Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Ai And Advocacy: Maximizing Potential, Minimizing Risk, Matthew Salzano, Nicholas Fung, Ada Lin, Sofia Marchetta, Faith Colombo, Kaylah Davis, John Flynn, Carlos Fuentes, Fion Li, Malar Paavi Muthukumaran, Angelica Paramoshin, Chrisanne Pearce, Vianney Ramos, Charles St. Hilaire, Xi Zheng, Wei Zhuang

School of Communication and Journalism Faculty Publications

New Generative AI tools are revolutionizing writing and communication. This report focuses on AI and advocacy, the act of influencing public policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions. This report identifies three major opportunities and accompanying risks, plus one strong recommendation for advocates considering using AI. We argue that AI can be useful for advocates, but they must be careful to center human judgment and avoid risks that could distract from their important work or even contribute to societal harms.

Outlines And Rough Drafts: Arguments And Evidence, Craig Williamson, Raima Evan

Teaching & Learning Commons Digital Resources

This document provides an overview of the paper-writing process: reading and taking notes, developing an outline, shaping individual paragraphs, and crafting a conclusion.

Revising Your Rough Draft, Craig Williamson, Raima Evan

Teaching & Learning Commons Digital Resources

This document provides a check-list for things one should keep in mind when revising and polishing a paper. It addresses fine-tuning the thesis, examining transitions between paragraphs, and commenting on textual evidence, among other topics.

Thesis, Craig Williamson, Raima Evan

Teaching & Learning Commons Digital Resources

This document discusses what makes a good thesis. It stresses that a thesis must be specific, concise, and provocative.

Argumentation In The Message Of: The Boasts “Mufakharat” Between Malaga And Sala Of Lisan El Din Bin El Khatib, Omar F. Alkafaween

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

The study dealt with the argumentation strategy in the message of "The Boasts of Malaga and Sala" by Lisan Al-Deen Bin Al-Khatib. The researcher first introduced the message of “Mufakharat” by Lisan El Din bin El Khatib and the motives for writing it. Then, he spotted some representations of argumentation like news and facts to prove and support his preferences for Malgaq to Sala. This was followed by using some rhetoric and linguistic tools to represent, underline and consolidate his arguments as an endeavor to communicate and share his goal of persuading and influencing the readers. The researcher also used …

Matters Of Argument: Materiality, Listening, And Practices Of Openness In First-Year Writing Classes, Mark Houston

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation argues for the value of increased focus on practices of listening in rhetorical education, especially in first-year writing courses. Building on research in listening rhetorics, new materialism, and contemplative pedagogy, the author presents a pedagogical and rhetorical vision for more open argument. Open arguments function with open-heartedness, an open-ethos, openness to listening to Others and the material world, openness to a multiplicity of viewpoints, open-endedness, and openness to productive conflict. The author argues that students can learn to write these more open arguments through a combination of listening to the material world around them, listening to their …

Just Trust Me (2023-2024), Gabrielle Wall

Argument

The argument essay, “Just Trust Me,” covers a range of sources, motives, and technologies involved in the spread of disinformation. From Google search results to AI generated content and deep fakes, Wall ultimately argues for regulation of AI and intervention from government organizations rather than banning information. Her argument focuses on the consequences, such as voting or health decisions that can stem from unregulated practices of disinformation.

The Great Unknown: Unlimited Artificial Intelligence (2023-2024), Kathryn O'Brien

Argument

O’Brien begins this argument essay with the following reminder that “We use A.I. every day without even realizing. There are so many different algorithms built into every single app we use, as well as search engines like Google.” She goes on to consider the use of Artificial Intelligence in algorithms, online information availability, healthcare, and the arts. Throughout the use of examples within these various contexts, O’Brien interrogates the need for limits to AI in order to counter bias, limit the prevalence of hate speech, and ultimately preserve our humanity.

The Political Turn In First-Year Composition: Student And Instructor Perspectives On Politics, Demagoguery, And Democratic Deliberation, Jacob T. Buller-Young

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the presence and perceptions of politics in first-year composition (FYC) courses. Though the “political turn” of composition studies has been the subject of much scholarship since the 2016 election, very little empirical research has been conducted in this area. As a result, this study seeks to fill that gap with empirical, mixed-methods research that examines the political perceptions of both students and instructors in FYC courses.

I begin this work by reviewing the long, fraught history of politics in rhetorical education and propose several frameworks that are helpful for clarifying this debate, …

Improving Global Flow With The Known-New Contract, Ben Ladner

Tutor's Column

Large-scale flow of ideas is the key to effective scientific and argumentative writing. This tutor’s column discusses the Known-New Contract as a teaching tool for global flow. It also discusses the outlining and discussion techniques that can be practically used in appointments with students who struggle with the structure of their papers.

