Thursday, March 19 2009
January 10, 2009
Today’s Agenda
1) Welcome back from break
Let’s review what we covered last class, and what your homework was for today:
You had to read Chapter 6, and learn about what a Toulmin argument is, and then write a blog post about how you were going to transform your writing into a Toulmin argument:
Here are some examples of what you said. I have underlined the points that are particularly important right now:
Student 1:
The Toulmin strategy says the main parts are the claims and evidence. You begin your argument with a claim. This is the point you are trying to prove. Your claims depend of your audience or readers. Claims that are worth arguing are controversial. You have to support the claim with evidence. Also, you then use a warrant; informs readers your often unstated assumptions. A singular paragraph will have an introduction, then a quote supporting what the author is trying to say, then an explanation of what the author is trying to say.
Student 2:
When starting to transform my argument into a toulmin argument, I’m going to begin with using the claims that I’m trying to prove, by using direct quotes from Hertsgaard’s, D’Souza’s, and the other author of my choice’s article, to help back up the claims, and the argument that I’m trying to make. To help prove my argument I’m going to add more quotes to each paragraph so that each paragraph has two quotes at the minimum to support the claims. In the paragraphs as well, I’m going to use more than one autor’s quotes instead of using quotes from one author in each paragraph. Along with quotes, I’m going to put good specific evidence in my argument to back up, and support my claims, so when the reader questions my statement they will know that my evidence that I’m providing really supports the claim.
Student 3:
Rewriting my argument into Toulmin form will help make my argument more understandable, condensed, and less repetitive. The first step I would have to take to reach this would be to decide my claim. I also need o have a qualifier t limit the claim so it is not too large. After I decide the claim that I am going to make, I have to gather the evidence out of the papers I have written to support this claim. I have to then persuade using a warrant to link my claims to the reasons and data supporting it. This data can include my support from the other authors and articles I used in my synthesis section of my past paper. I may need to use more facts and quotes from the Hertsgaard argument and my two other arguments to really support my case. The more evidence I provide the more solid the claim. After I have provided all of my information and evidence I will end by stating how other people may view it in the conditions of rebuttal. After I do this, in my response, I will explain how to go about my claim without sounding too crazy.
Okay, now that we have thought a little bit about what a Toulmin argument is and how it works, let’s move on into what’s next:
1) Conferences: I am going to meet with each of you this week to go over your paper and discuss it with you. At that time, you will be given a grade on the paper. I will now hand out the conference sign-up sheet.
Today we are going to shift gears a bit. We have been discussing warrants, and how they connect your evidence to your claims. We need to be aware that some strategies are better than others for connecting claims and evidence
Claim:
You should wear a coat when you go outside
Evidence:
It is -30 degrees outside.
Warrant:
If you don’t wear a coat, you will die.
You should wear a coat because other people are wearing coats.
If you don’t wear a coat, you may also forget your hat and gloves.
You will need to wear a coat so that you do not get cold, as it is very cold outside.
Claim:
A University Degree is a worthy goal for anyone
Evidence:
People who get a University Degree make 1 million dollars more over the course of their lives than people who do not get a university degree.
Warrant:
People who university degrees are better than people who do not have university degrees
If you don’t get a university degree, you will live in poverty, as will your children.
If you don’t get a university degree, you are probably not very bright.
If you get a university degree, you are going to improve your chances of having the kind of job and work you want in life.
Claim:
Many Americans do not understand the foreign policies of the United States
Evidence:
When polled, only 20% of Americans claimed to follow the news on a regular basis
Warrant:
Only nerds and dweebs follow the news, so understanding it is not important to me, Mr. Regular Guy.
Because American’s do not follow the news, they can’t be held responsible for what their country does.
If people followed the news, they would have a better idea of what was going on in the world, and would be less ignorant of why other countries react to us the way they do.
—
Okay, as you can see, some kinds of warrants make more sense than others. You book does a very good job of laying out what are called “fallacies of argumentation” You book does a very good job of describing these.
Let’s open to chapter 17 and take some time to read the intro. After we have done that, let’s break into groups. Each group is going to be responsible for introducing one or more of these fallacies to the class,and also for providing examples of where and when you have encountered these fallacies in your life.
Now that we have talked about it as a class, I would like you to take some time and journal on this issue.
