1. Rhetoric, Argument and Persuasion

2. Recall an Argument Recall an argument that you’ve had lately. Describe the circumstances leading to it. Now draw two columns; on one side, list your points, and on the other side, list the other side’s points. Evaluate the strengths and weakness of the argument.

3. Staking your claim Stake your claim in the form of a thesis statement at the end of your introduction.

4. Make sure that your claim is arguable Must have a competing viewpoint Must have an ethical component Can’t be based on purely subjective standards

5. Specific, Interesting and Manageable Claims

6. Specific Claim States clearly and precisely what you will be arguing. Vague: Parents of children who play hockey would like to have violence eliminated at all levels of the game. Specific: Fighting should be prohibited in hockey, since violence gives young hockey players a negative model and reinforces a win at all costs mentality.

7. Interesting Must have a specific audience in mind.

8. Manageable Determined by specificity and interest; availability of sources and complexity of argument---nature of assignment.

9. Define hard evidence and provide examples Facts Statistics Authorities Experts

10. Define soft evidence and provide examples Anecdotes Examples Illustrations Case studies Precedent Personal experience Analogies Description

11. Hypothesis Unproved assumption and is not the same as fact Analogy A comparison to help your reader relate to or understand the point you are making.

12. Refuting the opposing view Acknowledgment Point-by-point refutation