COMM 170 Sample Assignments
Acknowledgements
Links to Sources
Break Down Your Source’s Argument
Sample 1: Pardy Article
Sample 2: Kay Article
Support Materials:
Argument:
Find the Issue:
Find the Thesis:
Find the Reasons and Evidence:
Types of Evidence
Summarize Your Source
Sample 1: Pardy Article
Sample 2: Kay Article
Support Materials:
Acknowledgements
We thank the following students for graciously permitting us to use their work for educational purposes:
Pardy article: from an anonymous PLAR candidate’s assignment, used with permission
Kay article: from PLAR candidate Cindy W.’s assignment, used with permission
Links to Sources
The samples below relate to the following two sources:
Kay, J. Why progressives desperately stifle any dissent on abortion (even from Elizabeth May)
Pardy, B. Mental disabilities shouldn't be accommodated with extra time on exams
Break Down Your Source’s Argument
Sample 1: Pardy Article
The Issue or Controversy at Stake:
· Whether or not students with mental health disabilities should continue to receive academic accommodations, like extended time on exams, as they do presently
The Writer’s Thesis:
· It is unfair for students with mental health disabilities to receive accommodations because it is easy for them to take advantage of the system and it is unfair to the rest of the students who do not receive accommodations; in particular, students with mental health disabilities should not be allowed more time on exams because the rest of the students will then unfairly be at a time disadvantage.
The Writer’s Main Reasons and Evidence in Support of the Thesis:
We should not provide students with mental and cognitive impairments academic accommodations, especially extra time on exams and assignments, because:
· Exams are intended to discriminate between students, where the student with the best exam gets an A and students in the middle of the pack receive B’s
· Academic accommodations interfere with the accuracy of that discrimination process
· Exams are intended to assess how a student focuses and performs under pressure
· Allowing some students extra time is unfair to the other students (like giving a head start to an injured runner would be unfair to the other runners)
· They are taking advantage of the system
· Evidence: the number of students claiming mental health disabilities has increased dramatically in the past decade
· The cu
ent system is easy to manipulate:
· Only a medical note is required, despite the fact clinician rely on self-reported symptoms
· Sometimes students aren’t even required to disclose the nature of their health condition
· Reasoning: the cu
ent system relies on the student’s word, so honesty and morality is the only thing preventing an individual from taking advantage
· It is against human rights legislation and inconsistent with the law
· The commissions insisting academic accommodations are necessary aren’t guided by neutral investigations
Sample 2: Kay Article
Issue at Stake:
The state of the abortion debate, or lack of debate, in Canadian politics.
The Writer’s Thesis:
A debate about abortion rights is actually not allowed in Canada and the political left monopolize the conversation about abortion to prevent it from becoming widely known that many Canadians would welcome a discussion on the cu
ent state of abortion rights in the country. The author argues that having that discussion would not have detrimental effects.
The Writer’s Main Reasons and Evidence in Support of the Thesis:
To make this point, the author uses recent examples of political leaders stating that they will not reopen the abortion debate. In particular, he uses the case of Elizabeth May and the Green Party, in which May backtracked on her original statements in an interview about party members being allowed to have their own positions on the abortion issue. The author also mentions recent cases from his own field of journalism that exemplify this apparent code of silence su
ounding abortion. The author uses statistics from a recent poll that suggest that this political stance flies in the face of a large proportion of the Canadian electorate who would like to reopen the debate. Lastly, the author cites examples of abortion rights in European countries where abortion is both more regulated and more openly debated, in order to suggest that reopening the discussion would not have dire consequences.
Note the following about the above examples:
Find the Issue:
The question or controversy--the thing that’s at stake.
· More than a single topic (“Climate Change”), i.e. “What is the best way to reduce ca
on emissions?”
· Look at the title and opening paragraphs
Find the Thesis:
The author’s central point -- their answer to the question/ controversy or issue.
· Look at the title, subtitle, any callouts, etc.
· Look at the opening and closing paragraphs
· Skim the whole article, step back, and ask “What is the author’s central point?”
Find the Reasons and Evidence:
See https:
www.comm.pitt.edu/argument-claims-reasons-evidence
The claims and data the author uses to support their position or thesis.
