1. CM 220 Unit 2 Seminar General Education, Composition Kaplan University 1

2. Today’s agenda Thesis workshop Logical fallacy discussion Discussion about graphic cigarette warning labels article 2

3. UNIT 2 reading Unit 2 overview with discussion of advertising and deceptive argument The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, pp. 5-6 in ch. 1 (logical fallacy chart), pp. 36-43 in ch. 6 [NOTE: the reading assignment listed when you click the reading icon is incorrect] Fallacy Gallery [posted in Doc Sharing, unit 2 folder] Netemeyer, Andrews, and Burton article on antismoking advertising [available in Kaplan library, Academic Search Premier database] O’Hegarty, et. al article on cigarette warning labels [find link at end of overview reading] 3

4. Unit 2 activities Invention Lab: Develop research questions and a potential working thesis statement Project: “Elevator pitch” of big idea and research strategy Tech Lab: Slide presentations, traditional and animated options 4

5. Tech Lab: Slide Presentations 5

6. 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 6

7. 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. 7

8. 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. 8

9. Sample 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? 9

10. Research question to thesis Education Public Health Topic/BIG IDEAS How can student performance be improved in public schools? Should health insurance for smokers be more expensive? Research Question/LIMITATION Adopting an all year school schedule will improve student performance. Insurance premiums for smokers should not be increased. Thesis/POSITION 10

11. Preliminary thesis (hypothesis) 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. Good persuasive thesis statements often include clauses beginning with “since, because, therefore” that indicate why you feel something should or should not be done. 11

12. Welcome to the CONVERSATION How to construct the THESIS STATEMENT

13. Why do you have to learn how to write a thesis? . In college, you are entering into a conversation.  No matter what you are majoring in, you will join an academic conversation.  Math is having a conversation. History is having a conversation, even accounting is having a conversation…I don’t personally know what those accountants are talking about, but I do know they are talking about something.

14. So what does this CONVERSATION have to do with the THESIS?  Most of these academic conversations are written in the form of a ESSAY.  This is why COLLEGE COMPOSITION is the only class that EVERY student must take to complete a Bachelor’s Degree.  This is the class that shows newcomers what the academic conversation looks like and how to formulate writing to add to this conversation.  The essay is the primary way these conversations take place. During this class, we will cover the various part of an essay.  The most important part of the essay is the THESIS STATEMENT.

15. Why is the THESIS so important?  Without a THESIS STATEMENT, there is no essay.  In other words, without a THESIS, you, the writer will not be heard in the academic conversation.  The THESIS STATEMENT is the place where you, the writer, states your opinion about the topic at hand and explain why you have this opinion.

16. What does the THESIS STATEMENT consists of?  The THESIS STATEMENT consists of THREE PARTS:  TOPIC  What topic are you talking about?  OPINION  What is your opinion about this topic?  REASONS  What are your reason(s) for having this opinion?

17. How can these THESIS parts be put together?  The THESIS PARTS ( topic, opinion and reasons ) can be put together in THREE EASY STEPS:  The first step in writing a THESIS STATEMENT is to let the reader know what TOPIC you are going to talk about….  The second step in writing a THESIS STATEMENT is to let the reader know your OPINION about this TOPIC.  The third step in writing a THESIS STATEMENT is to let the reader your REASONS (also called KEY POINTS) why you think your OPINION is valid with regard to this TOPIC.  For some reason, in academia, the magic number is three…thus, traditionally, a thesis contains THREE REASONS (Key Points).

18. Topic + Opinion + Reason #1 +Reason #2 + Reason #3 = THESIS Topic + Opinion Reason (key point) #1 Reason (key point) #2 THESIS Reason (key point) #3

19. Using this formula, let’s say the TOPIC was The novel Tale of Two Cities, the OPINION was you liked it and your reasons are the characters, the theme and the setting The novel Tale of Two Cities + was enjoyable The characters The theme The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because the characters, the theme, the setting The setting

20. Some items to note about the THESIS  A comma and a because join the topic + opinion with the 3 reasons:  The Tale of Two Cities was enjoyable, because the characters, the theme, the setting.  The THESIS is ONE SENTENCE  The THESIS is NOT A QUESTION

21. 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? 21

22. 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 22

23. 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. 23

24. 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. 24

25. Logical fallacies Bandwagon Slanters Persuasive Definitions Personal Attacks Post Hoc Scare Tactics Slippery Slope 25 Strawman Testimonials Generalizations Categorical Statements Begging the Question False Analogy Appeal to Authority

26. 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? 26

27. 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? 27

28. 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? 28

29. 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? 29

30. 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? 30

31. 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? 31

32. Applying what you know... Let’s review the article by O’Hegarty, et al. The article concludes that the U.S. should use graphic warnings on cigarette packages because these are likely to be effective in encouraging people not to smoke. Is their 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? What were drawbacks that study participants noted with some of the ads? Does their argument rely on any LOGICAL FALLACIES? 32

33. Canadian warnings 33

34. 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 listed in the handbook on pp. 5-6 and review your argument for these problems. 34