AP English Language: Unit 9 Understanding the Complexities of Argumentation

Summary

In this AP Lang lesson, Dawn Knight guides students through the complexities of argumentation, focusing on engaging in ongoing conversations and understanding multiple perspectives. Knight uses the metaphor of a 'close-fitting garment' to illustrate the difficulty of viewing one's cultural heritage objectively. The lesson emphasizes the importance of considering various lenses to explore issues beyond black and white, using the example of colonizing Mars to demonstrate how acknowledging opposing views leads to a more sophisticated and nuanced argument. The session concludes with an exam practice activity that encourages students to delve deeper into complexities and think critically.

Takeaways

• 📚 The session is an AP Lang class led by Dawn Knight, focusing on argumentation and synthesis essays.
• 🌐 The class is set in Westfield, Indiana, and is accessible to remote learners via video.
• 🔍 The discussion begins with a review of Zora Neale Hurston's metaphorical use of a 'close-fitting garment' to illustrate the difficulty of viewing one's own cultural heritage objectively.
• 📈 The class emphasizes the importance of engaging with existing conversations and understanding the complexities of arguments, especially in the context of writing synthesis and argument essays.
• 🤔 Students are encouraged to consider multiple perspectives on issues to achieve a more sophisticated understanding, moving beyond simple binary views.
• 🌟 The session highlights the significance of conceding points in arguments, which involves acknowledging the validity of opposing views under certain conditions or recognizing the limitations of one's own argument.
• 📊 The lecture provides a rubric analysis, emphasizing the need for a nuanced argument that explores complexities and the implications or limitations of arguments within a broader context.
• 🚀 An example used to illustrate multiple perspectives is the debate on colonizing Mars, which is examined through various lenses such as science, economics, environment, politics, and ethics.
• 💭 The class engages in an exercise where students are asked to consider their stance on colonizing Mars and to identify opposing viewpoints to foster a more nuanced argument.
• 📝 Homework includes a multiple-choice exam practice question that requires students to apply the concepts of argumentation and synthesis to a complex issue.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video transcript?

The speaker in the video transcript is Dawn Knight, an English teacher from Westfield, Indiana.

What was the focus of the previous unit (Unit 8) discussed in the video?

The focus of Unit 8 was looking at the use of sophisticated analogies that reflect rhetorical situation.

What is the main theme of the passage read from Zora Neale Hurston's work?

The main theme of the passage is the difficulty of viewing one's own cultural heritage objectively, using the metaphor of a close-fitting garment.

What does the metaphor of a 'close-fitting chemise' represent in the context of Zora Neale Hurston's passage?

In the context of Zora Neale Hurston's passage, the metaphor of a 'close-fitting chemise' represents the difficulty of viewing her cultural heritage objectively until she was able to distance herself from it, likening it to needing a spyglass to see clearly.

What is the goal of Unit 9 in the AP Lang course as described in the transcript?

The goal of Unit 9 is to delve into the complexities of argumentation, focusing on effectively entering into an ongoing conversation about a subject and understanding when writers concede.

How does the speaker suggest students should approach sources with competing arguments?

Students should evaluate the provided information based on their own knowledge and perceptions of the world, rather than accepting each source as correct.

What is the importance of understanding the synthesis essay rubric mentioned in the transcript?

Understanding the synthesis essay rubric is important because it helps students craft a nuanced argument by consistently identifying and exploring complexities or tensions across sources and articulating the implications or limitations of an argument within a broader context.

What is the significance of considering multiple perspectives when writing argument and synthesis essays?

Considering multiple perspectives is significant as it allows for a more complex understanding of the issue, avoiding black-and-white thinking, and leading to a more sophisticated and nuanced argument.

Why does the speaker use the example of colonizing Mars in the lesson?

The speaker uses the example of colonizing Mars to illustrate how to consider multiple perspectives and delve into the complexities of an issue, moving beyond simple pro/con arguments.

What does the speaker suggest students do after evaluating the multiple perspectives on an issue?

After evaluating the multiple perspectives on an issue, the speaker suggests students write down their position and at least three reasons for their decision, and then consider opposing points to those reasons.

How does the speaker describe the difference between a black-and-white argument and a more sophisticated, nuanced argument?

