Everything's an Argument

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is an argument? What do you associate with argumentation? 

Teaching Suggestion: One of the primary goals of Everything’s an Argument is to offer students a broader definition of “argument” than they may have previously held. This prompt asks students to clearly articulate their pre-existing beliefs. This functions as schema-activation. Because this prompt requires personal reflection, it may be best-suited to individual written responses. After students write down their own answers, you might offer one or both of the resources below and ask students to discuss the ways in which these definitions might be too narrow or limited in their scope.

• This page from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word “argument.”
• This page from the philosophy department of Texas A&M University offers an extended definition of “argument” with examples.

2. What qualities does an effective argument have? What rhetorical techniques do people use to persuade others?

Teaching Suggestion: Another important goal of Everything’s an Argument is to explore how effective arguments are constructed and presented. Students may be unable to articulate a clear position in response to this prompt, as they may have only vague ideas about the effectiveness of arguments. This prompt is well-suited to classroom discussion, as hearing others’ ideas will help students develop their own. After a preliminary discussion, students might access the resources below and then reconvene to discuss how to refine their answers based on the information presented—or why they might actually want to reject some elements of the resources’ claims.

• This overview from the University of Pittsburgh explains the elements of an effective argument.
• This digital handout from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explores the five components of an argument and discusses why arguments are important in academic papers.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to argumentation? Does the context of your argument matter? What about the format—does it matter, for instance, if an argument is oral or written?

Teaching Suggestion: Before students encounter Everything’s an Argument, this prompt asks them to reflect on their current skillset in argumentation. This is intended to increase their motivation to engage thoughtfully with the text. The prompt also asks about context and format to encourage students to consider a wider range of personal experiences. Students may benefit from some clarification about what “context” means in this prompt—you might discuss how audience, timing, personal interest, expertise, and other factors might impact their success.