Argumentation
Spcom 2 Course Syllabus,
Fall 2007,
I.
Course Logistics:
Instructor Dr. Timothy Elizondo
Contact Info: elizondot@yosemite.edu
Office phone number 209-588-5210
Office: Tamarack 215
II. Required
-Critical Thinking Through Debate by Joseph M. Corcoran, Mark Nelson, and Jack Perella.
III. Course
Goals:
A. The focus of the class is on understanding what argumentation is, the processes involved, various types of arguments, and reasoning and fallacies. These concepts and ideas will be discussed through the activity of debate. Students will learn how to present and analyze different issues and controversies through a variety of debate formats. Students will learn argumentative structures and strategies as they practice academic debate in class. Besides developing a theoretical understanding of argumentation, students will use this activity to apply the tools of argumentation to issues that concern our everyday lives.
B. Spcom 2 Argumentation, satisfies the critical thinking requirement, or the oral communication requirement for graduation and/or transfer to a CSU. It transfers as an elective to a UC.
1. Spcom 2
serves as the second core requirement for
III. Policies
Policies are
clearly an inadequate substitute for personal responsibility. Therefore, the
following policies will serve to augment your own responsibility for learning
in this course:
A. Assignments. All written and
oral assignments are due when collected by the instructor during the due date
class period. For known assignment schedule conflicts (including university
sanctioned activities or religious holidays), arrangements must be made prior
to the assignment due date to avoid a point deduction for a late assignment.
Late written assignments due to unexpected emergencies must be accompanied by
legitimate documentation to avoid a point deduction. Late written assignments
due to non-emergencies, or without documentation of an emergency, will receive
a deduction of 10% of the total grade possible for each class period they are
late.
B. Attendance. This course
operates with understanding that course participation is voluntary. However, due to the nature of this course, missing
class will affect your grade. Your presence and participation are
considered under the grading category of “classroom leadership.” Research indicates that missing lecture
material, assignment instructions, class discussions, and in-class exercises
degrade a student’s performance on graded assignments and tests. If you miss
class, arrange an appointment with the instructor or a classmate to cover the
class material.
Arriving late for
class is rude and disruptive, so plan ahead to arrive on time.
If you stop
attending (i.e., "drop") the class, it is your responsibility to
complete course withdrawal paperwork in a timely manner.
C. Academic Integrity. The oral and
written assignments required in this course will provide you with ample
opportunities to plagiarize; that is, to use the ideas or statements of others
without giving them proper credit. Please do not exercise these opportunities.
If you borrow an idea from anyone, you MUST identify the source of that idea.
Every information source you use during oral presentations in this course must
be verbally identified. Fabricating information or evidence sources is also a
form of plagiarism. Cheating and plagiarism are essentially stealing what
belongs to another and/or lying about its authorship. Any cheating on tests, or
plagiarism on written or oral work, will result in a course grade of "F,"
and a report of the incident will be filed with the school.
D. Appropriate Interaction. Because this is a
course in public communication, it serves as an extension of the public forum-a
place for idea exchange. Due to the
nature of this course, course content will contain language/ideas that may be
considered either politically, morally, or culturally controversial. This course operates with the understanding
that course participation is optional is occurring within a context of an
institution of higher learning. See
Student Handbook for student code of conduct.
IV. Assignments
Resolution of Fact-
Case Construction/Research Brief (case 50 points and brief 10)
Delivery an original five minute persuasive speech designed to refute or support the claim “The Media has a liberal bias.”
The speech must be between five and six minutes in length. Provide analysis which addresses the burdens associated with supporting claims of fact. Illuminate and utilize a criteria which allows the audience to understanding your position, concepts, and definitions. Special consideration will be given to the use of evidence and the way that evidence hierarchies are established and created within the case.
Please provide a complete research brief. Research brief must identify key talking points with supporting evidence and a bibliography of additional sources.
Due
Res of Value (Case Construction and brief)
(case = 50 points and brief =25)
Construct a five –six minute speech designed to support or refute the claim assigned to the class. Speech must identify and clearly define a value that is at the heart of the weighing mechanism established within the speech. Special consideration will be given to the way the case utilizes evidence to demonstrate relevance and significance to the value assigned.
