Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0167 - Making an Argument

Convince. Debate. Respond. Foster consensus. Reason. Move your reader. Find a voice. Inspire action. This writing-intensive course develops the powers of persuasive writing and effective oral communication. Starting from the premise that writing well means engaging in conversation with others, students enter into dialogue with their peers about the self-selected topics that matter most to them. The semester builds toward a final in-class debate that dramatizes the give-and-take of academic arguments. Toward this end, we study essays by well-regarded writers and develop a shared vocabulary for analyzing the elements of an essay. Subsequent class meetings address the communication skills that are necessary for college-level work, including comparing and contrasting alternative viewpoints, experimenting with different ways to respond, assembling a critical conversation, seeing the other side's point of view, assessing an argument's effectiveness, and speaking with authority, credibility, and confidence.

Culture, Humanities, and Languages Writing and Research Students are expected to spend approximately 6 hours of preparation and work outside of class.