A couple of ideas for blogs:
1) Find a possible fallacy in a passage of text in the wild (letters-to-the-editor columns are a pretty reliable source) and analyze it -- or present it for others to analyze.
2) Write a clever fallacious argument of your own, and see if the rest of us can figure out where it goes wrong (i.e., what fallacy or fallacies it commits).
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Final Phase (in standard form)
1: College students need to know how to follow assignment instructions and edit their prose as formal writing. (common wisdom)
2: Most students have failed in multiple respects to edit their phase five drafts according to the instructions and the writing checklist. (direct observation)
3: It is Professor Silliman’s professional duty to insist that students learn to follow assignment instructions and edit their prose as formal writing. (follows from premise 1 and Professor Silliman’s job description)
4: Professor Silliman’s efforts politely and supportively to request that students follow the assignment instructions and edit their prose as formal writing have had limited effect. (follows from premise 2)
5: Although he disapproves of such bullying tactics, Professor Silliman cannot think of any alternative means of fulfilling his duty except the threat of academic grades. (introspection)
Therefore:
6: The final phase of each student’s essay (due in hard copy at the beginning of class on Monday, October 31st) must be substantially free of errors of form, substance, and presentation, or Professor Silliman will not assign it a score.
Corollary: a separate, mathematical argument shows that it is difficult to receive a passing grade for the course if you do not receive a score for the paper.
2: Most students have failed in multiple respects to edit their phase five drafts according to the instructions and the writing checklist. (direct observation)
3: It is Professor Silliman’s professional duty to insist that students learn to follow assignment instructions and edit their prose as formal writing. (follows from premise 1 and Professor Silliman’s job description)
4: Professor Silliman’s efforts politely and supportively to request that students follow the assignment instructions and edit their prose as formal writing have had limited effect. (follows from premise 2)
5: Although he disapproves of such bullying tactics, Professor Silliman cannot think of any alternative means of fulfilling his duty except the threat of academic grades. (introspection)
Therefore:
6: The final phase of each student’s essay (due in hard copy at the beginning of class on Monday, October 31st) must be substantially free of errors of form, substance, and presentation, or Professor Silliman will not assign it a score.
Corollary: a separate, mathematical argument shows that it is difficult to receive a passing grade for the course if you do not receive a score for the paper.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Citations
Some of you have asked about citations for your essays. There are several different citation standards, and so long as you are consistent it does not matter much to me which you use. Since this is a short essay, a full-scale bibliography would be overkill. Here are some principles for figuring out when and how to cite:
Whenever you got an idea, or particular way of expressing it, from someone else, that person deserves acknowledgment out of respect and intellectual honesty. Also, unattributed use of copyrighted material is illegal.
Keep it clean -- a simple footnote that gets the reader as directly as possible to the source, without interrupting your prose, is best.
A citation to a printed source is preferable to an electronic one, even though you may have located it electronically (internet addresses have a way of disappearing). If your source only exists on the web, look for signs that it is reliable (named author, dated posting, respected host site such as a major university, internal references to published data...).
Whenever you got an idea, or particular way of expressing it, from someone else, that person deserves acknowledgment out of respect and intellectual honesty. Also, unattributed use of copyrighted material is illegal.
Keep it clean -- a simple footnote that gets the reader as directly as possible to the source, without interrupting your prose, is best.
A citation to a printed source is preferable to an electronic one, even though you may have located it electronically (internet addresses have a way of disappearing). If your source only exists on the web, look for signs that it is reliable (named author, dated posting, respected host site such as a major university, internal references to published data...).
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Don't Wait!
Thanks to all of you who submitted Phase Fours. I will be working my way through them today, and if I think I can make a useful suggestion you may hear from me on email. Go ahead without me on Phase Five (below) however, refining, editing, clarifying, and putting your essay in manuscript format (see the last item on the Writing Checklist). Feel free to contact Kyle or me if you have specific questions as you work, and by all means use the writing center and any other resources you can muster. Good writing takes time, so start the process early.
