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Overview
 English 216 studies the circulation of public arguments that affect the lives of all citizens. Arguments are rooted in beliefs, and beliefs are rooted in communities that are important to believers. Students will be asked to track the ideologies of arguments—the premises that make up belief systems and the connections made between and among them. Students will then use this mapping to generate possible positions that may be taken on public issues.
The course combines readings and discussions of the theoretical dimensions of argument—questions about probability, the nature of assertions, the worth of evidence—with the practical study of how to invent, arrange, style, and deliver persuasive discourse. Class meetings will consist of discussions of readings, examination and dissection of public arguments, and workshop sessions where students generate and read their own and their classmates’ writing.
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