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Rhetoric 201: Reasoning and Advocacy
Spring 2012
Tuesday/Thursday 1:10 – 2:25 p.m.
Fine Arts Center 206
Professor: Todd McDorman
Office: FAC 205
Phone: 361-6183 (O)
E-mail: mcdormat@wabash.edu
361-5807 (H)—do not call after 9 p.m.
Office Hours: TuTh 2:30-3:30; W 11:00 – Noon. Like most professors at Wabash, I’m
generally on campus during the day, feel free to stop by or call. I also check email frequently.
Rationale: Rhetoric 201 is based upon the belief that in the course of their liberal arts education
Wabash men should develop critical thinking skills, sound reasoning, and a foundation for
ethical advocacy. These skills will serve you well as you pursue other courses at Wabash, as well
as your future careers. The ability to think critically, reason from evidence to conclusions, and
present ideas effectively are transferable to nearly all tasks you will undertake as liberally
educated individuals.
Course Goals: This course reflects the curricular goals of the Rhetoric Department and
contributes to your fulfillment of the principles embodied in the Wabash Mission Statement and
Preamble to the Curriculum in the following ways:
1. CONTENT: This course will contribute to your understanding of the intellectual history
of rhetoric and the elements of sound reasoning and advocacy by enhancing your
understanding of argument and the study of persuasive discourse.
2. THINKING SKILLS: This course will provide you with enhanced abilities in analytical
reasoning, argumentation, and ethical advocacy through the study of public argument,
reasoning patterns and fallacies, and argument construction and analysis.
3. CLEAR WRITTEN AND ORAL EXPRESSION: This course will enhance your skills in
clear written and oral expression through the development of two speeches, refinement of
discussion skills, and extensive attention to argumentative writing.
4. RHETORIC AND DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP: This course will contribute to your
understanding of the role of rhetoric in the productive functioning of democracy, the
practice of citizenship, and our potential for civic engagement through its study of politics
and the law and both its study of news editorials and the production of an editorial style
essay.
5. RHETORICAL METHODS: This course will improve your knowledge of the methods of
rhetorical studies through exposure to various perspectives on argumentation that can be
used to assess reasoning and to generate and answer significant questions about the
meaning and function of public discourse.
6. INDEPENDENT INTELLECTUAL INQUIRY: With its attention to source and argument
evaluation and research requirements this course contributes to improved information
literacy.
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Required Text:
Rieke, Richard D., Malcolm O. Sillars, and Tarla Rai Peterson. Argumentation and
Critical Decision Making (7th ed.). New York: Allyn and Bacon, 2009.
Additional Readings (posted on Moodle):
Fisher, Walter R. “Narration as a Human Communication Paradigm: The Case of Public
Moral Argument.” Communication Monographs 51 (1984): 1-10. (Essay in full is pp. 1-22).
Foss, Sonja K. and Cindy L. Griffin. “Beyond Persuasion: A Proposal for an Invitational
Rhetoric.” Communication Monographs 62 (1995): 1-18.
Toulmin, Stephen. The Uses of Argument. London: Cambridge UP, 1958. 7-10, 94-113.
Kahane, Howard and Nancy Cavender. “Chapter 7: Language.” Logic and
Contemporary Rhetoric (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2002, 149-167.
Blair, J. Anthony. “The Possibility and Actuality of Visual Arguments.” Argumentation
and Advocacy 33 (1996): 23-39.
Bostdorff, Denise M. "Making Light of James Watt: A Burkean Approach to Form and
Attitude of Political Cartoons." Quarterly Journal of Speech 73 (1987): 43-59.
Texas v. Johnson 491 U.S. 397 (1989).
Course Policies and Assignments
This should prove to be a valuable, interesting, and challenging class. If you put forth the effort
as well as participate you should not only learn about the analysis and use of argument but also
have the opportunity to consider many controversial and interesting contemporary issues. As we
assess the reasoning and advocacy of items in the news and from the recent past, utilizing issues
drawn from subject areas including the law, media, and politics, you should learn about argument
in a variety of fields of importance to the liberal arts.
Assignments:
Participation
Class Assignments (6 @ 25 pts each)
100 points
150 points
Class Congress
150 points
[Congress Paper and Critique—75 points]
[Congress Speech—75 points]
Reasoning & Advocacy Project
Proposal and outline
50 points
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Argument Analysis Essay
Case Building Essay
Advocacy Speech
Editorial
Exam
Grading:
A = 930-1000
A- = 900- 929
B+ = 870- 899
125 points
150 points
100 points
75 points
100 points
B = 830 - 869
B- = 800 – 829
C+ = 770-799
C = 730-769
C- = 700-729
D = 600-699
F = 0 - 599
Participation: You are expected to participate in class. Your participation will not only keep you
involved but it will allow you to develop your understanding of the material. I reserve the right
to call on students who are not regularly participating in discussion.
