Appendix 2 (Chapter 2)

Journal of Argument and Metacognition Assignment

Both rhetoric and argument rest on the assumption that reasonable people, acting in good faith, are willing and able to change their minds when confronted with evidence that warrants such a change. As such, argument also rests on an assumption of vulnerability—to be able to admit that one is wrong, and to recognize when such an admission might be appropriate. To encourage such a mindset, the first project of this course asks you to become more attentive to the role of arguments in your daily lives. This project will also challenge you to engage in a practice known as metacognition—put perhaps a little too simply, thinking about your own thinking.

This assignment will take the form of a portfolio due before we leave for spring break. You will also be asked to give a presentation of your findings and experience to me and your classmates. The journal itself will be made up of several parts due throughout the first weeks of the semester. The parts are:

1. Metacognitive Flashback
2. Analysis of Social Media Argument
3. Reaction to Opinion Piece
4. Introductory Cover Letter

1. Metacognitive Flashback

This portion of your journal asks you to recount a time you changed your mind about a social or political issue while using the new tools and course vocabulary to help you to make sense of why your standpoint changed. Ideally, this portion of your journal should examine a time when you revised your view of a closely held political or social belief (examples include, but are not limited to, statements such as "government assistance encourages dependence on the state" or conversely "government assistance provides an even playing field for those who may be put at a socio-economic disadvantage;" or "affirmative action constitutes a form of discrimination" or conversely "affirmative action provides needed opportunities for groups that have historically been marginalized"). The preceding examples are just that—examples to help you understand the types of issues I would like you to focus on. You are free to examine any belief you might question as long as you connect it productively to course concepts.

For this portion of your journal, you will do the following:

1. Provide a summary of your belief, giving the reader any necessary background information they may need in order to appreciate the rest of your journal entry.

2. Examine and discuss the warranted assumptions that informed this belief—in other words, what values and viewpoints informed the belief you selected? (this question will make more and more sense after the first few class sessions). In short, how can you best describe why you hold this belief?

3. Finally, the difficult part: what conditions led you to change this belief? Did your belief change because of a personal experience? The experience of a friend? Did you recognize that you were being affected by a cognitive bias? Were you swayed by an argument presented to you in a book or online? Referencing our course readings and materials, how might you now make sense of this change?

This portion of your journal should:

1. Be written in an engaging format. Try to walk me through your belief and the reasoning behind changing it. You can write in a style that makes the most sense to you.

   1. Approach this task from a position of intellectual humility. We are all wrong at various points in our lives. The point of this exercise is to become more conscious of how we evaluate claims and how we decide when a position is no longer tenable.
   2. Employ concepts and vocabulary from our course readings, citing definitions or quotations correctly in a citation style you are familiar with (MLA, APA, Chicago). If you are not comfortable with any citation styles, please speak with me immediately.
   3. Cite at least A) our textbook and B) 3 other course readings or lectures.

5.Be at least 900 words in length.

2. Reaction to Social Media Argument

This portion of your journal asks you to observe and react to the argumentative practices of an online community related to one of your own passions or interests. The purpose of this portion of your journal is to emphasize and illustrate that arguments pervade all aspects of our lives. The same patterns and problems that we can identify in political discourse are often just as visible when people argue about their interests and hobbies. To complete this portion of your journal, you will join an online community dedicated to one of your personal interests. While there are many possible forums for you to participate in (and you may choose any online forum you are comfortable with), an easy choice would be to browse Reddit and select a sub-Reddit of your choice. So, for instance, I would probably choose r/DnD, because there are tons of things people argue about when it comes to Dungeons and Dragons.

Once you have made this selection, you will do the following:

• Spend some time over several days reading from and engaging with your chosen forum.

• Explain the forum and the topic it is dedicated to. Write a quick summary of the general approach to argumentation in this forum. What types of arguments occur? What are the different sides or viewpoints? What types of evidence are used in these arguments? How is the evidence evaluated? Do people cite sources? Do you notice any particularly good or bad arguments as you interact with the forum?

• Draw connections with our course material. What similarities or major differences do you notice as you engage with this space? You should cite class material directly as you complete this portion of the assignment.

This portion of your journal should:

1. Be written in an engaging format. Explain the forum, the major disagreements, and any necessary background information before moving on to your analysis and reaction.

2. Cite material from the forum directly. Provide quotes of arguments or argumentative strategies. Illustrate your own claims with examples.

3. Employ concepts and vocabulary from our course readings, citing definitions or quotations correctly in a citation style you are familiar with (MLA, APA, Chicago). If you are not comfortable with any citation styles, please speak with me immediately.

4. Cite at least A) our textbook and B) 3 other course readings or lectures.

5. Be at least 900 words in length.

3. Response to Opinion Piece

This portion of your journal asks you to read and engage an opinion piece that forwards an argument that you disagree with (I can provide suggestions about what websites to visit to read high-quality opinion pieces). Your goal will not be to attack or discredit the author's argument. Rather, your purpose is to understand and track your own personal response to the piece's claims. In other words, you are not "responding" to the author, but rather to yourself, your own instincts and reactions. You should do so with reference to the course readings and vocabulary, especially readings related to claims/enthymemes, stasis, doxa, and cognitive biases (as appropriate).

Once you have selected your opinion piece, you should do the following:

• Read the source carefully, doing your best to understand the argument on its own terms.

• Carefully note your own reactions to portions of the text. Single our sections of the text that provoke particularly intense responses.

• Draw connections between these sections and course readings and concepts, citing sources (both the opinion piece and course readings) correctly.

• Offer an assessment of whether your response to the article is proportionate and justified (for instance, did it make your angrier than you expected/thought it should? If so why?).

This portion of your journal should:

• Clearly and accurately summarize the argument of the opinion piece.

• Identify sections of the text that you had strong reactions to, using quotes from both the opinion piece and course readings to illustrate what you think is happening.

• Cite all sources correctly in MLA, APA, or Chicago format.

• Cite at least A) our textbook and B) 3 other course readings or lectures.

• Be at least 900 words in length.

4. Introductory Cover Letter

Despite being "introductory," I ask you to write this portion of your journal last. The purpose of this section of your journal is to introduce the other documents and connect them productively. You should comment on what you learned through this process of reflection, if/how the assignment has changed how you view argument in the world, and what value, if any, you found in completing the various elements of the project.

This portion should:

• Clearly introduce the other sections of your journal.

• Make connections between the various elements.

• Include a reflection on what, if anything, you learned; whether your thinking about argumentation or any specific topics changed; etc.

• Be at least 350 words.