دعوى التأثير اليهوديّ في القول بحجيّة السنَّة النَّبوية دراسة نقدية Suspicion Of The Jewish Influence In Saying Of The Authority Of The Sunnah, Review And Discussion, Omar Bin Saleh Knish

Jordan Journal of Islamic Studies

ملخص

يُعنى هذا البحث بكشف وتفنيد دعوى التأثير اليهودي في تأسيس مبدأ حجية السنة النبوية، والذي تتداوله بعض الكتابات المعاصرة في سياق توهين مصادر التشريع الإسلامي وتضعيف الاستناد إليها. وقد اعتمد الباحث المنهج الاستقرائي والتحليلي النقدي لتفكيك مفردات هذه الدعوى ومستنداتها وتداعيتها المختلفة. ومن أبرز النتائج التي توصلت إليها: أن السنة النبوية حجة ومصدر للتشريع، وأن الطعن في حجيتها بواقع تأثير الأصولية اليهودية مجرد افتراضات عقلية غير مؤسسة علميا ومنهجيا، وأنه لا يستبعد في الخلفية العميقة لهذه الدعوى نوع تأثر لهؤلاء الكتاب بطائفة اليهود القرائين.

الكلمات المفتاحية: السنة النبوية، حجية، شبهة، التأثير اليهودي.

Suspicion of the Jewish influence in saying …

Commentary On Mckeon On Argument, Inference, And Persuasion, Daniel H. Cohen

OSSA Conference Archive

No abstract provided.

Argument, Inference, And Persuasion, Matthew W. Mckeon

OSSA Conference Archive

I move beyond Pinto’s (2001) discussion of arguments as invitations to inference by highlighting how arguments can guide the performance of inferences that they do not express. This motivates a distinction between two types of persuasive force arguments can have in terms of two different connections between arguments and inferences. I use this distinction to explain how an epistemically bad argument can rationally persuade addressees of its conclusion.

Commentary On: Tony Blair’S “The Persuasive Ineffectiveness Of Arguing And Arguments”, Michel Dufour

OSSA Conference Archive

No abstract provided.

The Persuasive Ineffectiveness Of Arguing And Arguments, J. Anthony Blair

OSSA Conference Archive

Arguments intended to persuade have a chequered success record. Quite aside from failing to resolve deep disagreements, they are an inefficient means of persuasion in commerce and politics. The persistence of competing schools of thought in numerous fields of scientific and scholarly theorizing, despite argued advocacy, also raises questions about arguing’s persuasive effectiveness. Yet humans are irredeemably reason-expecting and reason-giving creatures. This paper offers some possible explanations of this paradoxical situation.

Commentary On: Jianfeng Wang’S “Deep Disagreement, Deep Rhetoric, And Cultural Diversity", Jean Goodwin

OSSA Conference Archive

In this cogent paper, Wang urges argumentation theorists to pay attention to the myriad things that are happening whenever someone makes an argument. To do this he updates and extends the classical rhetorical cannon of style. He documents the importance of argumentative style through a case study of deep disagreement, showing how one arguer’s choices served to reconstruct an otherwise abusive situation. I urge him to continue the project by providing an equally cogent account of explaining why an arguer’s stylistic choices lead to the desired audience’s response.

Diversity, Conflict Resolution, And (Dis)Agreement, Linda Carozza

OSSA Conference Archive

Is reaching an agreement a product of strong arguing-making and argument-having? Mediators are trained to be neutral facilitators with a range of diverse strategies for resolving disagreements. In spite of this, parties in conflict can derail a mediator’s trajectory in helping all involved by i) understand different positions and especially ii) develop resolutions. Borrowing from the literature of conflict resolution this paper questions the efficacy of critical-logical normative argumentation models.

Law Library Blog (April 2020): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Composition Of Individual & Society Fiqws, Julianne Davidow

Open Educational Resources

First-year composition courses at CCNY teach writing as a recursive and frequently

collaborative process of invention, drafting, and revising. Writing is both personal and social, and students should learn how to write for different purposes and audiences. Since writing is a process of making meaning and communicating, FYC teachers respond mainly to the content of students’ writing as well as to recurring surface errors. Students should expect frequent written and oral responses on the content of their writing from their teachers and peers. Classes rely heavily on a workshop format. Instruction emphasizes the connection between writing, reading, and critical thinking; …

Expressing Speech Act Of Disagreement At Different Language Levels, Shokhista Nusratullaeva Teacher Of English Faculty Ii

Philology Matters

The problem of revealing and systematizingthe features of expressing disagreement repeatedly is still at the center of linguistic research.The current article investigates the speech act of disagreement in the framework of Speech Act Theory and its realization with the help of linguistic means (lexical, grammatical, phraseologicaland stylistic). Speech act of disagreement is act which combines all types of negative reaction:refutation, objection, judgment, disapproval, and dissatisfaction. It is an informative, imperative orevaluative statement and has a certain realization through various means of expression. Using these means in a particular communication dependson the intentions of the speaker, on the nature of the …

First Argument, Darlene Young

BYU Studies Quarterly

An ache like a seed caught in teeth, acrid aftertaste of unripe fruit; astonishment. That is not what I meant.