Class Assignments: During the course of the semester you will complete a series of six class
assignments (drawn from eight or nine options). These assignments generally will be prepared in
advance of class, but an additional assignment might be added in the form of an in-class writing
or quiz. Designed to gauge your understanding of class concepts and fuel class discussion, the
assignments must be completed before the start of class. The assignments will be graded based
on, first, whether or not you put forth serious effort in their completion and, second, on their
accuracy. These assignments must be submitted on time to receive credit.
Class Congress: Each student will participate in a “class congress.” Your participation will
consist of a short research paper and a four to five minute speech during a congress session. The
paper should be approximately 6 pages in length and composed in a professional, written style.
In the first four pages you should clearly present an argument, using standards of reasoning
learned in class, that either supports or opposes a facet (or facets) of a resolution that will be
decided on by the class. The final two pages of your paper should be an analysis and critique of
your argument in which you label and analyze your claims, the type of arguments you have
presented, and your support (it would be helpful to refer to the steps of analysis suggested by
Rieke, Sillars, and Peterson on pp. 108-09). Again, this is a research paper—you must have
sources to build a credible argument. You should also have a works cited or references page
prepared in MLA or APA format. A sample congress paper is provided on Moodle.
In your class speech you should again clearly present an argument while also refuting those who
are in opposition to your position. The speech should be delivered in an extemporaneous style;
you will not read your paper to us. Your congress presentation will be in the context of a
“debate” with the opposition. You need to weave your presentation into the context of the debate
by both building on the speeches of those with whom you agree and directly refuting the
opposition. Papers written in an oral style and papers missing the argument analysis section will
receive a maximum grade of “C,” as will speeches that are read with little eye contact.
Reasoning and Advocacy Project: The primary assignment in the class will be an ongoing
project that addresses the two major themes of the course: analysis of reasoning and development
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of advocacy. The project will be developed in five parts. TOPIC TIP: While not required, it will
generally be easiest for you to initially select a text with which you disagree. This will allow you
to focus more critically on the text and give you more to work with in the writing of your case
building essay.
Proposal and Outline: Early in the semester you need to propose a topic and short text for
analysis. Ideally, this topic would be one that you find appealing since you will spend a
significant amount of time working with the text and researching the topic. The topic must be an
argumentative issue on a “current” controversy. That is, it must be a topic on which there is a
dispute: healthcare, immigration, intelligent design, economic policy, how to save social security,
etc. The text you select must take a position on the issue—it must present a reasoned argument (it
doesn’t have to be a good argument however). The ideal text for analysis is an editorial/opinion
column or short argumentative essay of approximately 750 to 1500 words in length. A traditional
news story from a newspaper or magazine will not work. You need to provide a one-page single
spaced explanation on why you selected the topic, its significance, and preliminary ideas on how
you will approach your argument analysis and case building essays.
Second, you need to produce a conceptual outline of the text. That is you need to
systematically break down the text into an outline that clearly demonstrates the relationship of
the ideas to one another (and identifies major portions of the argument using the Toulmin
Model—thesis/claims, grounds/data, backing, etc.). This outline, which will nearly be a
sentence-by-sentence diagram of the text, will not only force familiarity with the text but it will
allow you to chart its reasoning (or lack there of). Please note that this is a significant, detailoriented, time-consuming, and important task as it will be the basis for your later essays.
Argument Analysis Essay: In the first essay portion of the project you will critique and
analyze the author’s argument. Here your job is not so much to refute the author, but to critique,
evaluate, and analyze the construction of his/her argument. What appeals are well supported and
effective? Where are there gaps in the logic? Evaluate the author’s strategy in approaching the
topic. How effective is the author at reaching his/her intended audience? In answering these
questions you want to develop a coherent essay. Be careful not to break down the text
exclusively in a “paragraph by paragraph” approach that results in a choppy style and misses the
larger picture of the piece. Be sure to keep an eye on how the argument functions as a whole—
thesis, sub-claims, data, backing, etc.—and evaluate it on this basis. The essay should be
approximately 7 pages in length and clearly employ class concepts and vocabulary.