Pick one of the fallacies that was NOT addressed by your group and for the next 10 minutes I want you to journal on an example of this kind of argumentation that you have encountered before.
Share and discuss.
Okay, now I want to begin working on a document that you are going to start working on today, and will bring with you when you come to see me in my office. The title of this document is “Reality Check.”
The purpose of the reality check is to have you refresh your thinking about writing and who you are as a
writer at this point in the semester. I want you to describe to me how you have developed or grown as a writer so far this semester, what have you learned or how have you otherwise improved? I also want you to explain to me where it is you need to focus in your writing. What issues are you still having with writing? This is a two page typed document you will be turning into me when you come to my office.
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Rachel Foster
Rhetoric & Comp. II
A Crowley
March 23, 2009
Ch. 7
After reading chapter seven I am beginning to think that arguments of fact are my favorite kind of arguments. Arguments of fact provide a look into something simple that may or may not have a deeper meaning. Our text uses topics such as hurricane Katrina and obesity to open up new doors to something that may underlie the real truth. For example, the disruption of the hurricane called Katrina is not what people should focus on, but instead they should focus on how global warming effected that situation.
These underlying arguments that are to be made involve researching the topic into more depth then one normally would have to. To develop these arguments into successful arguments one must first, according to our text, identify an issue. Doing so would involve making a claim about fact, correction and error of fact or challenging societal myths. After doing so forming and researching a hypothesis is the next, and possibly the most crucial step. In arguments of fact, most often the thesis is some derivative of the hypothesis. Most claims made in an argument of fact will be based on solid evidence, thus making it easier to compose these arguments.
Presenting the evidence found is what I would consider the most difficult step of writing an argument of fact. Having once found the information that is desired or needed, putting it into the correct format could be a challenging step which is why the text suggesting taking into extra consideration the organization of an argument of fact.
Because arguments of fact can take on a variety of different formats, these arguments can be diverse ones. Considering the format used is what I think would help to decipher which will get the best responses from the audience. Being able to provide an argument of fact while still effectively capturing the audience’s attention is done everyday. Our text provides examples of these such has Time magazine, and the article from Science. Articles such as these get the readers’ attention while at the same time providing what the author(s) consider relevant facts.
Bethany Nadeau
A. Crowley
Rhetoric & Comp. II
25 March 2009
A factual argument is in essence an argument based on facts. But these facts may be interpreted in various ways, thus producing an argument of what is and what isn’t. The book uses the description of whether or not the ivory-billed woodpecker is in fact extinct or not. The argument is based on facts, but since there is a variety of standards on which to base fact, the answer to the question is still unclear, even to some of the more educated minds in the field. Some proof is enough for one party because they simply want to believe it, but for others, they need much more convincing of the facts.
Recently I encountered a similar experience, though not quite as in-depth as in the case of the ivory-billed woodpecker. A friend of mine had developed a migrane and was debating which medication to take for it… Excedrine or Ibuprofen. I had told him my personal experience with Ibuprofen and how it had helped me in the past, consistantly working to cure my headaches. This was a fact. I also brought up some of the various positive aspects of taking Ibuprofen rather than Excedrine… also based on facts. He countered with his experiences in his use of Excedrine and how it had worked for him in the past. In the end, the debate could have been further researched and an ultimate conclusion based on testing results of pharmaceutical companies and such could have been made, but it was not an important enough argument to go into that much detail. His decision was based on his experience, which was in his case factual information. Though we had different evidence to back up our views, the ultimate decision relyed on his interpretation of it.
Bethany Beaulieu
A Crowley
Rhetoric & Composition II
Arguments of Fact
Factual arguments can differ from any other argument. For a writer to create an argument of fact, it can be difficult because of the insufficient amount of information. To become an argument, the thesis has to have the right claims for the appropriate audience. The writer aims to prove that something is true or false. However, it may seem that no one would dare argue the truth but, if they are controversial enough it becomes argument.
Arguments of fact can challenge or change ones beliefs. For example, the reading on pages 174-216 show examples of posing questions that result from factual arguments; “Can we rely on hydrogen to solve our energy needs? Will the Social Security trust fund really go broke? Does Such a fund even exist?” (179). Questions from the audience such as these create disagreement against the theses.
