February 12 Class

Hey everyone, it's Erin.
Today we continued learning about the Toulmin model of argument. We started by talking about the relationship between claim (statement being argued), ground (evidence/reasoning), and warrant. Note: writing isn't about winning but winning over, convincing your audience that you are right. The claim is where the writer starts and should be where the audience ends up (thinking the claim is correct). We learned about the three different kinds of claims: fact (about past), judgment/value (about present), and policy (about future). Grounds are what you support your argument with. There are three kinds (again, rule of three?): facts (verifiable), opinions (interpretations), and examples (illustrations). Second note: argumentative support should be EXPLICIT, not implied. Finally, statements involving opinion play a role in argumentation. Opinions can't exist without facts - they are the result of intrepretation (and most of what people argue about is opinions as opposed to pure "facts"). Third note (to self): don't ask questions about term paper!
See everyone tomorrow :)