Case Building Essay: In the second project essay you will again address your selected
topic but this time you will construct a clear piece of advocacy. This is not intended as a direct
refutation of the argument under analysis. In fact, beyond a couple of references to explain the
issue and argument, the original text can be virtually ignored. That is, don't make your essay a
reaction to the piece you critiqued in your argument analysis, instead prioritize your voice and
ideas. Thus in this essay you are an advocate charged with writing a persuasive essay that
advances a point of view and action while maintaining standards of reasoning. Therefore in this
essay you will put to work the concepts you have learned, building an essay that meets our
expectations of sound reasoning and superior support. This essay should be 8 to 10 pages in
length.
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Editorial: In the final part of the project, you are asked to use your knowledge of
argumentation and your research on your topic to develop an editorial of the sort that might
appear in a local paper, The Bachelor, a newsmagazine, etc. This editorial should be between
600 and 900 words, typical for op-ed pieces in publications such as The New York Times (include
a Word Count on your first page). The point is that while in college courses we often use a model
of revision that expands essays and argumentation, an equally valuable skill—and one more
frequently used in other spheres—is the ability to efficiently and effectively condense an
argument. While your case building essay should form the foundation of your editorial, this is
more than a case of simple editing. Instead, it requires careful thought about how to maximize
your argument’s strength in a very confined space. When done properly (which, unfortunately,
isn’t often, even in newspaper editorials), you produce a “super-charged” argument in which
every sentence, and nearly every word, is highly meaningful.
Citation Styles: Many of you probably have a citation guide from freshman composition. Guides
are also available at the bookstore. In the Humanities, MLA Style is the most prominent form of
citation while in the social sciences APA is more often used. You may select whichever style you
are most comfortable with, but you have to use one. The ethics of crediting people for their ideas
demands acknowledgement while the development of professional writing demands uniform
citations. The requirements on citations include Internet resources.
Advocacy Speech: In conjunction with your case-building essay, you will give an
“advocacy speech” on your topic. This will be a persuasive speech in which you will advocate a
particular way of thinking or acting. Among the specifics:
 The speech should demonstrate a clear and well supported argument.
 Sources should be cited orally and used in ways that enhance the strength and
credibility of the argument.
 The speech should be directed toward your specific class audience and crafted with
them in mind as the appropriate decision makers (although you may be asking them to
contact and persuade other people who have more direct power).
 The speech should be well organized.
 You should use an extemporaneous delivery—you will not read an essay to us.
Speeches that are substantially read or lack significant eye contact will receive a
maximum grade of “C.” You must use note cards rather than a manuscript, your
essay, or sheets of paper as your notes.
 You should orally cite at least six sources during your speech.
 The speech should be 8 to 10 minutes in length.
Exam: There will be one exam in the course. It may contain an essay question on
reasoning perspectives. It also will contain questions that focus on concept identification and
definition within the domain of the Toulmin model, fallacies, evidence evaluation, and argument
analysis or evaluation.
Late assignments: It is expected that assignments will be completed on time. Problems,
however, are occasionally unavoidable. If a problem arises contact me as soon as possible—it is
much easier to correct a situation in advance than to attempt to devise a solution after the fact. If
it is at an appropriate hour, call me; you can always send me an email. Late papers will be
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assessed a penalty of 10% for each day late. If you have an excused absence you may turn in
homework assignments the next class session, otherwise they will not be accepted. It is critical
that you be present for your class congress.
Attendance is expected. You are permitted two absences during the course of the semester.
Each additional unexcused absence will result in a loss of 15 points. As a result, excessive
absences can significantly impact your final grade. For an absence to be excused you will need
to provide reasonable explanation and/or documentation (such as a Dean’s Excuse, a note from a
doctor etc.). Excused absences count as part of your two course absences so plan accordingly. If
you are missing class it is important that you keep me updated on the situation. It is much easier
to make accommodations and address the issue as it develops than it is when you return from a
two week absence during which you made no effort to contact me. Stuff happens, students
sometimes have to miss class, together we should be able to deal with it.
The Gentleman’s Rule is in effect in this class. Its relevance is two fold. First, you should treat
all those in our classroom with gentlemanly respect. People in this class obviously have differing
beliefs and views; your comments should engage but not demean those views. Second, all work
you produce should be both your own and original for this class. You should be familiar with the
meaning of plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Copying material without appropriate
citation, cheating during an exam, submitting material you previously did for another course, and
submitting an essay which does not represent your own original work are four examples of which
you should be aware. If you have any questions or doubts about the permissibility of a practice
or conduct, discuss it with me in advance of your assignment.
