Core 3 Independent Work for the 16th and 18th

The following is to be completed while I am at the ICFA conference on the 16th and 18th.

Overview

Categorize the types of arguments you need to make, and place them in a rough outline. This outline with annotations will become Core 3.

Bring a copy of your outline, either physical or digital, to class on Monday the 21st for a group drafting exercise.

Part 1: Types of Argument

Part 2 of your textbook, Everything's An Argument, details several types of arguments:

Chapter 8: Argument of Fact, pg 208
Chapter 9: Argument of Definition, pg 249
Chapter 10: Evaluations, pg 284
Chapter 11: Causal Arguments, pg 335
Chapter 12: Proposals, pg 373

You do not have to read all of these, just the intro to see what the definition of each type is.

Decide which types you will be using in your paper, then read those chapters. Use the rules and concepts in the chapters to structure your arguments in your outline. This will be the basis for your annotations.

Part 2: Rough Outline

Outlines are a personal tool used to help you organize your essay, and so there are several types of outlines to match different learning types and writing processes. You do not need to use a specific format for your outline, but the following are established types that you might find useful.

Feel free to edit and modify these types to your own personal needs. You may in fact combine types to make a complex outline. For example, you may have a traditional bullet point outline with an intro that follows the CARS model, a fifth paragraph done with a Venn diagram, and a conclusion with a concept map that shows how all the previous paragraphs will link together. Experiment with the different styles and see what works best for you.

1) Traditional Bullet Point Outline
The most basic type of outline, you should be familiar with how to list ideas in this way. Try to think of each main bullet point as a paragraph's main idea, and make sure that each main idea leads back to the main thesis of the paper.

2) Toulmin Model
We have covered this in class, and it is explained in both the textbook and Everyday Writer guide. Again, make sure that each argument adds to the thesis in an important way.

3) Bubble Map
A bubble map or concept map is an interlinking set of bubbles or circles containing ideas or arguments and linked by lines to demonstrate how ideas connect.
Often bubble maps are used to map out websites or other non-linear works.

A bubble map for a website project for one of my classes.

Bubble maps can also be used to see how ideas link up and can show what needs to be said in a paragraph or a chapter based on how many links one can find to a given idea. Theoretically, something with a lot of links to it should be mentioned first or should be the concluding idea.

The main problem, of course, is that larger projects can make for confusing concept maps:

An abandoned concept map from when I started my dissertation.

This could be more discouraging than useful to some, but if you are a visual learner, than this type of outlining could be very helpful.

If you wish to use this type of outline, try the free software at https://bubbl.us . You may print these outlines out from bubbl.us and bring them in Monday.

4) Venn Diagram
Similar to the bubble or concept map, Venn diagrams are circles containing ideas, but instead of a line linking circles together, the bubbles overlap, and a third hybrid idea is mapped out in the overlapping section. Often these are used to display information quickly and concisely, but Venn diagrams can also be used to help organize a writer's ideas:

You probably cannot make an entire outline for a 12 page essay like this, but you can map an overview of your articles and how they interact.

5) CARS Model for Introductions
John Swales is a linguist that studied several types of writing across disciplines and found a pattern in how introductions are written. His resulting CARS Model (Creating A Research Space) can be especially helpful to those of you who have trouble writing the first few paragraphs to your essay:

·      Move 1: Establishing a research territory

o    step 1: claiming centrality, and/or

o    step 2: placing your research within the field, and/or

o    step 3: reviewing items of previous research

·      Move 2: Establishing a niche

o    step 1a: Counter-claiming, or

o    step 1b: Indicating a gap in current research, or

o    step 1c: Question raising, or

o    step 1d: Continuing a tradition

·     Move 3: Occupying the niche

o    step 1a: Outlining purposes, or

o    step 1b: Announcing present research

o    step 2: Announcing principle findings

o    step 3: Indicating research article structure

If you want more information on the CARS model, see this handout for more details, and a detailed discussion of how to use the model for an intro to your paper. Keep in mind, this only works well for introductions and should not be used for the entire paper, only to set it up.