Warrants & Opposing Views
What is a warrant? BE VERY SPECIFIC AND THOROUGH
An assumption that links the claim to the reason. Can be stated or unstated.
Identify the MLA errors in the following sentence:
According to Linda Choi's article Teaching English to Non-native Speakers, "the ways in which adults acquire a new language are different from the ways in which children acquire language" (Teaching English, p. 27).
According to Linda Choi's article "Teaching English to Non-native Speakers," "the ways in which adults acquire a new language are different from the ways in which children acquire language" (27).
What does "rhetorical analysis" mean?
Examining and dissecting the specific strategies that a writer uses to effectively persuade readers.
Why are journal articles typically considered more reliable than popular press (magazine, newspaper) articles? Name two reasons
1) Journal articles are written by experts and had to be approved by experts
2) Journal articles are written for experts
3) Journal articles contain the most current research
4) Journal articles contain detailed evidence
Name the fallacy:
You're either for us or you're against us.
Either-or/ False dilemma
Address the strongest and most obvious/common ones.
Identify AND correct the grammatical error in the following passage:
Advocates of campus speech codes argue that colleges need to protect every student's equal right to a safe educational environment. While opponents argue that speech codes violate the first amendment.
SENTENCE FRAGMENT
Advocates of campus speech codes argue that colleges need to protect every student's equal right to a safe educational environment while opponents argue that speech codes violate the first amendment.
Name two specific things that a writer can do to appeal to ethos WITHOUT mentioning his/her specific credentials.
Treat the subject and opposing viewpoints fairly; avoid extreme bias.
Be professional; show thoroughness of knowledge.
Why are .com websites generally considered not as reliable as .org and .edu websites?
They are often motivated by a business-related agenda (e.g. trying to sell a product to viewers)
Identify the fallacy:
87% of the students in the survey reported that they found the cost of parking too high. The student body has spoken, so now the administration needs to do something about parking costs.
Misuse of statistics
In critiquing someone else's argument or a counterargument against your position, what is one specific way in which you can refute their point?
1) Identify errors in the data/facts they offer
2) Point out that they have insufficient supporting evidence
3) Identify fallacies in their reasoning
4) Identify bias in their statements
5) Question the source's credibility
6) Question how the evidence is interpreted
7) Question how the evidence was collected
Original passage by Mary Madden: Efforts to create a more ethical technology sector must take the unique experiences of vulnerable and marginalized users into account.
Use in student essay (assume that the student already introduced Madden earlier in the essay): According to Madden, creating an ethical technology business must take the experiences of poorer users into account.
Question: has the student properly given credit to the source?
No. The student has basically copied the sentence but changed some words. This is NOT properly putting things into your own words.
What is a specific strategy you can use in an essay if your target audience already disagrees with your position?
State the thesis after you have
established a connection with the audience,
identified common ground, and
built your ethos
If you found a TIME magazine article that addresses your research question, how would you decide if it is a reliable enough source to use in your research paper? Name at least TWO things/questions you would consider.
How reputable is this publication? Does the author have the necessary expertise to be making this claim? How current and reliable is the evidence? What was the original source of the evidence? How detailed is the evidence? Does the article seem overly biased or does it fairly address opposing viewpoints?
Identify the fallacy in the following statement:
The mayor has proposed providing more funding for after-school Spanish classes in local elementary schools. Of course she would propose this since she's the child of immigrants and she prioritizes immigrants over natives of this county.
Ad hominem, red herring, non sequitur
State the warrant:
You should vote for ____ for Treasurer of California because she served in the Navy for 10 years and graduated top of her class from Harvard Business School.
Serving in the Navy and getting good grades are important qualities for the Treasurer of California.
Identify and correct the grammar error in the following passage:
Sheila wants to run the LA Marathon next year, therefore, she needs to start training now.
RUN-ON SENTENCE
Sheila wants to run the LA Marathon next year. Therefore, she needs to start training now.
Name FOUR things that a writer can do to appeal to logos.
Consistently provide reliable and sufficient evidence
Use logical reasoning
Avoid unsupported warrants
Avoid fallacies
Provide convincing responses to counterarguments
If you are researching the long-term effects of climate change and you get 10,977 results when you search EBSCO, what are three SPECIFIC strategies you can use to narrow your list of results?
Select specific databases within EBSCO
Shorten the date range
Add an additional search term
Limit to journal/peer-reviewed sources
Identify the fallacy: My opponent wants to spend more money on education. Who doesn't want better schools? However, he's planning to do so by increasing tax rates. Given that we already have some of the highest taxes in the nation, an increase in tax rates will ruin local businesses, thus increasingly homelessness and crime.
Slippery slope
When you identify a warrant in your essay, what should you do?
Since your main argument depends on the warrant being true, decide if your target audience will share that same belief or value. If not, you should provide support for your warrant.
Correct all the errors in the following passage:
Long-distance running especially for those who don't work out regularly requires training. Moreover running, biking, and a swim in the ocean require different types of training.
Long-distance running, especially for those who don't work out regularly, requires training. Moreover, running, biking, and swimming in the ocean require different types of training.
Name the specific rhetorical strategy:
"In the 1980s, researchers argued that violent video games led to violent behavior because studies showed that subjects who played violent games expressed antisocial thoughts. However, experts have since pointed out that correlation does not mean causation. Furthermore, they argue that antisocial thoughts do not necessarily lead to violent behavior."
Questioning the opposing side's use of evidence. To be more specific, question how the evidence is interpreted and question its relevance. Point out "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy.
Name FIVE criteria/questions for evaluating a potential source.
Expertise of the author on that subject
Bias in the source; treating opposing viewpoints fairly
Reputation of the publication
How detailed the evidence is
The currency of the evidence
The original source of the evidence
For the past twenty years, there has been an advertising campaign encouraging people to eat more fish. Now, twenty years later, breast cancer rates have doubled. Obviously, eating fish leads to breast cancer.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc.