TODAY’S GOALS

• Workshop and brainstorm possible theses

• Learn basic strategies for addressing counterarguments

• Begin planning for the final debate

THESIS STRATEGIES REVIEW

7 Powerful thesis strategies we have discussed thus far

• Use “should” to propose solutions rather than state absolute facts

• Use “because” to add forecasting elements or supporting evidence to your thesis

• Qualify your thesis with adverbials and auxiliary verbs such as “likely” or “can” to make your thesis less vulnerable to refutation

• Eliminate unnecessary words, clauses, and sentences to increase the Clarity of your thesis

• Make sure your thesis is Original and does not restate the same ideas of your secondary sources

• Increase the Credibility of your thesis by eliminating first person or references to your own opinions or beliefs

• Check to make sure your thesis is Arguable and contentious and not something everyone would agree on before seeing evidence

JOURNAL ENTRY 27

• Focus: Thesis and forecasting

• At this point in the development of your classical argument essay, you should have selected a topic and be working towards a version of your thesis.

• Use this time to brainstorm a thesis for your classical argument essay as well as the reasons you can use to support it

• I suggest writing many theses or many different versions of the same thesis here. You can select the best one and edit it and refine it as the paper develops

• You may also find it helpful to begin thinking of what reasons you will forecast and use in your body paragraphs as these can sometimes be incorporated into your thesis with “because clauses”

BASIC COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES

3 Main strategies

• Rebutting main ideas• Questions are a powerful strategy here• Anticipate what your opponents will say• You can question your opposition’s argument/thesis (consider the language carefully),

underlying assumptions of the opposing argument, the supporting reasons, or the evidence used to support those reasons

• Attacking evidence• Many times your opponent’s argument will be strong on its own, but that does not mean it is

completely rhetorically sound• When you cannot find direct fault with a claim, consider disputing the reasons used to

support that claim• Examining the argument’s use of all three rhetorical appeals can be helpful here

• Conceding to opposing views or evidence: • In some cases, a certain point of your opposition’s argument may be so strong that it is not

easy to counter. In this case, you may wish to concede the point• This is not “giving up”.” It acknowledges that an issue is complex and can actually make you

seem like a more credible speaker overall• However, you can, after conceding a point, you should transition the argument to an area in

which your own view/reasons are strong or an area in which your opponent’s argument is weak

BASIC COUNTERARGUMENT STRATEGIES

• Attacking a thesis• If the thesis statement seems to be in response to a thesis question, offer your own possible

answer to that thesis question• Look for logical fallacies or underlying assumptions (logos)

• Look at ‘because’ clauses first as an easy way to identify underlying assumptions• Ask questions that your opposing side cannot easily answer• Find parts of the thesis that are too strongly stated and can be negated with a

counterexample• Consider a pathos appeal: an argument may be logical, but that does not mean it is

sympathetic to all views. Use your audiences’ beliefs and emotions to convince them instead

• Attacking evidence or supporting reasons• Consider the three rhetorical appeals to be a pyramid that holds up the argument; if one is

missing or weak, attacking that area can cause the whole argument to fall apart• Look for absolutes: if an argument says anything with complete certainty, all you need is a

single counterexample to refute it• Attack the credibility (ethos) of the evidence. Is it from a reliable source? Was their

methodology flawed? Was their sample size large enough to be generalizable?• Does the main idea of a supporting source align with the main idea of the counterargument?

Many articles will use sources only for a particular piece of data, and if you look at the source of their information, you can often use it against them

• Look for logical fallacies and underlying assumptions

PRACTICE COUNTERARGUMENTS

For each of the following, identify at least one underlying assumption and a possible objection or counterargument to the claim:

A. “The family showed cruelty to animals because the way they killed the starlings caused needless suffering”

B. “The family was justified in killing the starlings because starlings are pests”

(Based off the situation on p. 341)

C. The government has the right to monitor citizens’ electronic communications because this is the best way to prevent terrorism

D. Social media has very negative effects on most people’s interpersonal relationships so parents should limit their children’s usage of it

GROUP ACTIVITY: COUNTERARGUMENT & THESIS

PLANNING• In your unit 4 groups

1. For each group member, write out a revised thesis based on your earlier planning and paying careful attention to clarity, originality, credibility, and arguability

2. Develop two counterargument strategies for each of the following claims: a) Doctors who assist their consenting patients in

committing suicide are violating the hippocratic oath and must have their licenses revoked

b) The United States needs to reduce the cost of college to make it more fair for lower income families and students

DEBATE TOPICS

• U20• Euthanasia• Driver age/license reform• Polygamy

• U23• Government regulation of cigarettes/tobacco• NSA and the invasion of privacy• Tablets vs. textbooks in education

• U65• Physical discipline for children• Alternative energy sources (nuclear vs other)• Euthanasia

HOMEWORK:

• Read A&B 351-361

• Journal Entry 28• Focus: CA Source Evaluation 1• Find the first source you will use for your classical

argument essay• Read and analyze the source. • Sum up the argument it makes or find its thesis

statement and write it here• Identify the source as supporting your view, supporting

an opposing view, or providing neutral background information

• Finally, play the Believing and Doubting Game to find the strongest and weakest elements of the source.