Current Event Assignment (Week Three - Greg Gayes)

This video discusses the recent stimulus package that President Obama has presented to the American people and to Congress. It recently passed the House of Representatives with a 244-188 vote, with no Republicans supporting the plan. There is a great deal of debate over the effectiveness of this plan, since it includes spending more than $800 billion. This video reveals both sides of the debate, with the Republicans saying that the money is not being spent properly, and Democrats insisting it is the best way to stimulate the economy. I will attempt to discuss both sides of this debate.

Current Event Assignment (Week Three - Sarah Forzley)

Three days after starting his presidency, President Obama signed to overturn the ban on funding overseas organizations that deal with abortion and provide counseling on the abortion topic. Many citizens are excited for the raising of the ban because they feel it will initiate help to women in foreign countries and attempt to prevent unwanted pregnancy, however others such as anti-abortion and pro-life groups do not agree with lifting the ban and are prepared for the uphill battle their campaigns will face due to the new policy. The clip below gives information about the history of the ban, how former presidents have dealt with the issue, and President Obama's personal feelings on lifting the ban along with his plans to bring peace to the minds of all Americans.

Current Event Assignment (Week Three - Adam Kaplan)

My current event is about now former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointing Roland Burris to the vacant Senate left by President Barack Obama. This clip is from the press conference where Blagojevich officially appoints Roland Burris. Before this appointment, Governor Blagojevich was under suspicion of and arrested for selling Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. Because of this, the Democrats in the Senate (the Senate approves Governor's selections to vacant Senate seats) openly said they will not take anyone Blagojevich appoints, if he does. Blago went ahead and appointed Roland Burris. Burris is a respectable and experienced politician who had no ties to the Blago scandal and is extremely qualified for the job. So what should the Senate do? Should they appoint a man that probably deserves the job or should they hold to their word no matter who is the appointee?

Current Event Assignment (Week Two - Grace Zalski)

I chose this clip because it is a good summary of what is happening right now in terms of what Obama is doing his first week in office. Making good on his campaign pledge, President Obama is proposing that states be allowed to set their own emissions standards. Global warming is a serious threat, but this clip does a great job of presenting both sides. It also incorporates opinions from people in two different area of the United States that could be affected by Obama's proposal.

Current Event Assignment (Week Two - Brittany Leddy)

My Current Event is about the decrease of the amount of traditional families and the dispute on whether it is or is not a crisis. In this clip, William Doherty (a sociology professor) touches a bit on the subject. There were some others but they were a bit more opinionated and biased.

You only need to watch from 2:00-4:00.

Current Event Assignment (Week 1 - Sample)

Just a little background on why I chose this clip...Commercials similar to this have been running on major broadcasting stations for a months now. They remind viewers that the DTV transition date is approaching and offer advice on how how they can prepare for the switch. It goes along with one side of my current event and how Congress is pushing for the February 17th date to be enforced.

Welcome

The purpose of this course is to help you become a critical consumer and conscientious producer of arguments. To begin the class, we will read some fairly difficult theoretical articles about argumentation. Then, we will use that theory to explore various topics. We proceed from the basic assumption that our ability to make arguments and participate in public debate is shaped by a host of influences, including education, life experience, personal background, institutional affiliation, and cultural and political trends. One major goal of Argumentation 323 is to prepare and encourage you to go out into the world to listen to others’ arguments and make your own arguments.  Along the way, your skills in constructing oral and written persuasive message will improve.