San Diego State University
RWS 100: Rhetoric of Written Argument
December 9, 2015
Instructor: Susan Lee Duba
Follow the instructions on the final reflection
on document camera
 We
ask students to interpret, analyze, and produce
written arguments, because this is central to
academic literacy, critical thinking, and civic life
-
Lasch: “argument is the essence of education,”
and “central to democratic culture”;
- Norgaard: Universities are “houses of argument.”
- Graff: “Argument literacy” is key to higher
education.
 identify
claims
 evaluate evidence and reasons
 locate assumptions
 identify argumentative moves
 pose critical questions
 produce sophisticated arguments
 Why?
It’s key to your professional futures –
every gateway requires it
 The
ability to interpret arguments, locate claims
and evidence, analyze moves and strategies,
and evaluate arguments are crucial skills.
 They are central to business, law, professional
life, and to academic study (including graduate
school).
 Students tested for these skills in the WPA, the
LSAT, GMAT, and GRE – all the gateways to
professional life.
 Consider the LSAT…

FIND THE MAIN CLAIM
Pediatrician: “Some parents have decided not to have their children receive the
MMR vaccine because they fear that it may cause autism. They cite a study that
found a possible link between the vaccine and the disease. However, two other much
larger studies have found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. These
parents have, therefore, willfully put their own children and many others at risk of
catching measles, mumps, and rubella, while failing to do anything to prevent their
children from becoming autistic.” Which most accurately expresses the
main claim of the pediatrician’s argument?
(A) Parents should not pay attention to medical studies because they can’t
understand them; instead, they should get advice from their pediatricians.
(B) The study that found a link between autism and the MMR vaccine was unsound
because the doctor who conducted it was being paid by a group of trial lawyers who
wanted him to find a connection so they could carry out a lawsuit.
(C) Public health needs require that parents have their kids vaccinated regardless of
their fears about the procedure.
(D) Parents’ refusal to have their kids take the vaccine is both medically unjustified
and dangerous, because the vaccine has known disease-preventing benefits and
refusing it will have no effect on whether their kids become autistic.
(E) Despite the results of the two large studies, there is still some possibility that the
MMR vaccine might cause autism.

Present Your Views on an Issue (45 minutes,
choice of 2 topics)
 Analyze an Argument (30 minutes)
 Each essay is scored on a 0-6 scale using
holistic scoring
 Two scores for each essay
 GRE Website presents directions, actual topics,
scoring guide, and sample essays for both the
Issue and Argument tasks
(www.gre.org/gentest.html)





Articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
Examine claims and accompanying evidence
Support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
Sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
Control the elements of standard written English
 In Wolfe’s 2010 study, assignments from a broad range of disciplines were
collected and examined. Results?
“A majority of writing assignments (59%) required argumentation. All
engineering writing assignments required argumentation, as did 90% in fine
arts, 80% of interdisciplinary assignments, 72% of social science assignments,
60% of education assignments, 53% in natural science, 47% in the humanities,
and 46% in business. Argumentation is valued across the curriculum.

Example: Stockton found that the history faculty she interviewed
unanimously, “agreed that argument is the key word for good writing and
that the absence of argument constitutes the central problem in students’
written work” (Wolfe, p. 50). This finding was echoed in other fields.

Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa’s
Academically Adrift, a comprehensive review of
undergraduate education, identifies lack of
argumentation skills as a major problem. (They
also show that liberal arts degrees produce
some of the most literate, sophisticated
thinkers)

These are points you may want to share with
future employers, on grad applications, etc., as
you are part of an unusually comprehensive
and integrated writing program.
RWS 200 – Rhetoric of Written Argument
in Context



Similar types of assignments, but there is more focus on
context.
Rhetorical analysis
Researched final paper
The WPA Exam
What is the WPA?
Every campus in the CSU is subject to the Graduate Writing
Assessment requirement, or GWAR. At SDSU, students take
the WPA, or Writing Proficiency Assessment test to fulfill the
GWAR requirement.
Why the WPA?
CSU Vice Chancellor David Spence says that the GWAR “certifies
that students are prepared to address writing demands in the
workplace or in graduate school, and ensures that all students in all
majors have the opportunity to learn to write well.”
 “The
WPA focuses on your ability to read and
analyze written arguments. It measures your
ability to express yourself clearly, logically
and specifically and to organize and develop
your ideas well. In addition, it assesses your
ability to write coherent paragraphs and
appropriately structured sentences.”
 Two
hour exam
 Short reading provided on test day
 Write an essay responding to a series of
questions related to the reading
• Questions focus on analysis of the argument rather
than a personal response
• Assess how the author uses rhetorical strategies
• Evaluate (using evidence from the reading itself)
how convincing the argument is
Identify and provide a brief explanation of the author’s
argument; identify two persuasive strategies that the author
uses to support his or her argument and analyze how those
strategies might persuade the reader to support the claim;
discuss the assumption(s) on which the argument is based;
and evaluate the extent to which the reader would find the
argument convincing.
Be sure to follow these directions carefully, rather than simply
agreeing or disagreeing or writing an extensive summary of
the article.

