Argumentation and Communication, Fall 2002

Abstract: A writing practicum associated with 11.200 and 11.205 that focuses on helping students present their ideas in cogent, persuasive arguments and other analytical frameworks. Reading and writing assignments and other exercises stress the connections between clear thinking, critical reading, and effective writing. This course examines the principles and practices of clear and effective communication in addressing public issues and policies. It aims to help students plan, organize, and present their analysis and research in the form of well-founded claims and persuasive arguments that address the interests, concerns, and expectations of their audience. To achieve this aim, the course encompasses the following learning objectives: to sharpen students' persuasive skills in the service of planning, program, and policy analysis; to develop students' writing style to help them achieve the clarity and vigor needed to be persuasive in their academic and professional lives; to provide practice in presenting the fruits of research orally; and to provide guidance in the use of source material, both conventional and electronic, in the conduct of research, the sharing of information with colleagues, and the production of finished work The curriculum consists of a series of writing assignments, due in alternate weeks, that focus on case studies in organizational and public communication, capped by an oral presentation on a planning topic of the student's own choosing. The planning topic would ideally be one that focuses on the individual student's research interests, either current or projected. The presentation could consist of anything from a contemplated research proposal to preliminary findings to substantially completed research with conclusions and recommendations. It should also serve as a capstone activity encompassing the learning in the course.

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