Identifying Fallacies

Before Class: Have the students read pages 141-73 in the Bedford Handbook.

When I did this lesson plan, I split it up between two 50-minute classes, but it could easily be adapted to an hour and twenty-minute class.

In-class:

First, have the students do a 5-minute writing exercise. On this particular day, I gave them the following prompt: “As a means for introducing kids to alternative, plant-based foods, some public schools have implemented “Meatless Mondays” in their cafeterias—a day in which no meat products are offered as an option. Should public schools be able to implement such a plan? Or are ‘Meatless Mondays’ an unfair restriction on students’ diets?” Allow 3-5 minutes for the students to share their response. Later on in the class, we will return to this prompt in the form of an op-ed by Todd Staples that was published in the Austin American-Statesman.

After the writing exercise, go over the fallacies that are mentioned in the BH. Start by listing and providing examples for the different fallacies (the BH has many useful examples).

Once the students begin to understand how to identify fallacious arguments, show them a few video clips of the “Even Stevphen” skits from The Daily Show(these can be found on the Comedy Central website; a few are hyperlinked below). In these skits, Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell debate contentious issues by using fallacy after fallacy, never quite making a sound or valid argument.

Show them any of the following videos from “Even Stevphen”:

  • “Islam vs. Christianity”
  • “Should Medical Marijuana Be Legalized”
  • “Stem-Cell Debate”

First, show the students the entire video clip; then, play it once again, stopping on each of the fallacies—none of which are difficult to identify (the entire video is rife with fallacies). These videos seem to be effective, mainly, because they’re comedic and they provide hyperbolic (i.e., easily identifiable) fallacious arguments.

After the “Even Stevphen” skit, pass out “Keep ‘Meatless Mondays’ Campaign Out of Schools” by Todd Staples (like the “Even Stevphen” videos, it’s rife with logical fallacies).

Break the students up into four groups, and have one group identify the use of ethos, another group pathos, another logos, and the final group fallacious arguments.After the groups have hada few minutes to complete their assigned task, have each group present on their findings.