Argument Synthesis

Warm Up Get into groups of three of four In your groups, make a claim based on one of the following: “__________ is the best day of the week.” “__________ are the best pets.” “__________ is the most successful pop star.” “Veganism is/not the healthiest way to live.” “__________ is the most practical car to own.”

What is an argument synthesis? An attempt to persuade a reader or listener that a particular and debatable claim is true. For example: answering the question “why do soldiers sometimes commit atrocities in wartime?” would involve making an argument. An explanatory synthesis Emphasizes the sources themselves, not the writer’s use of the sources to persuade others The purpose is to inform, not persuade For example: “Cell phones make it possible for us to be always within reach, though many people would prefer not to be always within reach.”

What is an argument synthesis? Cont. An argument thesis, however, is persuasive in purpose. For example: “Cell phones have ruined our ability to be isolated, to be willfully out of touch with the rest of the world.” The thesis for an argument synthesis is a claim about which reasonable people could disagree. It is a claim with which your audience might be persuaded to agree. The strategy then is to find and use convincing support for your claim.

In your groups: Come up with three pieces of supportive evidence to support the claims your groups came up with.

The elements of arguments Claim Ex: “High school students should be restricted to no more than two hours of TV viewing per day.” Support Ex: “An important new study and the testimony of educational specialists reveal that students who watch more than two hours of TV a night have, on average, lower grades than those who watch less TV.” Assumption Ex: “Excessive TV viewing adversely affects academic performance.”

The three appeals of argument Logos The rational appeal, the appeal to reason Deductive reasoning Argument begins with a generalization, then cites a specific case related to that generalization from which follows a conclusion Inductive reasoning Begins with several pieces of specific evidence, then draws a conclusion from this evidence Ethos The ethical appeal, based on the ethical status of the person making the argument. In other words, the person’s credibility Pathos Appeal to emotions

In your groups: Argue your claim using one of the argumentative appeals

Consider your purpose What exactly do you want to do with your argument? Convince your audience that they should believe something? Change your audience’s attitude about something? Call your audience to action? This will affect your claim and how you organize the evidence

Making a claim: formulate a thesis A claim is a proposition, a conclusion you have made, that you are trying to prove or demonstrate Counterarguments An argument opposing your own in which you demonstrate weaknesses, and, in the process, strengthen your own claim

Developing and organizing the support for your arguments Writers categorize support into two broad terms: Evidence Facts, statistics, expert testimony, appeals to reason Motivational appeals Grounded in emotion Summarize, paraphrase, and quote supporting evidence Provide various types of evidence and motivational appeals Ex: combination of facts and expert testimony Use climactic order Save the most important for last!

Developing and organizing the support for your arguments Use logical or conventional order Problem/solution Sides of a controversy Comparison-and-contrast Present and respond to counterarguments Introduction and claim Main opposing argument Refutation of opposing argument Main positive argument Use concession Avoid fallacies

In sum … Summarize, paraphrase, and quote supporting evidence Provide various types of evidence and motivational appeal Use climactic order Use logical or conventional order Present and respond to counterarguments Use concession