Please provide a complete research brief. Research brief must identify key talking points with supporting evidence and a bibliography of additional sources. Due Oct 6th
Res of Value (Refutation and Oppositional
Research) 75 points
Topic to be determined based on Res of Fact speeches. Refute the four of the strongest arguments identified in oppositional research. Construct a five –six minute speech designed to support or refute the claim assigned to the class. Refute the arguments by utilizing the most appropriate refutation strategy. Provide a research brief containing the 5 top talking points for your opposition.
Due Oct 20th
Congressional Debate
(50 points)
Criteria for this debate will be based on the following
areas: Organization of ideas, use of complete arguments, refutation, eloquence,
and the ability to control the flow of the debate. Each student will be expected to participate
in the debate. It is possible for a
debate to end without every student being able to participate. Each student should be able to speak during
the two debates. Not being able to speak
will not be considered in the grading criteria.
Nov 3rd and
5th
Team Debate 100
Points
Policy Case- Speech must be between 6-8 minutes. Failure to adhere to time requirements will result in a 10% deduction. Special attention will be given to the ways the speech responds to the burdens of the claim. The case should support the claim “The USFG should support the Fairness Doctrine.” Rebuttal speeches must address and refute the opposition’s arguments.
Opposition Constructive:
Each team must utilize 6-8
minutes to present argumentation designed to oppose the affirmative team. Speeches must contain a minimum of two
disadvantages. Counterplans
are strongly encouraged. Special
consideration will be given to the different kinds of refutation the opposition
uses. The final debate serves in place
of a comprehensive final. As a result,
this assignment will be evaluated on the following criteria: logic,
organization, appropriateness of positions advocated by each debater,
refutation, use of questions, and eloquence. Each winning debate team receives
5 extra credit points applied to their overall course grade.
Begin Dec 1st
Classroom Leadership (40 points) Classroom leadership involves the
overall attitude you express: the acceptance of alternative points of view on
controversial issues (you do not have to agree, but you have to respect
another's right to her/his point of view), providing relevant examples, and
participation in activities and discussion. Constant moaning and groaning,
reading the paper or other materials in class, resistance to course activities,
talking to your friends while others are speaking, falling asleep, arriving
late to class, and continuously asking if we are going to get out early are
examples of poor leadership. Attendance and participation are considered here.
Grading Criteria:
Speeches are
evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Does speech contain clear organizational pattern and structure?
2. Does speech address burdens associated with the type of claim the thesis advances?
3. Does speech contain appropriate number of arguments within allot time guidelines?
4. Does speech contain the most relevant and appropriate examples?
5. Does speech utilize the strongest evidence to support key claims in case?
6. Does speaker demonstrate evidence of preparation?
7. Does speaker utilize an effective use of language to develop argument and case?
8. Does speech contain levels of argumentation in the development of case?
9. Does speech utilize the most appropriate tactical responses to oppositional arguments?
Research brief will
be evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Does research brief identify the most relevant sources for the topic?
2. Does research brief clear identify the most relevant talking points associated with the topic?
3. Does brief contain the most appropriate use of evidence to support the development of talking points identified in the brief?
4. Is there evidence of editing? Does the document contain errors?
5. Does the document follow appropriate formatting?
Debates will be
judged on the following criteria:
A = 400 -360 points
B = 359 -320 points
C = 319- 280 points
D = 279=240 points
F = below 240
IV. Course Schedule: Different courses often have an organic nature to them. As a result, it is difficult to offer an exact sequence of the order of ideas. This course is designed to offer you clarification, insight, and assistance for your success on the graded assignments. It is expected that each student is utilizing the entire set of readings during each week of the course. The following information where the course where begin. The course direction from there, however, depends on the nature of questions asked by the students.
Resolution of Fact-
Case Construction/Research Brief Sept
22
Res of Value (Case Construction and brief) Oct 6th
Res of Value (Refutation and Oppositional
Research) Oct 20th
Congressional Debate Nov
3rd and 5th
Team Debate Dec
1st