The word “argument” sometimes conjures ideas of fighting irreconcilably, where one side has to win ruthlessly to be successful, and the other side must be pummeled.
As a rhetorician, I’d like us to shift this understanding of argument to consider how argument can make meaning persuasively, presenting a careful case to help others listen, and maybe even to effect their thinking. To prepare to make a strong argument–one that will inspire someone who doesn’t necessarily agree to listen–stasis theory can help.
Work together to define stasis*
*See Chapter 3 in ARCS and add collective notes here.
Using the commonly framed debate between pro-choice or pro-life positions, we’ll use “the four questions” (ARCS 63) to move towards stasis on that issue. After this collaborative exercise, you’ll work independently (or in pairs) to achieve stasis with the same four questions on the issue you identified in Blog Post 2.
Homework
Read Chapter 3 “Achieving Stasis by Asking the Right Questions” (ARCS 56-87).
Research. Building on the issue you identified in Blog Post 2, use the four questions (ARCS 63) to achieve stasis on your issue. Develop at least two propositions or arguments to answer each question. Write down all the propositions you can think of, even the wildest and most imaginative, even those with which you do not necessarily align yourself. You are also responsible for citing at least two sources that represent different approaches to the issue. THIS IS DUE AS BLOG POST 3 BEFORE CLASS NEXT MONDAY, 9/23.
Rhetoric 005 | History of Rhetoric | Fall 2019 