1. What do these have in common?
Movie trailer promoting the next blockbuster movie
Newspaper article discussing the problems of pollution
Political speech condemning the current healthcare bill
Commercial talking about the benefits of drinking Pepsi

2. Elements of an argument
Claim- author’s position on a problem
Support- reasons and evidence that prove the claim
Provide an example of a claim in a(n)
Advertisement
Political speech
Newspaper editorial

3. What is the claim?
(1)Our community center is in dire need of improvement. (2) Residents have been complaining about it for months. (3) To begin with, much of the equipment should be replaced. (4)The children’s sports gear is falling apart, and the exercise equipment is outdated. (5) Also the swimming pool needs to be repainted.

4. Support You must use evidence to back up your reasons.
5 types of evidence:
Fact – a statement that can be proved to be true
Quote –someone’s comment about a topic
Example – a specific instance that illustrates a general idea
Statistic- a fact given in number form
Anecdote- a brief account/story of an event that can be used to illustrate a point

5. Counter-argument
Presents the opposing viewpoint and then “counters” that viewpoint with further reasons of evidence.
What was your counterargument in your essay?

6. Fact Versus Opinion The room measures ten feet by twelve feet
This room would look amazing with purple walls.
The New York Yankees have won more World Series championships than any other team.
The Philadelphia 76ers would play better if Jalil Okafor came off the bench.
People who swim after they eat get cramps.

7. Commonplace Assertions
Commonplace assertions: a statement that many people accept to be true but it is not necessarily so.
Often, it is a generally believed idea about life and human nature
“Everyone needs at least 8 hours of sleep.”
“Dogs need to roam the outdoors.”

8. Do Now
Write about a commercial, either recent or old, that resonated with you when you saw it.

9. Persuasive Techniques:
Methods made to make you act or think a certain way
Logical Appeals: claims supported by valid facts and reasoning
ILLOGICAL APPEALS
Emotional Appeals:
Appeals by association:
Ethical Appeals:

10. Emotional Appeals
Persuade by stirring up specific feelings in audience
Appeal to pity: makes the audience feel sad or bad for someone/something
Appeal to vanity: make the audience feel cool, stylish, or proud
Appeal to fear: make the audience feel afraid
Example

11. Appeals by Association
Persuade by playing on the audiences’ desire to fit in, have a positive image, or be connected to something they admire
Appeal to loyalty –plays on the audience’s desire to be loyal to a group
“Plain Folks” Appeal – connects audience to something or someone they find familiar or comforting
Bandwagon Appeal – plays on audience’s desire to be “one of the group.”
Snob Appeal – plays on audience’s desire to be special, or part of the elite
Appeal to Authority - uses celebrities or experts to support a product or idea
Example:

12. Ethical Appeals
Link specific claims to commonly held beliefs or values such as duty, justice, or a sense of “what is right.”
Many times, this is used to hide factual support. Always look for evidence that backs up the claim
Example

13. Loaded Language Words with STRONG positive or negative meanings
Examples:
The candidate’s positions are murky and her policies are an outrage
The rich taste of velvety Hershey’s chocolate awaits you.

14. Logical Fallacies
Logical Fallacies are common errors in logic that damage the logic of your argument

15. 1. Hasty Generalizations
Drawing a conclusion based on a small sample size, rather than looking at statistics that are much more in line with the typical or average situation.
My father smoked four packs of cigarettes a day since age fourteen and lived until age sixty- nine.  Therefore, smoking really can’t be that bad for you.

16. When are hasty generalizations ok?
When statistics of a larger population are not available, and a decision must be made or opinion formed if the small sample size is all you have to work with, then it is better than nothing.  For example, if you are strolling in the desert with a friend, and he goes to pet a cute snake, gets bitten, then dies instantly, it would not be fallacious to assume the snake is poisonous.

17. False Cause and Effect
Incorrectly stating that one event has caused another. Sometimes the events seem related, but it is not one of cause and effect.
It is dark now, which makes it very dangerous. [It is not the dark that causes danger].
Money makes people arrogant. [Not all people, and not always just money]

18. Either/or Arguments
Either—Or arguments reduce complex issues to black and white choices. Most often issues will have a number of choices for resolution.
"Either we go to Panama City for the whole week of Spring Break, or we don’t go anywhere at all."

19. Name-Calling
Attacking perceived faults of the person rather than his or her argument
Example:
My opponent suggests that lowering taxes will be a good idea -- this is coming from a woman who eats a pint of Ben and Jerry’s each night!
My teacher told me that I would get better grades if I turned my homework in on time, but he’s a nerd who wears khakis to school, so what does he know?

20. Stereotyping
The general beliefs that we use to categorize people, objects, and events while assuming those beliefs are accurate generalizations of the whole group.
“All high school students are lazy.”
“Jim is a high school student.”
“Therefore, Jim is lazy.”

21. Circular Reasoning
A type of reasoning in which the conclusion is supported by the premises, which are then supported by the initial conclusion, creating a circle in reasoning where no useful information is being shared.  This fallacy is often quite humorous.
Example:
Person A: “Why did you listen to Bill?”
Person B: “Because Bill is the boss.”
Person A: “Who told you Bill was the boss?”
Person B: “Bill.”
Person A: “Why did you believe him?”
Person B: “Because he is the boss.”