Describe, Explain, Discuss: Moving beyond summary, these
terms require you to analyze, to go beyond what is written to
how it is written. Effective description, explanation, and
discussion are objective and impersonal, rather than
subjective. Furthermore, they employ specific, direct,
concrete language. [Do versus say]
 Strategies:
Moves or devices that help build and
support arguments. Commonly used strategies
include examples, statistical support, appeals to
the emotions of the reader (pathos),
demonstrations of authorial credibility (ethos),
analogies and comparisons, irony, refutations of
opposing arguments, and quotations from experts
and famous sources. Stylistic devices such as
repetition, alliteration, and metaphor can also be
characterized as strategies.
 Evaluate:
More subjective than objective
analysis, evaluation requires judgment and
assessment based on explicit criteria,
reasoning, and evidence. Evaluating an
argument goes beyond declaring whether or not
you agree with it. You are required to assess
how its strengths and weaknesses contribute to
or undermine its convincingness. Attention to
the writer’s efforts to respond to potential
opposition is particularly important.
 Premise
and Assumption: Treated as
synonyms in this assignment, premises and
assumptions are the principles, propositions,
beliefs, and values upon which arguments or
parts of arguments rest. Premises and
assumptions can be explicitly stated or
implicit (merely implied or suggested) in an
argument. They are effective to the extent
they come to be shared by the reader and
writer, thus forming “common ground.

Q: When do I take the WPA?
A: Continuing students must take the WPA during the semester in which
they are completing 60 units or in the semester immediately following.
Transfer students are eligible to take the WPA once they have received
an offer of admission. They must take the examination by the end of
their first semester at SDSU.

Q: How many times can I take the WPA?
A: Students are allowed to attempt the WPA twice within the time frames
and restrictions described in the question above.

Q: What happens if I don't take the WPA during the required time frame?
A: Students who do not take the examination by the end of the required
time frame will not be able to register for future terms.
Q: Can I see sample WPA tests and explanations
of how they were scored?
A: see the GWAR site:
http://wpa.sdsu.edu/samples.html
Q: What are the scoring criteria?
A: They are listed here, and connect closely with
skills covered in RWS 100
http://wpa.sdsu.edu/scoring.html
RWS
280
Score 6
or less
RWS
281
(ESL)
RWS 305W
(General/
Engineering)
(60 credits)
RWS
100
RWS
200
WPA
Score
8 or 9
Score
10
RWS 503W
(Professions)
RWS 500
(Grad
Writing)
No "W" class req'd
unless major req's
it: English, History,
etc. (See your
advisor)
 You’ll
likely take RWS 200 next semester.
 I suggest you take the WPA right after that,
when you’re most familiar with material from
RWS 100 and 200.
 If you take it early and don’t score well, you can
meet with an advisor to review your exam, and
still have plenty of time to re-take it.
 Don’t leave it until late (when you’re getting
ready to graduate – what would happen if you
needed a class? You don’t get to graduate – I’ve
seen it happen).
Other information is available at:
wpa.sdsu.edu
Contact the Testing Office for details:
http://studentaffairs.sdsu.edu/testofc/
 Similar
to your reflection, we ask students to
complete evaluations after every class.
 Why?
You’re a valuable resource for
assessing how we’re doing in the class. We
want your input.
 It’s how I’m evaluated by my department,
and how the department is evaluated by the
university.
 Professionalism
evaluation
– part of being in a job is
When completing, I ask that you:
Treat them as a professional task
Be honest, but constructive with feedback
If something truly doesn’t work, we need to
know.
If you want to vent, don’t do it here. There are
other resources for that.
When should you do the evaluation?
As soon as possible (when they become
available) so the class is fresh in your mind
Paper due (Tii through BB):
 11:30pm
Monday, December 14th.
What if I turn my paper in late?


Turned in between 11:30pm Dec 14 and 11:30am Dec 15 =
penalty is loss of full letter grade
Turned in after 11:30am Dec 15 = ZERO points for Paper 4