W2

Defining "Argument"

Defining

The basics:

• Rhetorical Argument: focuses more on structure.
• Academic Argument: used to convince others in a given field.
• Opinions: based on personal exp/bias and often lack structure.

Why do we argue?

• Inform: The goal is to spread data and educate the audience (no stance).
• Ex. "Here are the facts about climate change."
• Convince: the most used argument type in academia. You want to convince the reader that your points are valid and to see your side as respectable.
• Ex. " Climate change is bad because..."
• Persuade: very similar to convince, but there is usually a strong focus on action.
• Ex: " Climate change is bad, but this is what can be done to stop it"
• Explore: focuses more on asking questions than having a single thesis.
• Ex: What are the main issues with climate change?

Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements= Usually a one sentence, argumentative claim that sets the main focus of your entire paper. Most papers will have the thesis as the final line in the introduction.

Bad thesis: The cost of tuition is rising (Inform)

Visualizing an Argument

The Rhetorical Situation can help breakdown and visualize the fundamentals of a written argument