As my own personal experience, I refer back to when chocolate was claimed as healthy. It has been a major breakthrough when nutritionists, dietitians, and physicians agree that chocolate is in fact healthy for you. It is easily a controversial topic because chocolate all around the world is viewed as an unhealthy indulgence meant only for minimal consumption. But what most people don’t understand is, most of the chocolate at the grocery store is indeed unhealthy. It is the natural cocoa products that has the benefits.
There has been many studies to support the theory. The many studies conclude with positive results that using cocoa or eating dark chocolate is healthy for the human body to intake. Dark chocolate has a lot of antioxidants, which in turn is good for the heart. It also can help lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate, experts claim, have the same time of antioxidants as green vegetables, berries, and tea. Of course over eating will cause obesity, but a square after dinner is recommended.
This has been an argument for quite some time now. This kind of argument has no real solution nor will there be an agreement on the topic. Factual arguments has a thesis that is supported by reliable evidence that can be affirmed or even challenged. There is no one solution when it comes to a factual argument. I used chocolate as my real life factual argument because it represents a controversy that has been backed by physicians and other scientists, yet much of society disagrees with the facts.
Jill Sarno
3/25/09
Chapter 7
Factual Arguments
A factual argument is one that seems to be favored the most. With this argument the case presented must be backed up with solid, indisputable evidence and with out this key ingredient you do not have facts to justify the claim. In the “Everything’s and Argument” book an example is presented with an extinct wood pecker. The scientists are trying to determine if the blurry video clip proves that the extinct bird has reappeared or if it is a similar, common bird. Many scientists remain doubtful because the evidence was not completely clear. Thus, showing that this was not a sound argument.
When characterizing a factual argument the topic is usually something new and relevant in society. People begin to question and observe the phenomenon leading to a hypothesis. In order to prove if the hypothesis or thesis was true the writer would have to search extensively for the truth. This requires the uncovering of evidence which could be very controversial. Then by developing the factual argument it is all in the language and tone you use. By stating the evidence in a certain manor one will be able to shape the argument for the targeted audience. The example that illustrates this well is Ross Gelbspan’s article on global warming and hurricane Katrina. He claims that the deadly and destructive hurricane that his Louisiana and Mississippi was a result of global warming. He gives evidence to show that the small hurricane grew into a massive one due to the high sea surface temperature in the gulf of Mexico. He then goes on to explain that many people do not know that the hurricane was a direct result of global warming because the coal and oil industries have spent millions of dollars telling people that global warming does not exist. Gelbspan concludes his article with informing the reader that global warming will not cease because it would require the cut of coal and oil by 70% threatening the survival of the largest commercial enterprises. In this article the issue is clearly identified when Gelbspan says, “..nicknamed Katrina by the National Weather station. It’s real name is global warming…” (185) He then researched how the hurricane had evolved and what allowed it to become so devastating. Gelbspan proved his thesis or hypothesis to be true with factual evidence collected proving his argument. Also, by adding why global warming will not be stopped shows that he is only trying to allow the truth to be exposed. His argument is very hard to disbelieve because of the assertive way it is presented. Gelbspan’s article is a prime example of a factual argument because it contains all of the necessities including an issue, hypothesis or thesis, claim, evidence, and presentation of that evidence.
Emily Gala
3/25/09
A. Crowley
Rhetoric & Comp. II
Chapter 7
After reading Chapter 7 in the text I came to a new realization on arguments. The factual Argument came in to perceptive. The Factual Argument is tended to drive perception and evidence together. Such questions come up as: What if? Or, How Come? This all can be relevant to daily life. To make a factual Argument one must cover evidence that reaches well beyond the observations.
When reading on, I came to the conclusion that Factual Arguments commonly come about when someone is looking for a problem. For instance Katrina. As stated many times before Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana and Mississippi, however the writer says its real name is “global warming”. When stated in such manner, one has to back up his or her claim with evidence, and the correct language use.
One specific example in the text that I felt was quite interesting was this one. It stated that “Women in the Liberal Arts are the heaviest smokers on campus”. First of all, what made this controversial for me, is I smoke. I also am in the Occupational Program at a college. However, although this point may be true to several other schools, I guess I would be the reasoning to disagree with this statement. That is why; you really have to find good resources to strengthen the claim. You should use Local resources, which in fact will strengthen your argument, much more than making the claim extremely broad.
