Blog Assignment 3

1. Explain what “to give an argument” means in this book.

To give an argument based on the book, you need to have a series of examples that defend or back up your reasoning. The evidence you give should be in support of your own conclusion. Basically, an argument is to support your own personal view and present your reasoning to others in a way that they can decide their viewpoint on their own. (second paragraph, pg. xi)

2. What are the reasons Weston gives in support of his claim, “arguments are essential”?

Weston basically says that arguments are essential because they allow us to decide which views are better than others. By having arguments you can filter out the weaker view point, and see that not all conclusions have the same amount of support in reason. Basically arguments are essential because they allow us to grade viewpoints, and not just judge based on a single statement. Another reason that arguments are essential is that if you convince someone that your view is the right view then they will change themselves according to their new outlook.

3. Explain why many students tend to “write an essay, but not an argument”.

The book says that the main problem is that students write a statement about their views, but fail to give any real reasoning to why their view is the right one. By not giving any reasoning the students aren't writing a argument but rather just a essay. The book explains that most of what students are thought in schools in uncontroversial materials, and topics that only need well known facts to write reports on. So, the problem arises when you only write down facts, and then are asked to argue a kind of "grey area" topic. The students have trouble finding reasoning other than they just think a certain view is the correct view.

4. Construct two short arguments (one "for" and one "against") as modeled in the Week 3 Assignment section in Blackboard. Put each one in "elements form".

FOR
Arguable issue: Does participation in extracurricular activities lead to students doing better in school, and stay out of trouble?
Conclusion: Yes, students that are in extracurricular activities are less likely to get into trouble, and do better in school.
Premises:
1) Students that participate in activities are more likely to spend more time on out of class work.
2) Students that participate in school activities have less time to waste, and are less likely to get into trouble.
3) Students have something to lose when they don't do well in school.

AGAINST
Arguable issue: Whether or not we are too dependant on computers in school.
Conclusion: Computers are the new technology and should pass up the old fashion ways of finding information.
Premises:
1) The computer is the better way of getting vast amounts of information, and
2) They save time during research, and
3) They save money when are available for e-books rather than buying a huge text book

6. Review the three rules in the appendix named, “Definitions”. In your own words, discuss how you took these rules into consideration as you constructed your arguments.

D1: Dictionaries can be a great tool providing you with different meanings for the same word, or providing multiple ways you could interpret the a single word. By using a dictionary I was able to use the words "extra-curricular" to mean anything outside of a curricular setting. Extracurricular can mean participation in sports, the marching band, or in theater. Students in each of these areas can have an advantage over students that do none of the above.

D2: When your view point can be contested because the term you used, you can use a dictionary to generalize your meaning to show that any way you look at it your view point is correct. By stating that students have less time after school to waste doing other things, I was referring to all extracurricular activities in general. By doing this their wasn't any reason to think that time spent out of school is better than time spent during school-led activities.

D3: Definitions can't be the only source for your reasoning. I didn't just give reasons why the computer is just as good as a library full of information. I also explain other reasons why the computer can be shown as a better financial investment, as well as a time saver. If I were to just say that computers are a vast source of information, someone could say that getting 10,000 books is also a vast source of information that people have been relying on for hundreds of years. Showing multiple viewpoints on your topic keeps you from having to rely on the definition of your topic.

7. Good posts demonstrate:
Sincere reflection, effort, and analysis
Answers that are substantial (at least one large paragraph each)
Consistent mention, citation, and integration of the assigned readings (explained in YOUR own words, though)
Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Correctly titled posts!
How many points do you honestly feel your post this week deserves? Justify your answer.

I think I deserve a 22-25 on this weeks blog assignment. I answered the questions as thoughtfully and the way I interpreted the readings. All my answers were at least a paragraph. Also, I titled my blog post!