1. Watch the following Classic Argument fromThe Great Debaters
Complete the three activities below. Post the results to the Critiquing Argument Exercise discussion post before reading other student posts by the deadline. Following your response, post well thought through comments to three of your classmates’ posts.
2. During and after watching (reading) the assigned video, using the following questions make notes:
What is the author’s purpose?
For whom is the author writing? Who is the audience?
What type of language does the author use? Technical? Straightforward? Too informal?
How appropriate is the language, sentence structure, and complexity for the intended audience?
What is the genre, and how has it impacted the writing style?
How logical/reasonable is the argument?
What kind of evidence does the author use to support? Is it reputable, relevant, or current, and is there enough?
To what degree did the author engage or interest the reader in the topic?
How much bias does the author show, or is the argument presenting multiple points of view?
How convinced are you by the presentation of ideas?
Is there anything the author could have done differently to convince you more completely?
Is there anything about the technical writing style you did or did not like?
How was the source organized? How may that affect the reader?
3. After watching the video and taking notes, look back at those notations, choose three of the prompts above to answer in 100-300 words each.
4. Additionally, make observations for three of questions below (100-300 words each).
On which points do I agree or disagree with the author? (Remember, you do not always have to only agree or disagree on all points).
What new ideas has the author introduced on the topic? How has the author contributed to the field?
What could the author have done differently to provide a stronger discussion?
How narrow or broad was the author’s discussion? Did the author consider multiple points of view? Is there anything the author overlooked?
How do other experts approach a discussion on this topic?
A total of 6 questions should be answered