· Reasons: Look for key statements and assertions that answer “why” the writer believes their thesis
· Evidence: Look for data, examples, etc. that supposedly prove thesis or reasons
· “Why do you say that?” Because [reasons]. “Can you prove it?” Here [evidence]
Types of Evidence
· Anecdote
· Analogy (comparisons)
· Common sense
· Statistical or quantitative data
· Historical data or examples
· Expert testimony
· Eyewitness testimony
Summarize Your Source
For examples of
ief summaries, see eCentennial (please note that you are required to write a
ief summary for this assignment, too)
Sample 1: Pardy Article
In “Mental Disabilities Shouldn’t Be Accommodated With Extra Time on Exams,” author Bruce Pardy speaks out against the status quo in Canadian education, arguing that students with mental health disabilities should not be granted academic accommodations like extra time on tests and assignments. Pardy explains that exams are intended to discriminate between students based on their mental and cognitive performance under pressure; this form of discrimination is not prohibited by law, so accommodations are not necessary. Moreover, Pardy argues that accommodations skew the playing field in the favour of the accommodated students, rather than leveling the playing field, consequently making it unfair to the other students; for example, allowing extra time on exams puts the rest of the students at a time disadvantage. He also draws a persuasive parallel between students with mental health disabilities and injured athletes, claiming accommodations are as unfair to other students as a head start is unfair to other runners. However, Pardy does distinguish between mental health disabilities and physical disabilities – like blindness – making it clear that students should receive the necessary accommodations – like a text reader – that enable them to participate in the exam; it is accommodations that give students an advantage over the other students that should not be allowed. Furthermore, Pardy illustrates how the cu
ent system is flawed, making it easy for students to falsely claim accommodation, and that the parties advocating for accommodations, insisting they are necessary, are guided by their own biased agendas – both additional reasons we should reconsider the cu
ent practice of granting academic accommodations. Finally, Purdy concluded his article by criticizing students who claim extra time for mental disabilities because they want to increase their chance for success, even at the expense of their peers.
Sample 2: Kay Article
In his article, “Why Progressives Desperately Stifle Any Dissent on Abortion (Even from Elizabeth May),” Jonathan Kay suggests that there is in fact no actual debate about abortion rights in Canada but rather a code of silence around the issue that is enforced by a political elite minority. Kay argues that this code is especially well demonstrated by recent political events in which political leaders from major parties stated that they would not reopen the abortion debate, even when they had previously stated otherwise. This code of silence (and subsequent political punishment for those who
eak it), flies in the face of the feelings of a large number of Canadians who would like to see a discussion of abortion rights in Canada, a discussion Kay argues would not have a dire consequences for abortion rights in Canada.
Note the following about the above examples:
Goal
· Paragraph-long neutral overview of the writer’s argument
· Identify author, title, year of pu
· Identify the issue/ thesis
· List the main pieces of reasons evidence
Key conventions
· Stay neutral and objective!
· Strip away small details, get the “big picture”
· Show the logical connections in the argument
· Attribute to the autho
Highlights show:
Identify title and autho
Identify issue/ thesis
Identify reasons, while attributing ideas to the author and showing the connections between them
In “Mental Disabilities Shouldn’t Be Accommodated With Extra Time on Exams,” author Bruce Pardy speaks out against the status quo in Canadian education, arguing that students with mental health disabilities should not be granted academic accommodations like extra time on tests and assignments. Pardy explains that exams are intended to discriminate between students based on their mental and cognitive performance under pressure; this form of discrimination is not prohibited by law, so accommodations are not necessary. Moreover, Pardy argues that accommodations skew the playing field in the favour of the accommodated students, rather than leveling the playing field, consequently making it unfair to the other students; for example, allowing extra time on exams puts the rest of the students at a time disadvantage. He also draws a persuasive parallel between students with mental health disabilities and injured athletes, claiming accommodations are as unfair to other students as a head start is unfair to other runners. However, Pardy does distinguish between mental health disabilities and physical disabilities – like blindness – making it clear that students should receive the necessary accommodations – like a text reader – that enable them to participate in the exam; it is accommodations that give students an advantage over the other students that should not be allowed. Furthermore, Pardy illustrates how the cu
ent system is flawed, making it easy for students to falsely claim accommodation, and that the parties advocating for accommodations, insisting they are necessary, are guided by their own biased agendas – both additional reasons we should reconsider the cu
ent practice of granting academic accommodations. Finally, Purdy concluded his article by criticizing students who claim extra time for mental disabilities because they want to increase their chance for success, even at the expense of their peers.