ENG/215 Version 4 / 3
Week Two Content Outline
topics and objectives
Principles of Authority and Argumentation in Academic Writing
· Explain how classical rhetorical concepts of authority are used in published essays.
· Analyze arguments contained in published essays using the Toulmin model of argument analysis.
· Apply the concepts of authority and argument in academic essays and case study analyses.
content outline
1. Classical rhetorical concepts of authority: Ethos, pathos, and logos
a. Definition of ethos
1) How ethos is produced
a) References to shared values
b) References to personal character
c) References to knowledge of position in the community
d) References to personal experience
e) Textual evidence of ethical character
(1) Being fair to all points of view
(2) Refusing to engage in fallacious arguments
(3) Using reputable sources
(4) Showing mastery of genre
(5) Showing mastery of correct or standard language
2) How ethos can be damaged
3) Attempts to misuse ethos
a) Examples from advertising
b) Fallacy: Ad hominem arguments
c) Fallacy: Poisoning the well
d) Fallacy: Appeals to popularity
e) Fallacy: Some straw man arguments
f) Fallacy: Appeals to authority
g) Appeals to tradition
b. Definition of pathos
1) How pathos is generated
a) Personal narrative
b) Direct appeal to emotion
c) Figurative language
d) Appeal to shared values
e) Word choice: Vivid or visceral words to trigger emotions
f) Symbols
g) Cadence or repetition
h) The literal sound of words
2) Dangers of using pathos
a) Engage reader emotion so intensely that they cannot reason.
b) Engage writer's emotions so intensely that objectivity is lost.
c) Extreme examples disrupt attention or cause anxiety.
d) Time and space spent generating pathos crowds out any logical argument.
e) Pathetic fallacy
f) Fallacy: Appeals to ridicule or spite
c. Definition of logos
1) Logos is logic, or logical.
2) Logical arguments depend on reasoning and evidence.
3) Logical arguments provide the easiest route to shared agreement on some items.
4) In some areas, purely logical arguments are ineffective or damage the writer's ethos.
a) Example: Persuasion to take a great risk
b) Example: Making a logical argument for something seen as offensive or morally wrong
5) Writers who think of themselves as depending strictly on logic may neglect to take audience response into account.
6) Writers who think of themselves as depending strictly on logic may neglect to take context and genre into account.
d. How classical concepts of authority interact
1) Logos and ethos can work together.
a) Selecting credible sources.
b) Using established and trusted methods of evaluation
c) Providing definitions to build shared understanding
2) Logos and pathos can work against one another.
3) Ethos and pathos can work together.
2. The Toulmin model of argument analysis
a. Value of the Toulmin method
b. Elements of the Toulmin method
1) Claim
a) Identifying claims
b) Testing claims
c) Articulating one's own claims
2) Warrant
a) Identifying warrants
b) Evaluating warrants
3) Support
a) Relationship of support to claim
b) Relationship of support to warrant
4) Qualifier
5) Backing
6) Rebuttal