For bloggers who haven't done so already, it would still be a good idea to put your argument in standard form up on your blog, in the hope that your classmates can help you improve it.
For bloggers who haven't done so already, it would still be a good idea to put your argument in standard form up on your blog, in the hope that your classmates can help you improve it.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Phase Five
At this point, most of you nearly have an essay, though some will still need to narrow the focus further (hint: if adequately justifying any one of your premises takes more than a normal paragraph, that might be a sign you need to make it your thesis). For Phase Five, you will edit your Phase Four draft for clarity, directness, and grammar (use the checklist, and justify any deviation from its rules in a footnote). By this time, it should not be necessary to italicize your thesis or premises -- your writing should make it utterly clear to a reader what statements play those roles. You will then add two more paragraphs:
First, you will present, and develop thoroughly, the SINGLE most powerful objection that a reasonable person might raise against your argument. This could be a challenge to one of your premises, to the strength/validity of the inference, or to a presupposition of the whole enterprise -- you may have neglected some fact or relevant understanding of the issue. Take the possibility VERY seriously that the objection may be correct, and do not be too quick to dismiss it.
Second, in a separate paragraph, reply respectfully to your objection, giving it its due and saying, to the extent possible, why you think it fails to derail your argument. It is better honestly to admit that you cannot fully answer the objection than to brush it off.
Phase Five will be due at the beginning of class on Friday IN HARD COPY (that is, printed on paper in manuscript format). I will accept Late submissions for content but not credit.
Resources: Besides Kyle and myself, you should make liberal use of the peer writing service in the library (Sunday afternoon and evening, weekday evenings; ask at the circulation desk). Be sure to take your draft and checklist; they will be best at helping you find and solve grammatical problems.
First, you will present, and develop thoroughly, the SINGLE most powerful objection that a reasonable person might raise against your argument. This could be a challenge to one of your premises, to the strength/validity of the inference, or to a presupposition of the whole enterprise -- you may have neglected some fact or relevant understanding of the issue. Take the possibility VERY seriously that the objection may be correct, and do not be too quick to dismiss it.
Second, in a separate paragraph, reply respectfully to your objection, giving it its due and saying, to the extent possible, why you think it fails to derail your argument. It is better honestly to admit that you cannot fully answer the objection than to brush it off.
Phase Five will be due at the beginning of class on Friday IN HARD COPY (that is, printed on paper in manuscript format). I will accept Late submissions for content but not credit.
Resources: Besides Kyle and myself, you should make liberal use of the peer writing service in the library (Sunday afternoon and evening, weekday evenings; ask at the circulation desk). Be sure to take your draft and checklist; they will be best at helping you find and solve grammatical problems.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Phase Four
Most of you now have a working thesis (which may of course evolve as you craft your essay), and a preliminary set of premises in support of it. Now write a paragraph, with each premise as its topic sentence, in which you support and explain that premise, giving us reasonable grounds (an example, some empirical date, an appeal to common wisdom…) for thinking it is true. To keep things clear for now, italicize your thesis and premises.
Phase Four consists of your refined and edited thesis paragraph, followed by your premise paragraphs. Use the checklist to ensure that your prose consists of correct formal writing.
Those of you who are bloggers might want to put your premises and conclusions in standard form and post them on your blogs, so your classmates can give you feedback.
Phase Four is due at 5 pm this Friday, October 14th, sent in the body of an email message to me and to Kyle (John) Innis. Late submissions, and those not sent to both of us, will not count for credit, but since you will have to do this phase anyway, you might as well go ahead and turn it in on time.
Phase Four consists of your refined and edited thesis paragraph, followed by your premise paragraphs. Use the checklist to ensure that your prose consists of correct formal writing.
Those of you who are bloggers might want to put your premises and conclusions in standard form and post them on your blogs, so your classmates can give you feedback.
Phase Four is due at 5 pm this Friday, October 14th, sent in the body of an email message to me and to Kyle (John) Innis. Late submissions, and those not sent to both of us, will not count for credit, but since you will have to do this phase anyway, you might as well go ahead and turn it in on time.
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