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Learn how to analyze the rhetorical situation, organize presentations, and evaluate effectiveness using critical thinking. Discover the importance of author, audience, purpose, and presentation in writing compelling arguments. This chapter provides insights into tactics, strategies, and approaches to enhance your writing skills.
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Chapter 15 Write Sound and Effective Arguments
Learning Outcomes Explain how strong critical thinkers analyze the rhetorical situation in terms of author, audience, purpose, and presentation Demonstrate the use of strong critical thinking by organizing and developing an effective presentation
Learning Outcomes Evaluate the effectiveness of written presentations using the Rubric for Evaluating Written Argumentation
Critical Thinking Questions of Effective Writers Rhetorical situation Think author Think audience Think purpose and circumstances
Rhetorical Situation • Interactive combination of four elements • Specific author using a specific mode of communication to engage a specific audience for the specific purpose • Effective writers are: • Systematic and thorough • Good critical thinkers
Think Author • Find your voice • People should first discover his or her voice to become an effective writer • Effective writers think about themselves as authors when they draft a case
Think Author • Think about who you read • Favorite authors are like favorite musicians, actors, professors, and artists • Thinking about the author’s background, attitudes, and purpose helps in explaining the decisions made by the author in constructing the piece
Think Audience • What does the audience care about? • Effective writers: • Connect with the receptivity of audience • Research audiences and learn about their background, experiences, interests, and goals
Think Audience • Writing for you • You - College student • College student represents multiple and complex backgrounds • Authors should represent multiple perspectives on controversial issues
Think Audience • Who is your audience? • Writers should identify their intended audience • Authors should find what the audience look for and interested in their writing
Think Audience • Same author and audience, different purpose • Smart and strategic writers consider all of their audiences
Think Purpose and Circumstances • Think tactics • Strategies and successful campaigns are tactical • Effective writing requires tactical problem solving and decision making
Think Purpose and Circumstances • Clues from contextual cues • Writers take advantage of situational and contextual cues • Critical thinking skills should be applied to plan the approach • Effective written work revolves around main idea or purpose
Think How to Organize and Develop Your Presentation Reach out and grab someone Crafting a presentation Good news - Writing is work Evaluating the credibility of sources Prewriting, writing, and rewriting Two practical tips
Reach Out and Grab Someone • Effective writers ask themselves a question • How will I get my audience’s attention? • Writers should eliminate I and focus on the audience • Successful writers are passionate about their topics
Crafting a Presentation • Guidelines of the craft of writing from the College Board • Establish a clear thesis statement early • Use headings and subheadings to guide the reader • Assemble evidence to support claims • Be fair-minded and balanced in presentation • Cite sources using appropriate style
Good News: Writing is Work Effective writing is 10 percent inspiration and at least 90 percent perspiration Effective writers seeking to build a reasonable case are methodical
Evaluating the Credibility of Sources Find the author and basis for the claims Check the credentials of all proponents and opponents Evaluate the methods used in the source materials
Prewriting, Writing, and Rewriting • Prewriting - Organizing thoughts • Strategic decisions about presenting the case • Writing - Compile one complete draft from the title to endnotes • Rewriting - Check and fix it
Two Practical Tips Copy and paste the outline for written work into the first draft document file Writing session arcs like a workout session
Discussion Questions • What compelling story do you want to tell? • How can you use critical thinking to organize your ideas and to sequence how you tell your story to your audience?
Evaluating Effectiveness Features of sound and effective written argumentation Tool for evaluating critical thinking and writing
Features of Sound and Effective Written Argumentation Effective written presentation addresses a clear and manageable thesis Reasons and claims are focused on supporting a plausible thesis statement Author delivered a fair-minded and balanced discussion of the pros and cons Writing style is concise and coherent Author communicates a detectable voice
Tool for Evaluating Critical Thinking and Writing • Written presentations are evaluated in terms of the accuracy and efficacy of four domains • Content • Organization • Mechanics • Style
Tool for Evaluating Critical Thinking and Writing • Rubric for Evaluating Written Argumentation (REWA) • Evaluation tool • Addresses different aspects of sound and effective writing • Offers evaluative options