07118: Communication: Rhetoric and Reasoning L

Weeks 9 and 10
Criticising texts

* Reading
* Discussion/research topics
* Writing
* Further resources

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Core reading

CR&R Readings

  1. Lewis, G and Slade, C (1994). Critical communication. Sydney: Prentice Hall Australia.
  • Chapter 4, ‘Critical thinking’, pages 75-96.
  1. Windschuttle, K and Elliott, E (1994). Writing, researching, communicating. 2nd edition. Sydney: McGraw Hill.
  • Part VIII, Logic and reasoning’, pages 308-334.

Extension reading

CR&R Readings

  1. Coleman, E and Rowan, M (1993). Criticising texts: an informal logic. Adelaide: University of South Australia.
  • Chapter 10 ‘The rational criticism of real texts’, pages 176-185.
  1. Davis, L and McKay, S (1996). Structures and strategies: an introduction to academic writing. South Melbourne: Macmillan.
  • Chapter 8 ‘Analysing texts’, pages 151-164.

Skills reading

Language notes

  • Section 4.0, ‘Register’, pages 27-33.

top of page Discussion/research topic

Do Task 1 and at least one other task listed here.

Task 1

Either

Look out for an issue being discussed in the papers or on TV/radio news/current affairs. Gather some articles from the newspapers or make some notes about items on TV/radio which present two or more sides of the issue. Write a couple of paragraphs in your journal summarising the course of the issue, and the sorts of arguments which were presented along the way.

Or

Carry on an e-mail/newsgroup discussion (over a number of days) with one or more other CR&R students about a particular current issue. Write a summary in your journal of the course of the discussion, and the general outcome of the issues involved.

Task 2

Work closely through the concepts (such as the use of syllogisms) and exercises in Windschuttle and Elliott 1994 (Reading 18) to understand the ways in which formal logic operates, and how fallacies may be pinpointed and described.

When might these terms and techniques be most useful, and when might we need to rely on other ways of analysing and describing arguments?

Task 3

Do exercise 2 on pages 161-162 of Davis and McKay 1996 (Reading 20), as a preliminary task to the assignment Exercise 3 described under Writing, below.

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Exercise 3 (due Friday 16 October)

Choose an article from CR&R Resource material that you have not already analysed. Write a critique of approximately 650-750 words in which you discuss how effectively the article argues its case. Give reasons to support your criticisms, based on some of the concepts and ideas covered so far in your reading and discussions in CR&R.

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As a form of review for your own report writing, and to give you some further help with format and style, examine the examples of CR&R reports from past students, which you can obtain by contacting your tutor. These were high achieving assignments, and are good models to follow.

However, do not feel bound to reproduce them in exact detail. Remember that an effective report is one which balances the requirements of audience, purpose and content; you may feel that your report should have certain variations or peculiarities of format and style to suit these requirements. Get advice from your tutor about your report in relation to the student models, and raise your concerns with other students via COMMA.

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For assistance contact: paul.skrebels@unisa.edu.au
Copyright ©1997 University of South Australia
Prepared by the Flexible Learning Centre, University of South Australia
Prepared: 28 January 1997
Revised: December 1997
URL: http://www.roma.unisa.edu.au/07118/wk9-10.htm