October 2020

                    1. What have you learned so far about crafting arguments and conducting academic research? So far I have learned that there are numerous types of arguing, and a I have been drafting my essay, I have been able to point out the different types as I go. I have also come to the realization that arguing is not always in a fighting way, yet it is two different view points stating what they believe. I feel my essay will have numerous counterarguments.

                   2. What specifically have you learned about the particular issue you’re researching? I have learned that there is a wide range of views on how my topic does and does not effect someone. I have also learned that people feel social media does the opposite of what I think it does to a teen.

                   3. What problems are you facing at this point? I would not say I am facing any problems, other than the fact that I have found so much on what the other side views, and I need to find more that agree with what I am writing on.

1. What is Cohen’s main claim? That there are numerous different versions of arguing, and losing the argument is not always a bad thing. He also talks about the ways to argue, he is trying to make the point that just because it is an “argument” does not always mean its an actual argument, due to the different variations of arguing.

2. What main points does he use to support his claim? His three main points were the different types of arguing. The first type was arguments as war, referring to when someone is mad, causing shouting and anger. The second type was arguments as proofs, these are the ones that have to do with actual proof, such as when a math teacher is solving a problem and is proving a problem. Lastly, he discussed arguments as performances. Arguments as performances refer to when someone is trying to present something to a group, such as a politicians. He also states that other people chime in during an audience argument.

3. What ideas in this talk were new to you? The ideas that were new to me during this talk were the various types of arguing. When I think of an argument, I think of one thing and that one thing is a fight. From this video I learned how different arguments work and what they mean.

4. After watching this talk, what questions and/or counterarguments do you have for Cohen? I thought that everything he stated was accurate. I did not necessarily have any questions and or counterarguments, I simply felt as if he made me grab a better understanding on what exactly an argument is.

5. How might ideas from this video be useful to you as you continue to work on Project #3? I think that this video will be useful to project #3 because I am arguing what I believe within a thesis. I will have to persuade my audience and argue for them to believe in what I am stating.

                   1. In what ways did your writing skills improve as a result of completing Project #2? Be Specific. Well, hopefully it was evident in my paper that my writing skills have improved. From my first paper I learned that I was not going in depth enough and was not providing specific examples as asked. So, to improve myself, in project #2 I went ahead and really tried to analyze the situation and make sure that in my essay I was providing what was actually asked for. I feel that this essay had less to write on, so maybe my sentences grew a little repetitive, although I tried to make sure that did not happen.

                   2. What areas of weakness in your writing did this project highlight for you? Be specific. This writing project, as I stated above definitely highlighted my weakness of repetition. This essay was also on one small topic and asked for a lot provided. I tried very hard to keep a small subject brad.

                   3. What was the most stressful part(s) of completing this project? How did you attempt to deal

                        with/overcome this stress? Explain. The most stressful part of this essay was getting my topic discussed in 1,000 words. I was struggling to space it out so it could fit the word requirement, and that is why I feel that my essay may have grown a little repetitive.

                   4. What’s one important thing about your work and/or learning in this unit that you want to be sure

                         to remember when it’s time to compose your Epilogue Post at the end of the semester. Explain. One thing that I would like to remember when I compose my Epilogue at the end of the semester would be how to sum things up in depth. I feel that when I get to the end of something I get a little slackish and find myself saying things that had been said previously. Over all,  I hope that I grow to only do better and perform well on the papers ahead.