Your goal is to record a conclusion and its premises every day. I do not suggest looking for formal arguments; the point is to recognize them when they pop up. This will be a daily assignment, and a difficult one at first, but it’ll soon become second nature.

The assignment will be made of two parts:

• A listing of premises and conclusion
• Inductive or deductive?

We will play with this a bit as the year goes on, perhaps adding venn diagrams or ways to counter the argument, but it will be two parts only at this point.

This assignment is worth one point every day. (For reference, most essays are worth fifty, and analyses are worth ten apiece.) Both parts must be present and correct in order to get credit. You may only turn in one per day, so no makeups unless you’re absent.

I recommend using an index card for each day. Keep one or two in your wallet, or a few clipped together in your bag; just make sure you take them everywhere—you never know when one will pop up!

I was a bit startled that most of you are unaware of the health care debate raging around us, but that’s what this class is for, isn’t it?

I mentioned OpposingViews.com in class today, and while I haven’t had a chance to explore it thoroughly, they have a section on the health care debate. Might be worth thumbing through, as the people writing the arguments must meet one of the following criteria:

• They are a recognized leader in their field
• They have a significant following or constituency
• Their views have been widely published or broadcast
• Or they have a unique personal experience in a specific area

I mentioned TED.com as well. We are watching a video on the morality of liberals and conservatives in my senior English class, so pop over there if you’re interested. We’ll discuss articles tomorrow.

If you are before “L” in the alphabet, we’ll be discussing your article analyses in class on Tuesday. “M” to the end will be on Thursday. If you have any questions, or need help finding an article, check out my previous post then send an email. On Monday we’ll continue our discussion of the article we read on Friday.

A former student sent this link to me yesterday. Thoughts? We’ll talk about it tomorrow.

Bonus: Click through the NYCLU complaint link for argument in a pure form; no need for emotional appeals in a legal complaint.

“Stallings wants us to find articles? From where?”

Anywhere. But, I know that’s a big place, so:

• Arts & Letters Daily—Brilliant site bringing together articles from all over the Interwebs. Mostly scholarly, but all well-written.
• In These Times—Began as an “Independent Socialist Newspaper,” but is primarily progressive (left of center) in its leanings today. Kurt Vonnegut was a frequent contributor until 2005.
• Slate.com—Online-only news magazine. Gotta love the Explainer (not argumentative, but interesting nonetheless).
• The New Republic—Often insightful, this magazine focuses on politics and the arts.
• Time Magazine
• Bad Idea—A British magazine that publishes “young journalism.” Definitely worth checking out, as it brings a fresh face to opinion and editorials. Check out the Butcher’s Shop for an overview of the editing process articles go through before publication.
• AdBusters—Popular amongst my students for the past two years. Worth checking out.
• National Review—Very well-written conservative magazine.
• The New Yorker
• Popmatters—Articles on popular culture; music, video games, the Interwebs, and movies are all topics. Great place to find an article and a new favorite band.

In no particular order. You may now be asking, “How do I find the time to read all of this? I found three that I like, but I can’t go to all of these sites just to find an article.”

My philosophical response: “That’s not the point. While it is important that you are able to find and analyze arguments, it is even more important that you begin a habit of consuming thoughts and opinions about the world around you. If you don’t use the skills you learn, you’re just going through the motions.”

My practical response: “Use an RSS reader, like Google Reader. You can subscribe to the sites you like (even My Life is Average, if you must), and even take a peek at what I’ve been reading. Check out the Feeds page for more information.”

And no, I won’t stop talking about RSS readers until all have signed up. 🙂