Insurance premiums for smokers should not be increased.

PRELIMINARY THESIS This is your INITIAL argument, what you think may be the answer to your research question. Remember that a preliminary thesis CAN and WILL change. It will be TESTED and REFINED through research. If you are arguing a position, that position should be clear in the thesis.

THESIS WORKSHOP Share your ideas. What are some potential BIG IDEAS you might like to focus on this term? What are some possible RESEARCH QUESTIONS you might like to explore with this topic? What are some PRELIMINARY THESIS STATEMENTS you might wish to pursue?

What is an ARGUMENT? An argument is an issue that has at least TWO SIDES. In order to present your side of the argument, you must know the various positions on your issue. If you don’t know the arguments for the other side, you leave yourself open to be blindsided by an attack. This is true for everything in life

What is a DECEPTIVE ARGUMENT? Deceptive arguments may mislead you, causing you to believe the wrong information. Because deceptive arguments often confuse and distract people, they may take attention from important issues. Deceptive arguments are often more emotionally charged, gaining bigger headlines.

Recognizing and Avoiding Deceptive Arguments When researching, you need to read the information carefully and to apply your best critical thinking skills to what the author is saying. Analyze and find the “holes” in the arguments that you are reading. Decide which arguments are valid and which are not. With practice, you will become better at detecting deceptive arguments.

LOGICAL FALLACIES Bandwagon Slanters Persuasive Definitions Personal Attacks Post Hoc Scare Tactics Slippery Slope Strawman Testimonials Generalizations Categorical Statements Begging the Question False Analogy Appeal to Authority

Bandwagon: the idea that everybody does it or believes it 80 percent of Americans dislike the idea of increased taxes; therefore, the government should reduce taxes in order to improve our economy. What is weak in this argument?

Slippery Slope: If A happens, then B will occur If we legalize same sex marriage, then eventually people will be allowed to marry their family members or even more than one person; therefore, same sex marriage should not be legalized. What is weak in this argument?

Ad hominem: an attack on the character of a person rather than her/his opinions or arguments Green Peace's strategies aren't effective because they are all liberals and hippies. What is weak in this argument?

Post hoc ergo propter hoc: assumes that if 'A' occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have caused 'A.' After President Clinton raised taxes, our economy went into decline; therefore the increase in taxes caused our economic downturn. What is weak in this argument?

Appeal to Authority: If X says so, it must be so. President Ronald Reagan supported the death penalty; therefore, we should continue to support capital punishment. What is weak in this argument?

Begging the Question: accept this conclusion without evidence (also may present an argument where the premise and conclusion are the same) Active euthanasia is morally acceptable. It is a decent, ethical thing to help another human being escape suffering through death. What is weak in this argument?

APPLYING WHAT YOU KNOW Let’s review the article by O’Hagearty, et al. The article concludes that the U.S. should use graphic warnings because graphic warning are likely to be effective in the U.S. Is the research valid? Does it have any weaknesses? Could the hypothesis be tested further? Would the use of graphic warnings be an example of the “appeal to fear” fallacy and, if so, would using them in an anti-smoking campaign be ethical? Does this argument rely on any LOGICAL FALLACIES?

How do we AVOID fallacies in our own writing? Imagine you disagree with your own argument. Which of your arguments would not convince you and why? Which arguments are “fishy” or weak? List your argument. List the evidence you provide for each claim. Look critically at this evidence. Ask yourself which fallacies you are prone to make. Look for these in your arguments. Review your argument for absolutes and sweeping generalizations (all, every, never, always) Review the types of Logical Fallacies and review your argument for these problems (Fallacies, 2010).