Honors DebateMonday, November 2, 2015

Before We begin

•Today Political Argument

•Tuesday, Political Argument, go over exam

•Wednesday Go over upcoming debates

•Block Day: Prepare for next week’s debates

Preview

•Why study political argumentation

•Characteristics

•Considerations

•Strategies

•Essay Assignment

Political Argumentation

Political Argumentation

•"is about gaining and using power, about collective decision making for the public good, about mobilizing individuals in purist of common goals, about giving effective voice to shared hopes and fears." Zarefsky 2008

•“argumentation is about drilling down to disagreements, not about building up from established agreements” (Jackson, 2008)

Why Study Political Argumentation?

Why Study Political Argumentation•“What is missing from our political

discourse is a rich and vibrant concept of argument, of public deliberation . . .”(Zarefsky, 1992, p. 414).

Characteristics of Political Argumentation

1. Unregulated/Free form

2. Heterogeneous audience

3. Does not REQUIRE technical expertise

Characteristics of Political Argumentation

4. The focal point is identity

5. Lack of time limits

6. There is no way to know when the argument is over

Characteristics of Political Argumentation7. Open Access- because there are no formal rules to political argumentation, we cannot expect the audience to have the kind of technical knowledge that argument scholars and experts have. Thus, we must adapt our messages to the larger public

Considerations for Political Argumentation

1. Social Institutions

2. The Significance of Advocacy

2 Strategies for Political Argumentation

1. Strategic Maneuvering

2. Black Box Argumentation

Strategic Maneuvering•"a systematic integration of rhetorical

considerations in a dialectic framework of analysis recognizing that people wo are involved in argumentation usually wish not only to resolve a disagreement but also to resolve it in their own favor”

•“an inventive response to the theoretical challenge of developing sound accounts of the relationship between ‘discussion and debate’”

Essential component

•Definitions

▫Interpretation of actions, concepts, theories etc.

▫How those interpretations are employed in one’s favor

Strategic Maneuvering

•Characteristics

▫1. topical choice

▫2. adaptation to the audience

▫3. effective presentation

Strategic Maneuvering

Types:

1.Changing the subject

2. Modifying the relevant audience

3. Appeals to liberal and conservative presumptions

Strategic Maneuvering

Types:

4. Reframing the argument

5. Use condensation symbols "visual or verbal symbols that ‘condense’ a range of different meanings into a generally positive or negative connotation."

6. Employing the Locus of the Irreparable

Black Box Argumentation

•When an argument, concept, idea etc. is universally accepted to the point that it cannot be contested.

•“an argumentative dead end”

•“reasoning is no longer open to challenge”

Black Box Argumentation

1. A type of appeal to authority

2. Lay people and experts are unable to challenge the premises that justify the black box.

3. If challenged, the expert may lose credibility

4. Black boxes are institutional artifacts

What can we take from today

•Political argumentation is based less on logic or even the contact of the argument and more on strategy

•Political argumentation is about winning. It is not about the best policy or solution

Essay Assignment•25 points

•Due Monday, November 16 beginning of class

•Turn in a hard copy (paper copy)

•3 pages

•1 ½ spaces, 11 point Times New Roman Font, 1 inch margins

Essay Assignment

•Use a Cartoon, Film or TV show that has politics as a subject.

•Use strategic maneuvering and black box argumentation to evaluate the political arguments.

Essay Assignment

•Introduction

▫Attention getter

▫Thesis Statement

▫Preview main points

Essay Assignment

•1-2 paragraphs describe the plot.

•1-2 paragraphs on how this situation relates to politics.

•2-4 paragraphs describing black box argumentation and strategic maneuvering

Essay Assignment

•5-8 paragraphs analyzing the situation using black box argumentation and strategic maneuvering

•1 paragraph conclusion.

Today

•Political Argumentation

•Strategic Maneuvering

•Black Box Argumentation