LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Part 1, Seminar 3
Creating a Concept Map
Strategies for Argumentation
•Toulmin
•Rogerian
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
References:
The Purdue OWL
Glenn, Cheryl, et al. The Writer's Harbrace
Handbook. 2nd ed. Boston: Heinle, 2004.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
The PowerPoint Concept Map:
• Is a graphic representation of the
rhetorical path
• Defines the path from Point A (your topic
or subject) to Point B (your thesis claim or
conclusion)
• Helps with planning your persuasive
paper, much as an outline would
• Is due at the end of Unit 3
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
For the concept map,
• trim the material from your freewriting exercise
• discard useless ideas from your brainstorming
• choose and address relevant counterarguments
• distill down to several (at least 3) main points in
support of your thesis
• compile the details necessary to develop and
explain these points clearly, concisely, and
convincingly
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Under Unit 3’s homepage, you’ll find a website
link that will help you bring your ideas together
and create a coherent concept map.
Include your revised thesis statement (if revision
was necessary from Unit 2) and introductory
paragraph for your persuasive essay in the
“notes” section under your PowerPoint slide(s).
[Note: You will also turn in the revised thesis
statement and introductory paragraph in the
appropriate dropbox folder.]
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
The Toulmin Method, a common formula for
organizing an argument, works as follows:
•
•
•
Claim: The overall thesis the writer will argue for (a.k.a.,
conclusion drawn from evidence).
Data: Evidence gathered to support the claim.
Warrant (a.k.a. “bridge”): Explanation of why or how
the data supports the claim, the underlying assumption
that connects your data to your claim.
A well thought out warrant or bridge is essential. If you present data
to your audience without explaining how it supports your thesis
they may not make a connection between the two or they may draw
different conclusions.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
•
•
•
Backing (a.k.a. “foundation”): Additional
logic or reasoning that may be necessary to
support the warrant.
Counterclaim: A claim that negates or
disagrees with the thesis/claim.
Rebuttal: Evidence that negates or disagrees
with the counterclaim.
Including counterclaims allows you to find common
ground with more of your readers. It also makes you
look more credible because you appear to be
knowledgeable about the entirety of the debate rather
than just being biased or uniformed.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March15, 2012
Example of Toulmin Method:
• Claim: Hybrid cars are an effective
strategy to fight pollution.
• Data 1: Driving a private car is a typical
citizen's most air polluting activity.
• Warrant 1: Because cars are the largest
source of private, as opposed to industry
produced, air pollution switching to hybrid
cars should have an impact on fighting
pollution.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
• Data 2: Each vehicle produced is going to
stay on the road for roughly 12 to 15
years.
• Warrant 2: Cars generally have a long
lifespan, meaning that a decision to switch
to a hybrid car will make a long-term
impact on pollution levels.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
• Data 3: Hybrid cars combine a gasoline
engine with a battery-powered electric
motor.
• Warrant 3: This combination of
technologies means that less pollution is
produced. According to ineedtoknow.org,
"the hybrid engine of the Prius, made by
Toyota, produces 90 percent fewer harmful
emissions than a comparable gasoline
engine."
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Counterclaim: Instead of focusing on cars, which
still encourages a culture of driving even if it cuts
down on pollution, the nation should focus on
building and encouraging use of mass transit
systems.
Rebuttal: While mass transit is an environmentally
sound idea that should be encouraged, it is not
feasible in many rural and suburban areas, or for
people who must commute to work; thus hybrid
cars are a better solution for much of the
nation's population.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Rogerian Argument:
Psychologist Carl R. Rogers advocated
communication based on compromise. He felt a
person should listen to the point of view of his or
her adversary and come to a conclusion that
takes into account this other perspective.
Rogerian argument takes this idea and applies it
to the essay format. A Rogerian essay structure
acknowledges that a subject can be looked at
from different standpoints.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Rogerian argument works best when
people have strong, opposing positions, as
with divisive subjects like gun control or
abortion.
Because Rogerian arguments are based
on listening to the opposition and giving
consideration to those concerns, this
structure works to calm an audience who
may be opposed to your opinion.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
The structure of Rogerian argument differs
from the Toulmin model because the
opinions of the opposition are presented
earlier in the essay and given due
consideration.
Your thesis will appear after you have
shown that you understand the arguments
of those who have a different position.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Introduction: From the beginning of your essay,
acknowledge that there is another side to the
argument, and it is dissimilar from your own.
Give a fair assessment of the opposition in your
introduction.
Acknowledgment of the Opposition builds trust
because it shows that not only do you
acknowledge the other side of the argument, but
that you also find some value in it. State the
parts of the opposition in which you find some
merit.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
State Your Thesis: Once you have shown that
you are taking your opposition into
consideration, you should state your own
perspective.
Support Your Thesis: Explain why your thesis is
valid. The research you have done in support of
your position should appear here. This section
builds support for your point of view and
illustrates that you have delved deeply into your
subject and found material to endorse the
position you have chosen.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Conclusion: illustrates why your position in this
argument would be beneficial and would resolve
the problem.
Even though you have admitted that the other
side of the argument has merit, you want to
conclude by showing why your thesis is the
better option.
If your position cannot completely solve the
problem, as is often the case when writing about
a controversial issue, admit that. State that while
your ideas will help, more work needs to be
done.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Tone: the Rogerian thesis should be delivered in
neutral, non-adversarial language. The thesis
should not be an attack on the opposition;
rather, it should present the writer’s viewpoint
without dismissing or demeaning the viewpoints
of others.
For example, in a thesis that advocated the
death penalty, you would not want to refer to
those on the other side of the issue as
"bleeding-heart liberals."
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Support: The most persuasive support for a
Rogerian argument comes through research.
Saying that "anyone who takes a life should pay
with his life" is an impassioned statement, which
is all wrong for a Rogerian argument, and it is
not supportable through research.
Show the reader why your way of seeing the
issue is valid in certain circumstances.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
Thesis: a Rogerian thesis differs from a regular
thesis because it is presented only after the
writer has conceded that opposite viewpoints
exist and that they have some merit.
This concession of merit may even lead into your thesis
statement, as in this example: “Regardless of whether
the fetus is entitled to legal protection, society as a whole
will benefit if we treat a high abortion rate as
symptomatic of a greater social illness. Identifying and
addressing that illness will do more practical good than
endlessly pitting the rights of a woman against the rights
of her fetus."
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar March 15, 2012
As always, contact me with any questions.
vhill@kaplan.edu
Good luck with the Persuasive Papers
and I’ll see you on the discussion board!