english 1213 dr. jones argumentative resources frederic murray, mlis instructional services...
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English 1213Dr. Jones
Argumentative ResourcesFrederic Murray, MLISInstructional Services Librarian
Did You Know
21st Century Skills
• Knowing more about the world• Thinking outside the box• Becoming smarter about new
sources of information• Developing good people skills
• How well informed are you? Take the Quiz
Argumentative Information• Identify your topic• State the position you will support• Highlight points of your discussion• Use information to support your
position– Pro/Con Materials– Research Materials– Opinion Polls– Statistics
Helpful Keywords to UseHelpful Keywords to Use
• Issue• Controversy • Statistic• Ethical• Rights• Debate• Attitude• Trend• Condition
Examples:
Rights and povertydeath penalty and Controversyhousehold spending and Trends
Pro/Con ResourcesPro/Con Resources
• Book Series– Contemporary Issues– Opposing Viewpoints– Reference Shelf– Taking Sides
Pro/Con ResourcesPro/Con Resources
• CQ Researcher– contains information on current and
controversial issues concentric to the U.S. Government
• Issues and Controversies– provides up-to-date, objective
information on the most prominent and hotly debated issues of the day
Opinion or Fact?
• Halliburton benefits from the war in Iraq.
• Halliburton was charged with selling nuclear technologies to Iran.
• Stephen King is a prolific writer.• Stephen King is talented.• Bottled water is cleaner than tap water. • To meet American demand of bottled
water, requires 1.5 million barrels of oil annually.
Opinions vs. Facts (Statistics)• Pros (Strengths)
– A consensus of opinions are much stronger than a single opinion
– Reflects the culture and society that experience these issues and events (primary resource)
• Cons (Weaknesses)– Less concrete– A view formed by
someone’s belief which can be biased
– Not necessarily the truth
– Opinions can differ widely
• Pros (Strengths)– Very concrete– Based in
scientific/research methodology
– Data supports arguments
– Statistics helps determine the accuracy of information in the evaluation process
• Cons (Weaknesses)– Data can be
manipulated– Unless data collection is
a regular practice, data can become outdated and irrelevant
Opinion Resources
• Editorials on File– Ref 070.43 Ed48
• Gallup Poll – Ref 301.154 G13g– http://www.gallup.com– an organization studying human nature and behavior for
more than 70 years through public surveys– collects attitudes and opinions of individuals and key
groups within the American population concerning national and international issues and events
Which sounds better?
• A lot of freshman drop out of SWOSU each academic year.
• 40% of freshman drop out of SWOSU each academic year.– NUMBERS CARRY WEIGHT,
PEOPLE ARE INFLUENCED BY STATISTICS
Statistical ResourcesStatistical Resources
– American Attitudes• 303.38 M6958a 2000
– Americans at Play• 790.068 W462a
– Education Statistics of the United States• 370.9021 Ed836
– Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics• 364.973 B9524 2003
– Statistical Handbook on the American Family• 301.421 St295 1999
– World Almanac• 317.3 W89
http://www.swosu.edu/library/infoservices/govdocs/gov.htm
Statistical Resources
• Google U.S. Government Search– Directional search of .gov domain
• Statistics Resources Blog– A Subject Tracer Information Blog for
monitoring statistics resources and sites on the Internet.
• Government Information– Provides statistical information directly from
the U.S. Government and the agencies who collect the data.
Online Surveys & ReportsOnline Surveys & Reports• Pew Research Center (Main Site)
– http://pewresearch.org• Pew Global Attitudes Project
– http://pewglobal.org• Pew Internet & American Life Project
– http://www.pewinternet.org• Pew Hispanic Center
– http://pewhispanic.org• Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
– http://pewforum.org
World Wide Web: Resources• CNN Special Reports• http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/• Includes facts, statistics, interviews of supporters and
opponents, and much more on key issues. The site maintains an archive going back to 1995.
• National Center for Policy Analysis• http://www.ncpa.org• NCPA is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy research
organization whose goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector.
• SpeakOut.com• http://speakout.com/index.html• Provides issues arranged by topic categories. The site is
devoted to promoting activism in a variety of areas.
Censorship & Disinformation• U.S. media & news sources prefer entertainment and
fear tactics over journalism– Journalists Avoiding the News– Keith Olbermann’s video on Political Fear Tactics– Bad News (New York Times article)– Broadcast Journalism: About News or Entertainment
?• International media & news sources provide better
coverage of current events– The BBC: How to be Impartial During Wartime– Why Americans Don’t Trust the News Media
(Chronicle of Higher Education article)– Who Do You Trust?
Ready to Argue
Thanks!