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Argumentation in Everyday Life
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Argumentation in Everyday Life

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February 2019 | 344 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

“Good coverage of concepts with understandable explanations of theory. Very user friendly with exercises to use in and out of class. Connects well with other communication classes through the application of other communication concepts to argumentation.”

—Christopher Leland, Azusa Pacific University

Argumentation in Everyday Life provides students with the tools they need to argue effectively in the classroom and beyond. Jeffrey P. Mehltretter Drury offers rich coverage of theory while balancing everyday applicability, allowing students to use their skills soundly. Drury introduces the fundamentals of constructing and refuting arguments using the Toulmin model and ARG conditions (Acceptability, Relevance, and Grounds). Numerous real-world examples are connected to the theories of rhetoric and argumentation discussed—enabling students to practice and apply the content in personal, civic, and professional contexts, as well as traditional academic debates. Encouraging self-reflection, this book empowers students to find their voice and create positive change through argumentation in everyday life.

Unique resources to help students navigate this complex terrain of argumentation:

  • “The Debate Situation” offers students a birds-eye view of any given debate (or exchange of arguments between two or more people) organized around three necessary components: arguments, issues, and the proposition. The visual model of the debate situation illustrates how these features work together in guiding a debate and it lays the groundwork for understanding and generating arguments.
  • Easy to Use Standards for Evaluating Arguments combine a prominent argument model (named after logician Stephen Toulmin) with a standards-based approach (the ARG conditions) to test of quality of an argument. The ARG conditions are three questions an advocate should ask of an argument in determining whether or not it is rationally persuasive. These questions are best served by research but don’t necessary require it, and thus they provide a useful posture for critically assessing the arguments you encounter.
  • Multiple “Everyday Life” examples with an emphasis on context help students to connect the lessons more fully to their everyday life and encourages them to grapple explicitly with dilemmas arising in different contexts.
  • “Find Your Voice Prompts” focus on choice & empowerment to offer strategies for students to choose which arguments to address and how to address them—empowering students to use argumentation to find their voice.
  • “Build Your Skill Prompts” use objective applications to test how well students have learned the information. They offer a chance to apply the material to additional examples that students can check against the answers in Appendix II.
  • Two application exercises at the end of each chapter encourage students to think critically about the content, discuss their thoughts with their peers, and apply the material to everyday situations.

 


 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
Part I: A Framework for Argumentation and Debate
 
Chapter 1: Introduction to Argumentation and Debate
Argument, Debate, and Controversy

 
Why Study Argumentation?

 
Audiences and Co-Arguers

 
Spheres of Argument

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Chapter 2: The Debate Situation
Arguments

 
A Proposition

 
Issues

 
The Debate Situation

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Chapter 3: Argumentation Ethics & Stances
Argumentation and Debate Ethics

 
Argumentation Stances

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Part II: Constructing Arguments
 
Chapter 4: Understanding Argument Structures
Formal Logic vs. Everyday Argumentation

 
Strategies for Identifying Arguments

 
Strategies for Understanding Arguments

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Chapter 5: Effectively Supporting Claims
The Allure of “Evidence” and the Significance of “Support”

 
Gathering and Testing Information

 
Types of Support

 
Strategies for Using Support

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Chapter 6: Common Argument Types
Applying the Types of Argument to Everyday Life

 
Argument from Classification

 
Argument from Generalization

 
Argument from Cause and Consequence

 
Argument from Sign

 
Argument from Analogy

 
Argument from Authority

 
Additional Argument Types

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Chapter 7: Building Effective Cases
Debating Fact Propositions

 
Debating Value Propositions

 
Debating Policy Propositions

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Part III: Contesting Arguments
 
Chapter 8: Generating Productive Clash
A Productive Posture for Clash

 
Anticipation

 
Refutation

 
Ending Productively

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Chapter 9: Evaluating Arguments & Cases
The A Condition: Acceptability

 
The R Condition: Relevance

 
The G Condition: Sufficient Grounds

 
Applying the ARG Conditions through Refutation

 
Argument Fallacies & The ARG Conditions

 
Evaluating Cases and Controversies with the ARG Conditions

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Chapter 10: Evaluating Argument Types
Evaluating Argument from Classification

 
Evaluating Argument from Generalization

 
Evaluating Argument from Cause and Consequence

 
Evaluating Argument from Sign

 
Evaluating Argument from Analogy

 
Evaluating Argument from Authority

 
Uncovering the ARG Conditions in Everyday Argumentations

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Part IV: Applied Argumentation And Debate
 
Chapter 11: Crafting Verbal and Oral Arguments
Audience Analysis and Adaptation

 
Style

 
Oral Delivery

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
Chapter 12: Formats for Everyday Public Argumentation
Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor

 
Public Online Argumentation

 
Public Deliberation

 
Summary

 
Application Exercises

 
 
APPENDICES
 
Appendix I: Formats for Academic and Competitive Debate
Parliamentary Debate

 
Policy Debate

 
A Note about Notetaking (or “Flowing”)

 
Moot Court

 
 
Appendix II: Answers to Build Your Skill Prompts
 
Appendix III: Glossary
 
Index
 
About the author

“A good option that might provide students more direct support in crafting arguments.”

Susan P. Millsap
Otterbein University

“Good coverage of concepts with understandable explanations of theory. Very user friendly with exercises to use in and out of class. Connects well with other communication classes through the application of other communication concepts to argumentation.”

Christopher Leland
Azusa Pacific University

Everyday applications and appropriate exercises.

Dr Susan Millsap
Communication Dept, Otterbein University
August 22, 2019
Key features

Unique resources to help students navigate this complex terrain of argumentation:

  • “The Debate Situation” offers students a birds-eye view of any given debate (or exchange of arguments between two or more people) organized around three necessary components: arguments, issues, and the proposition. The visual model of the debate situation illustrates how these features work together in guiding a debate and it lays the groundwork for understanding and generating arguments.
  • Easy to Use Standards for Evaluating Arguments combine a prominent argument model (named after logician Stephen Toulmin) with a standards-based approach (the ARG conditions) to test of quality of an argument. The ARG conditions are three questions an advocate should ask of an argument in determining whether or not it is rationally persuasive. These questions are best served by research but don’t necessary require it, and thus they provide a useful posture for critically assessing the arguments you encounter.
  • Multiple “Everyday Life” examples with an emphasis on context help students to connect the lessons more fully to their everyday life and encourages them to grapple explicitly with dilemmas arising in different contexts.
  • “Find Your Voice Prompts” focus on choice & empowerment to offer strategies for students to choose which arguments to address and how to address them—empowering students to use argumentation to find their voice.
  • “Build Your Skill Prompts” use objective applications to test how well students have learned the information. They offer a chance to apply the material to additional examples that students can check against the answers in Appendix II.
  • Two application exercises at the end of each chapter encourage students to think critically about the content, discuss their thoughts with their peers, and apply the material to everyday situations.


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