A Collaborative Activity: Practice Arguing a Position

A Collaborative Activity: Practice Arguing a Position Part One In a group of three or four, choose a college-related issue that you all know about. Decide which audience you are trying to convince of your position on the issue—administrators, parents, or other students. Divide into two teams on opposite sides of the argument, and take turns presenting your arguments.

A Collaborative Activity: Practice Arguing a Position Part Two Discuss what you learned about making an argument for your position. How did knowing which audience you were addressing affect which reasons you used and how you presented them? Why did you expect your audience to accept your reasons? For this debate, you were asked to divide into two opposing teams, but there are usually more than two points of view on an issue. What values, priorities, or interests do you think are most important to your audience when they think about this issue? What is most important to you?

Basic Features of Essays Arguing a Position

Basic Features: Arguing a Position A Well-Presented Issue The issue must be controversial, and clearly arguable (not based on belief, faith, or personal taste) To inform readers about the issue’s importance and arouse their concern, the essay may include Examples or statistics Relevant scenarios or anecdotes Quotations from authorities or research studies Writers frame issues in order to affect the audience’s response to the essay

Basic Features: Arguing a Position A Well-Supported Position After the essay’s position is stated, the reader may consider: Are statements asserted to be facts widely accepted as true and complete? Are examples and anecdotes representative or atypical, and are they illustrative or manipulative? Are cited authorities credible and trustworthy? Are statistics taken from reliable sources and representative samples?

An Effective Counterargument Basic Features: Arguing a Position An Effective Counterargument The reader’s possible objections and opposing positions can be countered by: Acknowledging readers’ concerns and point of view Conceding an objection and modifying the argument to accommodate it Refuting readers’ objections or arguing against opposing positions

Basic Features: Arguing a Position A Readable Plan The essay’s argument must be easy to follow, usually including elements such as: A forecast of the argument Key words introduced in the thesis and forecast Topic sentences introducing paragraphs or paragraph groups Repeated use of key words and synonyms Clear transitional words and phrases

A Collaborative Activity: Testing Your Choice

A Collaborative Activity: Testing Your Choice Get together with two or three other students and take turns discussing the issues you have tentatively chosen. Presenters: Begin by identifying your issue, and explaining the values, priorities, and interests you think are at stake. Listeners: Tell the presenter how you understand the issue—the values, priorities, or interests that are at stake for you.

Critical Reading Guide Arguing a Position

How well the issue is presented How well the position is supported Critical Reading Guide Arguing a Position After you read your classmate’s essay, cite specific examples from the essay to assess: How well the issue is presented How well the position is supported How effectively objections and alternate positions are counterargued How readable the argument is If at the end of your conference the writer has expressed concern about anything in the draft that you have not discussed, respond to that concern.