The Digital Public Humanities: Giving New Arguments And New Ways To Argue, Jordana Cox, Lauren Tilton

Rhetoric and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In response to the latest “crisis” in the humanities, advocates have marched, rallied, fundraised, and—especially—argued. This essay contends that communication scholars can support the growing “case for the humanities” by analyzing argumentative strategies, and more specifically, by offering ethical argumentative strategies that avoid replicating structures of domination. In particular, we look to Mari Lee Mifsud's theorization of rhetoric as gift, which follows Henry W. Johnstone in conceptualizing argument as something other than winning over an adversary. We place Mifsud's theorization of the gift in conversation with the methods of the digital public humanities (DPH), which acknowledge and offer abundant resources …

The Digital Public Humanities: Giving New Arguments And New Ways To Argue, Jordana Cox, Lauren Tilton

Rhetoric and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In response to the latest "crisis" in the humanities, advocates have marched, rallied, fundraised, and-especially-argued. This essay contends that communication scholars can support the growing "case for the humanities" by analyzing argumentative strategies, and more specifically, by offering ethical argumentative strategies that avoid replicating structures of domination. In particular, we look to Mari Lee Mifsud's theorization of rhetoric as gift, which follows Henry W. Johnstone in conceptualizing argument as something other than winning over an adversary. We place Mifsud's theorization of the gift in conversation with the methods of the digital public humanities (DPH), which acknowledge and offer abundant resources …

Housing First To Address Homelessness (2019-2020), Caitlyn Gonzalez

Argument

In this student example we can see a clear stance is taken by Gonzales as she argues that vacant homes should be used to house the homeless based on a “Housing First” program model. Her argument draws on examples, narrative, and statistics to persuade the reader as to why this model of government and not-for-profit intervention would help homeless individuals and families recover financial and social stability.

Government Funding For The Arts (2019-2020), Michael Kravchenko

Argument

In this example of an argument, Kravchenko makes the case for the need for continued funding for arts education. He points out the benefits of a funded arts education as increasing creativity, child development, and future career opportunities.

The Case For Less Immigration Restrictions In The United States (2019-2020), Elle O’Leary Kelleher

Argument

In this example of an argument, Kelleher explores how the issue of immigration has been taken up in politics and policy, but rests on many misperceptions, including the negative portrayal of immigrants in popular culture ranging from 1931 to 2013. Kelleher argues for a loosening of immigration restrictions based on benefits to the United States and based on a historical sense of “American values.”

The Logical Fallacies In Political Discourse, Zilin Cidre Zhou

Summer Research Program

I examined the use of logical fallacies in political discourse. Logical fallacies are fraudulent tricks people use in their argument to make it sound more credible while what they really do is to fool the audience. Out of more than 300 kinds of fallacies, I focused on 18 common ones by analyzing their use in debates about political issues. During conducting my research, I noted that being aware of my mental state is very important if I want to accurately detect the fallacies. Furthermore, while watching two sides debating, being impartial is as significant as staying calm. I also need …

Against The Intentional Definition Of Argument, G. C. Goddu

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Intentional definitions of argument, i.e. the conclusion being intended to follow from the premises, abound. Yet, there are numerous problem cases in which we appear to have arguments, but no intention. One way to try to avoid these problem cases is to appeal to acts, in which case one has to give up on the repeatability of arguments. One can keep repeatability and intentions if one resorts to act types, but then it appears that the problem cases re-emerge.

Tutors: “Theses” The Problem: Students And Thesis Statements, Jackson Bylund

Tutor's Column

Although it is a common element of academic writing, the thesis statement is woefully misunderstood and misused by many new college students. The Writing Center staff spends too much time reexplaining this principle and helping visiting students construct a solid thesis; time that could be better spent on other key aspects of their essays, like content and organization. This essay strives to explain what a thesis statement is, how it is crafted, how and why students have such a poor understanding of the concept, and what can be done to fix this obnoxious issue.

The Common Good Frankenstein Textual Analysis And Argument Essay, Julia G. Bonfiglio

Line by Line: A Journal of Beginning Student Writing

My writing process for this particular essay was fairly simple and straightforward. I began by reading the prompt and writing notes on my teacher's specific directions. I then went to the library, where I reviewed my notes and the directions. Next, I began to write a brief rough draft which I later printed and gave to my teacher for review. Finally, I took all of her suggestions for improvement into consideration and completed my essay.