Electronic Devices: Your cell phone should be silenced and put away during all class sessions
(including exams). If your cell phone rings during class, I will be unhappy; if it rings while a
student is giving a presentation you will lose one letter grade off of your own presentation of the
given assignment. You also will not send or read text messages during class.
If you prefer to use a laptop in class, you should only use your computer to take class notes or
access the class readings. You will not use e-mail, check or post to social networking sites, or
surf the web. If you are seen using your laptop for non-class uses, I reserve the right to dismiss
you from class and ban you from future use of a computer during class.
Disabilities: Students with disabilities (apparent or invisible) are invited to confidentially discuss
their situation with me and/or the Director of Academic Support Services, Ms. Rosenberg. If a
student wishes an academic accommodation, it is required that his documentation of the
disability be on file with Ms. Rosenberg, who can, in confidence, provide information and
guidance. Early notification helps us all work together in the most effective ways. Ms.
Rosenberg can be reached at her office (Armory 101B), by phone (X6024), or by email
(rosenbej@wabash.edu).
Emergency Procedures: In case of a fire, we are to proceed from the classroom, go downstairs
to the nearest exit, and move across Grant Street away from the building. You should join me
and your classmates outside to make sure that everyone got out of the building okay. Then we
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will move as a group to the Chapel to report to the emergency personnel in charge. In the event of
a severe weather storm, we are to proceed to the basement and shelter in the basement hallway.
Organization: The course is organized into three units. The first unit examines perspectives on
reasoning and decision making. The second unit focuses on the components and standards of
traditional argumentation. The third unit examines argumentation and advocacy in multiple
contexts.
It should be a productive and enjoyable semester; I look forward to it. If you have questions,
always feel free to ask them. If there is a problem with the schedule, talk to me as soon as
possible. The key is to communicate, if we do that everything should be fine.
Schedule of Classes
Date
Topic
Reading
Due
I. Perspectives on Reasoning and Decision Making
T Jan. 17
Course Introduction
The Nature of Public Argument
Syllabus
R Jan. 19
Intro to Argumentation
Is Pluto a Planet?
Ch. 1, pp. 1-10, 18-25
T Jan. 24
Critical Appraisal of Argumentation
Perspectives of Reasoning
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
CA1: Group Reports 1, 2, 3
R Jan. 26
The Narrative Paradigm
Obama Campaign Film
Selections from Fisher (pp. 1-10)
CA1: Group Reports 4, 5
CA2: Obama Narrative Analysis
T Jan. 31
Invitational Discourse
Foss & Griffin
R Feb. 2
Toulmin Modeling
Toulmin pp. 7-10, 94-113
II. Traditional Argumentation
T Feb. 7
Nature of Argument
Ch. 6
CA3: Toulmin Modeling
R Feb. 9
Support: Evidence
Ch. 7
T Feb. 14
Support: Values
Assign Congress
Ch. 8
Proposal & Outline
Sample Congress Essay
R Feb. 16
Support: Credibility
Ch. 9
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Date
Topic
Reading
Due
T Feb. 21
Refutation and Fallacies
Ch. 10, 11
R Feb. 23
Fallacies II
Argumentative Writing
Chapter 4, pp. 54-59
Sample Congress Essay
T Feb. 28
Class Congress I
Congress Essay
R March 1
Class Congress II
Congress Essay
CA4: Fallacy Detection
Spring Break
T Mar. 13
Argument and Language
R Mar. 15
Exam
Kahane & Cavendar
III. Argumentation and Advocacy in Contexts
T Mar. 20
Visual Argument I
Blair
Argument Analysis Essay
R Mar. 22
Visual Argument II
Bostdorff
T Mar. 27
Argument and Law I
R Mar 29
Argument and Law II
Argument in the Courts
Texas v. Johnson
T April 3
Political Debate I
Debate Excerpts
Ch. 16
R April 5
Political Debate II
Essay Questions
T April 10
Advocacy Speeches
R April 12
Advocacy Speeches
T April 17
Advocacy Speeches
R April 19
Advocacy Speeches
T April 24
Argumentative Theory of Reasoning Readings on Moodle
R April 26
Editorial Assignment
CA5
CA6: LSAT Problem Set
CA7
CA8
Case Building Essay
CA9
TBD
FINAL EXAM period: Friday May 4 at 1:30 p.m. Your Editorial is due by the conclusion of the
exam period (That is, 4:30 on Friday May 4).