Heavy Metal, Crack, and The Toulmin Model

Class started out today on an odd note- going over homework? While we have had much homework this year, yesterday we had to do some written work on creating and developing Toulmin sentences (grounds, claim, qualifier, warrant, backing, reservation, and rebuttal). After a few people timidly volunteered their examples, it became apparent that some topics still needed extra clarification. For example, warrants serve the purpose of forming a bridge between the claim and the grounds. They should never be argued, but should rather be accepted as fact or common belief. For these reasons, the phrase "[faux news programs] present both fictitious and real occurrences in an entertaining way," is not a warrant; however, "it is good to obey the laws to avoid injury" is a warrant.

The next item on the agenda was the introduction of our new best friend for the next few weeks: THE TERM PAPER. But don't get alarmed! There is an extensive list of seemingly arbitrary topics from which to choose, including, but not limited to: Marilyn Monroe, Panmunjom, Ole Miss, British politician sex, Peter Pan, space monkey, Heavy metal, suicide, Charles de Gaulle, "Psycho," AIDS, crack, and homeless Vets.