Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Topic: Logic and Argument in Composition

10-second review: The author suggests that teaching formal logic does not really help students develop an argumentative position. He suggests another strategy.

Title: “Technical Logic, Comp-Logic, and the Teaching of Writing.” Richard Fulkerson. College Composition and Communication (December 1988), 436-452. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Summary: Reduces the argument to a conclusion and the evidence for the conclusion. To prove a case of battery, for instance, the following elements (evidence) must be present:

There must be a touching by the defendant.
The touching must have been either offensive or harmful.
The touching must have been unconsented.
And it must have been intentional rather than accidental. p. 448-449.

Comment: In other words, begin with the conclusion and list the evidence for the conclusion as a pre-writing strategy for an argumentative paper. RayS.

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