All in all, I felt that Factual Arguments, as of now are the most interesting to me. I say this, because I myself would enjoy making one. I have learned a lot in this chapter about this specific argument. I have learned that when describing a situation that leads to a question you must give facts about the given situation. I also learned that when writing a factual argument you will come across a lot of challenges and corrections.
Jessica Munson
Rhetoric and Comp. II
A. Crowley
March 25, 2009
Factual Arguments
Factual arguments are arguments that are built on facts and information. In order to make a factual argument a significant amount of factual information must be available or else there is no argument worth being made. This type of argument seems to be the most popular because of it establishes whether something is or isn’t.
One particular factual argument I keep having frequently with friends is about hockey. My friends and I are big hockey fans and we all have our favorite teams. Every time our teams play each other we all argue which team is better and which team will win. We base our arguments on the teams’ stats and players’ performance in the past. We compare goalies’ based on their abilities to stop the puck and we also compare the best players’ scoring records. All of our arguments about hockey are based on facts because without them there would be no argument since we would have no way to back up our claims.
The same goes for all arguments about sports. In order to be able to support your team in an argument you need to use facts such as standings in the league, ratio of wins and losses, and other help information that will make your argument more believable and professional.
Factual arguments are the most common arguments because it is easier to prove your point that you are trying to make while using real evidence to fully support your thesis. “Yet facts become arguments when they’re controversial in themselves or when they’re used to educate people, challenge or changing their beliefs,” (178). Any piece of information that has been proven can be used to support a claim or be the claim of an argument. As long as the evidence can be found and the claim is plausible then it is a factual argument.
Kevin Adams
Factual Argument
March 25, 2009
Factual Argument
A factual argument challenges a claim or thesis when the claims themselves rise questioning about how credible the facts about the claim or thesis are. This occurs when you read something and you think to yourself, “What’s the credibility of this claim?” or “how accurate is this claim?” A factual argument takes the task of correcting, or challenging a claim and offers supportive and authoritative evidence to support your own claim within the factual argument.
One factual argument that I have encountered lately has occurred at the stores. I have been on the hunt for a television the past few weeks and when I look back on my voyage through isles of all kinds of different televisions, I feel I found myself in a factual argument about which television to purchase. It may not seem to have many choice decisions but I had to determine many prerequisites before I could hand over the cash.
I obviously knew I wanted to purchase a flat panel television, but then had to determine whether I would go with a plasma or LCD television. Not knowing much about televisions, I had done a little research, both on my own and with the help of employees of outfits such as Best Buy. I had heard from friends a variety of preference over plasma or LCD, so I had to rely on the information I gained about both. I researched the pros and cons or both plasma and LCD televisions online and at the stores. I found that both televisions had their strengths and weaknesses, and it was a matter of what I would use my television for.
When determining what I would use the television for, I came up with watching movies, sports, and a little video gaming. With these in mind I researched the televisions that would best suit my interests. I found that LCD televisions reflect less light, are more durable, and have a slightly higher resolution. On the other hand, plasma televisions tended to have better image quality. Along with the decision between LCD and plasma, I had to determine what size screen I wanted. My original thought was to get a bigger screen, maybe a 32 inch. After being asked by an associate where the television would be and how far away I would be sitting from it, I realized that a 32 inch screen would be a little big for my bedroom and could cause a little discomfort. Knowing this information after doing a little research to determine what the best fit for me was, I decided to go with a 26 inch LCD.
I believe this situation that I was involved in is an example of a factual argument because I had skepticism about the exact television I wanted to purchase. I used that skepticism as the claim that I wanted to challenge and make sure I had the facts right when buying the right television. I had done my research, and used the information I gathered and supported my skepticism towards getting the wrong size television. In the end, I used solid evidence to back my claim and landed the perfect television that is just right for my needs.
Tyla Crocker
Crowley
Factual Argument
March 25, 2009
Factual Argument
Factual arguments are arguments that use evidence to back up their claims. Factual arguments are very popular and occur often. The person or people that read or listen to your claim think about the evidence presented and ask themselves, “Is this evidence enough to prove the claim.” If the right evidence isn’t there to back up the claim, then the claim isn’t going to be seen as factual.
