In this course, we will discuss argument: what it is, how to make it, how to enter into a productive academic conversation, and how to participate in debates in different social realms and settings. We will start by talking about a controversial statement — “There is an empire in this classroom.” Throughout this semester, we will examine the different sides of this statement and explore its potential and limits through readings, discussion, and writing. We will also learn to make nuanced, debatable thesis statements of one’s own, and to make productive, convincing arguments through narratives.

This is a discussion-based course, and we will rely on various written and visual materials in this class to fuel our discussions. Materials include: political debates, talk shows (John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight), advertisements, academic essays, fiction, music and film. We will focus on how the authors of the different types of narratives make their argument in different styles, what are their strengths and limits, in order to learn about how to make our own complex, analytic, evidence-based arguments that matter in different academic and social contexts.

Course Requirements:

Assignments will include: one eight- to ten-page research based argumentative essay, on a topic chosen by the student, at the end of the semester, and three short argumentative essays of five pages.