Today’s Goals Introduce classical argument essays as a genre Learn basic strategies for evaluating/creating theses Select final debate topics

What is Classical Argument? Closed form prose Extreme focus on powerful thesis and rhetorical support Counterarguments make up an entire section of several paragraphs of the essay Thesis should take place in an ‘academic conversation’ with secondary sources but remain original Highly structured based off of classical Greek methods

Classical Argument Structure Introduction (Good place to establish ethos) Thesis- should be an arguable claim with a supporting reason Forecasting of body paragraphs Body paragraphs Usually 2-4 strong reasons supported with evidence Should utilize logos and pathos (and sometimes ethos) Counter arguments may sometimes occur before body paragraphs or even in the introduction This is the only part of the essay that you can freely move without breaking from classical argument structure However, you should never end your essay with counter arguments (think of the serial positioning effect!) Conclusion

Classical Argument Development You MUST utilize all three rhetorical appeals in your essay A single supporting point could be argued with different appeals depending on your strategy A single supporting point can utilize multiple appeals at once. Even pathos centered arguments can benefit from some facts and statistics

Group Activity: Classical Argument Analysis In your unit 3 groups Select and read through one of the example essays on the class website while paying attention the following information. Use the essay to answer the questions below: 1. What is the thesis or main argument the writer is trying to make? Take this directly from the text if possible. 2. Is this a clear, original, credible, and arguable thesis? Indicate yes/no for each, and if not, give a brief explanation as to why. 3. What are the main reasons the writer uses to support his or her claim? Are these forecasted in the introduction? 4. What are some examples of each of the three rhetorical appeals that the writer uses? Give at least one example of each. 5. How does the writer acknowledge, explain, or respond to opposing views? Where does this occur in the essay?

Thesis Development Which of the following claims would be easier to defend and why? Watching violent TV cartoons increases aggressive play behavior in boys Watching violent TV cartoons can increase aggressive play behavior in some boys

Qualifying Your Claim Strong claim: watching violent TV cartoons increases aggressive play behavior in boys Qualified claim: watching violent TV cartoons can increase aggressive play behavior in some boys Qualifying a claim: limits the scope of your argument to make it more specific and less vulnerable to attack or being refuted Qualifying your claim is easily done with the use of certain adverbials and auxiliary verbs, such as: Perhaps, tentatively, can, should, often, probably, may, might, maybe, generally, sometimes, usually, likely

What makes a good thesis? Clear How long is your thesis? How many clauses does it have? The best theses will be concise and direct. They will often only have one clause (the exception being theses that directly incorporate their supporting reasons, such as those with a ‘because’ clause) What pronouns or determiners do you use in your thesis? You should avoid almost pronouns or stand alone determiners. Any people, places, or things should be named explicitly to avoid ambiguity and vague referents. Original Consider how your thesis relates to the theses of the secondary research articles you have acquired. If it aligns too closely with one of these other ideas, you may need to revise. Being as specific as possible or offering up suggestions to solve a problem or dilemma are often the easiest methods to make your thesis arguable Credible Carefully consider the wording of your thesis. Basing your thesis on opinions or beliefs in an essay like this, rather than facts, reasons, appeals, or data, will make your thesis seem less objective and more like a statement of your own beliefs Avoid first person here! Arguable Consider what would happened if you asked a random sample of ten people if they agreed with your thesis without hearing any evidence. If there is an overwhelming agreement you may need to revise to a different, more contentious stance

Example Student Theses A. “Despite all the claims that a number of individuals might state, colleges must increase tuition rates out of necessity for survival” B. “I say hybrid classes are an efficient strategy in working to benefit teachers ability to engage students and promote student’s learning overall” C. “Although evident drawbacks do exist with the legalization of firearms, the advantages outweigh the negative ramifications. However, that does not mean that these weapons should be allowed among civilians without strict iron-fisted regulations” D. “I believe the blend of traditional and virtual learning in hybrid courses will have a positive academic effect on students” E. “Due to the expectations and demands of university and college athletic programs, like the NCAA, student-athletes have a higher stress level than the average post-secondary student.”

Group Activity: Thesis Workshop In your unit 3 groups 1. Revise the 5 previous theses carefully for clarity, originality, credibility, and arguability. 2. Based on your previous background research, what are the most common viewpoints or beliefs on each students’ classical argument topic?

New Debate Rules/Structure All individual speakers will have 90 seconds to speak Evidence rules strictly enforced: if it is not printed and brought to the debate, you may not use it. After all group members on both sides have presented their arguments, a brief recess will occur A hypothetical problem related to the debate topic will then be presented Debate groups will be given 2 minutes of planning time Then a final 2 minute speaking session will occur. In this time, each group should present a solution to the problem (that aligns with their view on the issue), support it with the evidence at hand, and making closing remarks about their topic

Revised Debate Grading System Arguments 40% At least 1 salient point per group member Utilize all rhetorical appeals Arguments are rhetorically sound Propose a solution(s) Counterarguments 30% Did the group take advantage of any rhetorical weak points? Does every group member (aside from the initial speaker) address some kindn of counterargument? Time Management 10% Are all speaking points adequately explained? Individual Participation 10% Groupwork 10% How well coordinated is the group? Do speaking points overlap?

Debate Topics Proposed Avoided Stem cell research Police corruption Death penalty Immigration Epidurals (?) Designer babies Obesity (?) Torture Video game violence Global warming Needles for drug addicts (?) Bees (?) Beauty pageants Public grade posting Cigarette regulations Single sex schools Government surveillance Justifiable terrorism Gay rights Athletics Athlete pay GMOs Abortion Marijuana Previous debate topics

Homework: Journal Entry 26 Focus: Classical argument ideas Over the course of this semester, you have (hopefully) gained a deeper understanding of a contemporary, contentious, and arguable issue. (or multiple issues) Based on that understanding, what sorts of original arguments might you make on this topic. What are the major unresolved problems related to this issue? What sort of proposal or solution can you come with to solve this problems? How can you make those solutions unique or specific to your argument? Who might object to your solution or idea? What would the main argument against your idea be? If you have used several topics for your major essays, you may wish to consider instead: Of the topics you researched, which seemed the most appealing to you and why? Why did you originally decide to switch topics? For our final essay, will you choose one of these topics or switch to another? Pick one of the topics you have worked with and identify your main solution or argument for it, and try to think of what the main argument against it would be