A factual argument that I have encountered was deciding where to go to school. This is a factual argument that many people, especially teenagers face each year. I was accepted to two schools, the University of Maine and Husson University. I had to decide which one to go to, but it was really tough. Although it took me a month or so to decide which school to go to, I had to research the evidence to fit the claim of “which would be the best university for me.”
First I looked at the size of both of them; Husson being private was very small and the University of Maine was very large, almost like its own little town. I also thought about what they offered, the University of Maine had endless options, I was looking into nursing, which they had, but I would have to start out doing pre-nursing. Husson University had several options as well, including nursing too, but at Husson I wouldn’t have to wait to start the nursing program like I would at the University of Maine.
The costs of the schools were also raised question of mine; the University of Maine was a little bit cheaper than Husson. I also thought about where my friends were going, they had all chosen the University of Maine. Lastly, I looked at reviews from people about both of the Universities. A lot of people said to me that Husson was bad for nursing and others said it was good for nursing; this was the same with the University of Maine.
After looking deeply into the evidence of facts, I found that Husson University would be the better fit for me for many reasons. For one, Husson is small and I like small because I have always lived in small towns. Husson would allow me to start nursing once I started school. Even though the University was a little more expensive, I just believed it would be better for me because if I needed one on one with my teacher, I could because the classes are small. This is the type of factual argument that I have encountered recently.
Brianna Ward
March 25, 2009
EH 124
Factual Argument
There are many different forms of factual arguments, each with their own standards of proof. The one thing that all factual arguments share in common is that they attempt to prove whether a claim that is made is true or not. They address broad questions about the history or myths that people want to believe are true. Most of these types of arguments just report out on what was recently found to be true or false. Factual arguments make it easier for the public to be aware of certain issues.
I factual argument that I have encountered is one over evolution versus creation. Evolutionists argue that the “Big-Bang Theory”, is the reason behind the way the world and that it is all based on science. They argue that everything exploded from nothing, which others can argue goes against thermodynamics which states that something has to be there in order for something to evolve. Some people feel the need to believe in a higher power in order to understand why things happen. However, there are others that feel things can just happen on their own through scientific means.
People who believe in creation argue that there is some form of a God that created the world and the species that are a part of it. They state facts that go against evolutionism in attempt to prove that nothing can evolve from nothing. I believe this is an on-going factual argument because sources from both sides are trying to prove and disprove different theories in order to persuade people to believe one explanation over another. Evolutionists state facts as to why the world was created from nothing, whereas people who believe in the creation theory state facts that disprove evolutionists. It is on on-going process of proving and disproving one another, and in fact I believe all factual arguments are of that form.
Ben Landry
3/25/08
Mr. Crowley
Thursday 11:00
Factual Arguments
Factual arguments are arguments that pertain to things that have insufficient information about them and the argument is revolved around the truth of what is really happening with the situation. The main source of these arguments I can think of would be the headstrong attitude that everyone seems to posses today about the things that they believe. If someone sees or hears something that they deem to be true they try to stand behind the fact and defend it rather than settle on a differing point that someone else is making because you aren’t able to tell if they even have any truth to their claim. Countless examples of this happen every day and a big source of them is the internet. So many things are written up on the internet and a lot of the time when the sources differ the information usually always differs at least slightly from one site to the next. It can be a pain to have to argue with someone who happened to find another site with slightly different information on a topic and have to bicker with them over who is correct and why they happen to be correct.
Factual arguments have become a big part of my life in this last semester and a half of college. With all the running around and organizing that it takes to be a young college student it is easy for things to get lost in the mix or for directions to get misconstrued. A very significant example of this is homework, homework seems to cause everyone a problem at least at one point in their life and deadlines can be extremely difficult to agree on sometimes. A lot of the time it just so happens that one person hears the teacher tell the class the date and another student hears a different date later in the class and thinks that that is the one for homework when really it is the deadline for something else. Even after all of the bickering the situation is usually taken to a third source which usually is the professor or another student in the class so that everyone is on the same page and knows when the assignment needs to be handed in.
Today in the world there are so many different sources of information that are scattered around at different ends of the earth and without an expert to be able to tell which is right or wrong it is usually up to the reader to decide if what they are reading is correct. It is important to always evaluate your sources because when it comes down to it the one with the better source is usually relied upon and if the two sides cannot agree then at that point it is taken to another person.
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