LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Unit 3 Seminar
Creating a Concept Map
Strategies for Argumentation
•Toulmin
•Rogerian
Choosing Credible Sources
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
References for this presentation
The Purdue OWL
Glenn, Cheryl, et al. The Writer's Harbrace Handbook. 2nd ed. Boston:
Heinle, 2004.
UC-Berkeley, “Evaluating Web Pages”
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.htm
Cornell U. Library, “Critically Analyzing Information Sources”
http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill26.htm
Purdue Owl, “Using Research and Evidence”
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/02/
Lakeland Library, Research Guides
http://library.lakelandcc.edu/sourceevaluation.html
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
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
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
In Unit 3’s assignment, you’ll find a link to
readwritethink.org’s Essay Mapping Tool,
which will help you bring your ideas
together and create a coherent concept
map.
Turn in your revised thesis statement and
introduction both in the dropbox and in the
notes section of your Powerpoint Concept
Map.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
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
•
•
•
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
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
• 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
• 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Assessing the credibility of sources:
Who is the author?
Credible sources are written by authors
respected in their fields of study.
Responsible, credible authors will cite their
sources so that you can check the
accuracy of and support for what they've
written. (This is also a good way to find
more sources for your own research.)
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Assessing the credibility of sources:
How recent is the source?
The choice to seek recent sources
depends on your topic. While sources on
the American Civil War may be decades
old and still contain accurate information,
sources on information technologies, or
other areas that are experiencing rapid
changes, need to be much more current.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Assessing the credibility of sources:
What is the author's purpose?
When deciding which sources to use, take the
purpose or point of view of the author into
consideration.
Is the author presenting a neutral, objective view
of a topic? Or is the author advocating one
specific view of a topic?
A source written from a particular point of view
may be credible; however, you need to be
careful that your sources don't limit your
coverage of a topic to one side of a debate.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Assessing the credibility of sources:
What type of sources does your audience value?
• If you are writing for a professional or academic
audience, they may value peer-reviewed
journals as the most credible sources of
information.
• If you are writing for a group of residents in your
hometown, they might be more comfortable with
mainstream sources, such as Time or
Newsweek.
• A younger audience may be more accepting of
information found on the Internet than an older
audience might be.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Periodicals are print sources that are
published weekly, monthly or quarterly,
such as magazines, newspapers and
journals.
They can be described as either
scholarly or popular.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Scholarly Journals contain articles written by
professionals in the field. The articles may be
original research or an extension of previous
research, may be illustrated with graphs or
tables, and will include a reference list.
Articles submitted to a scholarly journal are
peer-reviewed or juried, meaning other experts
read and suggest revisions to the author before
the final version is accepted for publication.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Popular magazines are not in-depth enough to
be scholarly. The magazine may have an area of
interest; for instance, the magazine Parenting is
devoted to raising children, while Time is a news
magazine. Still, the articles in magazines are
intended as overviews for general readers.
Authors may or may not be named, there may
be illustrations or charts, but there won't be a
bibliography at the end.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
When deciding if a source is being
objective about the information it is
presenting, look for some of the following
techniques used to convince readers that
what they are reading is fact when it may
not be.
Loaded language — using words and
sentences that solicit a positive or
negative response from the reader
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Misquoting a source — this often
happens in the news media when
reporters reword, paraphrase or
manipulate a statement or source’s
information
Selective facts — taking information out
of context or selective use of data—
picking only information that supports the
argument and leaving the rest out
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Distortion or stretching the facts —
making issues more extreme by using
misinformation or exaggeration
Flawed research —basing a claim on too
small a sample, manipulating statistics,
using “fuzzy science” or “bad math,” failing
to report contrary conclusions from other
scientists.
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Assessing Websites
The web is self-published. Beyond the
criteria mentioned for all resources, look
for additional proof of value in websites.
Some hoax sites look very credible until
viewed with a critical eye. Look for:
Mission/Vision/Purpose Statement —
reveals purpose of the website and point
of view
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Credentials —look for a well-regarded
sponsoring organization or an expert author
(Webpage content may not list an individual
author).
Domain name —Is the domain appropriate for
the content? .com is a commercial site and is the
least trustworthy (unless affiliated with a known
entity like a news organization)
Better bets are .gov or .mil for government
information, .edu for education, or .org for nonprofit organizations
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Date of last revision —this reveals how
recently the content of a website has been
reviewed
Contact information — is there a
physical address and telephone number
the researcher can use to contact a real
person with questions?
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Loaded language —words that assign
emotional value can be used to
manipulate attitude. (“Patriot” sounds
better than “vigilante,” “insurgency” less
scary than “civil war”)
Links —do other reputable websites link
to the website, and does it link to other
reputable sites?
LS526-01 Unit 3 Seminar
Additional information about using sources,
specifically related to documentation in APA
style, is available in the APA style guide in our
class as well as in the files I’ve placed in Doc
Sharing (Basic Citations, Advanced Citations,
and Formatting).
Good luck with this week’s assignments, and
don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have
questions or concerns.
vhill@kaplan.edu or 912-429-9739