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11.225 Argumentation and Communication

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES AND PLANNING 11.225—Argumentation and Communication Fall 1999 TR 4:00–5:30 Room 3-401 James C. Morrison, M.P.A., Lecturer   Instructor’s office: 14N-233C Phone number: 253-4921 E-mail address: jimm@mit.edu Home number: (781) 383-2121 (both voice and fax) Office hours: by appointment This is an advanced course in the principles and practices of analyzing, devising, and framing arguments to address public issues and policies. We will not only analyze and create effective arguments, but also investigate the connection between critical thinking, reading, and writing. The ultimate aim of the course is to help sharpen your argumentative skills in the service of planning, program, and policy analysis. To achieve this aim, the course encompasses the following learning objectives: to provide guidance in the use of argumentation, research, and principles of written and oral communication in the development of problem-solving, program, or policy proposals to examine public documents produced for policy analysis and proposal and analyze their effectiveness to develop your writing style to help you achieve the clarity and vigor needed to be persuasive in your academic and professional lives Writing and Other Assignments You will be invited to develop a research-based proposal on a subject of your own choosing, the results of which will be delivered in the form of both an oral presentation and an end-of-term paper. This will be supplemented by five writing assignments and other in-class activities designed to strengthen skills in style, reasoning, using data, statistics, and other evidence to support propositions, and clarifying and examining underlying assumptions upon which arguments are based. Schedule of Assignments Date due Description Proportion of final grade (1) September 30 First argument (3–5 pages) 10% (2) October 14 Analysis of an argument (5 pages) 10% (3) October 26 Summary and Refutation (5 pages) 10% (4) November 9 Case analysis (5 pages) 10% (5) November 18 Report evaluation (5 pages) 10% (6) Nov. 30–Dec. 7 Oral presentation (15 minutes) 10% (7) December 9 Final proposal (10+ pages) 20% (8) Throughout Exercises and class participation 20% You may choose as your subject a research project required in another course in the current semester. If none is suitable, then you may either devise a subject of interest or anticipate a future project. Papers will be judged on the following criteria: the presence of a clearly defined and presented thesis or governing idea; a well-organized structure of support for that thesis; persuasive and coherent use of concrete evidence; integral and well-developed paragraphs with clear topic sentences; smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs; concise, grammatically constructed sentences; use of concrete nouns and active verbs; use of idiomatic expressions and word choices; appropriate usage regarding verbal constructions, articles, adjectives, and adverbs; and correct punctuation, mechanics, and spelling. Each of the first five writing assignments may be revised in hopes of a higher grade. Such revision should not entail merely the correction of surface errors, but more significantly the complete rhetorical stance the paper takes. All papers should be written in a standard typeface, double-spaced, on one side of a page, with margins of at least 1" all around, titled, and with all pages stapled securely. Collaborative Learning A strong component of this course is the practice of collaborative learning—taking advantage of the resources you can offer one another in both class discussion and peer review. Not only will we engage in group learning exercises in the classroom, but you will also form peer review pairs, each of whom will serve as a responding reader for the five writing assignments exclusive of the major term paper. I will, of course, provide feedback aimed at improvement, but this will be supplemented by a second "audience" with whom the process of exchanging views will be an additional learning experience for both of you. Giving and getting constructive feedback can be a highly useful tool for learning to analyze and improve the quality of your own writing and analysis. Texts Toulmin, Steven, Richard Rieke, and Allan Janik. An Introduction to Reasoning. 2d ed. New York: Macmillan, 1984. Williams, Joseph M. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2000. Kaye, Sanford. Writing Under Pressure: The Quick Writing Process. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. EasyWriter: A Pocket Guide. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998. Course reader (MIT CopyTech Center, 11-004) Handouts provided by the instructor   Schedule of the Course       Reading or other activity  Assignment due          (Major assignments highlighted) September 9 R Introduction to the course             Argumentation and Style             14 T Toulmin, Chapter 1 Exercises I, III, IV       Williams, Lessons One and Two         McElroy, "Words That Work" (Reader and Electronic Reserves)             16 R Toulmin, Chapters 2–4 Chapter 2, Exercises 1, 5, 10, 11, 13       Williams, Lesson Three  odd Exercises 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13   21 T Toulmin, Chapter 5 Exercises 4, 9       Williams, Lesson Four odd Exercises 4.2, 4.3 (1 and 3), and 4.8           23 R Toulmin, Chapters 6 and 7 Chapter 6, Exercises II. 4, 7, and 8       Williams, Lesson Five odd Exercises 5.1, 5.2, and 5.6 (1 only)   28 T Kaye, Preface and Part 1 (Chapters 1–8) Outline of first argument           30 R Kaye, Chapters 11 and 12 First argument (following Kaye's example)   October 5 T Toulmin, Chapters 8 and 9 Chapter 9, Exercises 2, 4, 11, 14, and 15 Williams, Lesson Six odd Exercises 6.1 and 6.2 (5 only) 7 R Toulmin, Chapter 10 Exercises 2, 3, 6, and 8       Williams, Lesson Seven odd Exercises 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6   12 T Toulmin, Chapter 11 Exercise 1 Williams, Lesson Eight odd Exercises 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.7           Evaluating Arguments             14 R Toulmin, Chapters 12 and 13 Analysis of an argument (Exercise at end of Chapter 12)           19 T Toulmin, Chapters 14–20 Chapter 20, Exercise V   21 R Toulmin, Chapter 21 Exercise 3, using the Yost article       Yost, "Israel and the Arabs: the Myths that Block Peace." The Atlantic Monthly 223 (1) January 1969: 80-85 (Electronic Reserves)     26 T Toulmin, Chapter 22 Summary and refutation of opposing viewpoint   28 R Toulmin, Chapter 23       Sagoff, "Do We Consume Too Much?" The Atlantic Monthly 279 (6) June 1997:80–96 (Electronic Reserves) Be prepared to discuss the relative merits of the arguments in these two opposing articles, according to the principles in the Toulmin chapter.       Ehrlich, et al., "No Middle Way on the Environment." The Atlantic Monthly 280 (6) December 1997: 98–104     November 2 T Toulmin, Chapter 24 Exercises 1–3           4 R Toulmin, Chapter 30   Williams, Lesson 10       Kaye, Chapters 9, 13–15            Argumentation and Public Policy             9 T O'Donnell, Cancer and Environmental Hazards in Woburn, MA (A) and (B) (Reader and Electronic Reserves) Kruskal, "Formulas, Numbers, Words: Statistics in Prose" (Reader and Electronic Reserves) Case analysis   11 R Veterans Day–Holiday     16 T Environmental Defense Fund, Legacy of Lead (Reader and Electronic Reserves)             18 R Shell, "An Element of Doubt" (Reader and Electronic Reserves) "Giving Oral Presentations" (handout) Report evaluation           23 T Boston Redevelopment Authority, South Boston Seaport Master Plan Interim Report (Reader and Electronic Reserves)     25 R Thanksgiving Vacation     30 T Oral presentations Oral version of policy, program, or problem-solving proposal   December 2 R Oral presentations     7 T Oral presentations             9 R Course wrap-up Written version of proposal

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