The speaker describes a black-and-white argument as a simple pro/con stance, whereas a more sophisticated, nuanced argument acknowledges the opposition and includes considerations from various important fields and lenses, situating the argument within a broader context.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Introduction to AP Lang and Warm-up

The video begins with an introduction by Dawn Knight, an English teacher from Westfield, Indiana, who welcomes viewers to an AP Language course. She ensures everyone is logged in and reminds them of the available prompt in the video description. Dawn reviews the previous day's lesson, which focused on sophisticated analogies in rhetorical situations, using a passage from Zora Neale Hurston's work. The metaphor of a close-fitting garment is discussed to illustrate the difficulty of viewing one's cultural heritage objectively. The session aims to improve students' ability to analyze metaphors, a skill important for AP Lang's synthesis and argument essays.

05:03

🔍 Delving into Argumentation and Multiple Perspectives

Dawn transitions into Unit 9, focusing on the complexities of argumentation. She emphasizes the importance of engaging in ongoing conversations and understanding competing positions or claims. The lesson highlights the significance of conceding points to strengthen one's argument. Dawn introduces the concept of considering multiple perspectives to achieve a sophisticated understanding of issues, which is crucial for both synthesis and argument essays. She uses the current situation of being stuck at home as an example to illustrate different viewpoints on the same issue.

10:05

🚀 Exploring the Complexities of Colonizing Mars

The lesson delves into the idea of considering multiple perspectives by using the example of colonizing Mars. Dawn encourages students to think about their stance on this issue and to consider various lenses or fields through which to view the problem. She lists several perspectives, such as science, history, economics, environment, politics, and ethics, each with its own complexities and potential for disagreement. The goal is to move beyond black-and-white thinking and to acknowledge the 'shades of grey' within each perspective to form a more nuanced argument.

15:06

📝 Reflecting on Stance and Argument Development

Dawn concludes the lesson by asking students to write down their position on colonizing Mars and to consider opposing viewpoints. She guides students to develop a more sophisticated argument that acknowledges the complexities and tensions within the issue. The lesson aims to help students understand how to integrate competing arguments into their own and to situate their arguments within a broader context. Dawn provides an example of a nuanced argument and connects it to the scoring criteria for AP essays. She ends the session with an exam practice task for the next day, encouraging students to stay active and take care of themselves.

Keywords

💡AP Lang

AP Lang, short for Advanced Placement Language and Composition, is a course designed to teach students to become skilled readers of prose literature. In the context of the video, Dawn Knight introduces herself as an English teacher and mentions AP Lang, indicating that the video's content is geared towards students preparing for this advanced English course.

💡Rhetorical situation

The rhetorical situation refers to the context in which communication occurs, including the speaker, audience, purpose, and occasion. In the script, the teacher discusses how sophisticated analogies reflect the rhetorical situation, suggesting that understanding the context of a message is crucial for effective communication.

💡Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things by stating that one thing is another, without using 'like' or 'as'. In the video, Zora Neale Hurston uses the metaphor of a 'close-fitting chemise' to express the difficulty of viewing her cultural heritage objectively, illustrating how metaphors can convey complex ideas.

💡Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of human societies, their cultures, and their development. The script mentions anthropology as the 'spyglass' through which Zora Neale Hurston was able to view her own culture from a distance, highlighting the role of anthropology in understanding one's own cultural background.

💡Argumentation

Argumentation refers to the process of making a reasoned case for a proposition or point of view. In the video, the teacher discusses the complexities of argumentation, emphasizing the importance of engaging with existing positions and considering multiple perspectives when forming an argument.

💡Concession

Concession in argumentation is the act of acknowledging the validity of an opposing viewpoint. The script explains that conceding involves accepting part of a competing position as correct or acknowledging the limitations of one's own argument, which is a key aspect of sophisticated argumentation.

💡Synthesis

Synthesis in writing involves combining different sources of information to create a new understanding or argument. The video script mentions the synthesis essay, where students are expected to integrate support for competing arguments into their own, demonstrating the ability to synthesize different viewpoints.

💡Rubric

A rubric is a set of criteria used for assessing students' work. In the context of the video, the teacher refers to the synthesis essay rubric, which outlines the expectations for a high-scoring essay, including crafting a nuanced argument and articulating the implications or limitations of an argument.

💡Sophistication

Sophistication in writing refers to the depth and complexity of thought and expression. The script emphasizes the importance of sophistication in argument and synthesis essays, suggesting that students should delve deeper into issues and consider multiple perspectives to achieve a more nuanced understanding.

💡Multiple perspectives

Multiple perspectives refer to considering an issue from various viewpoints or lenses. The video script uses the example of colonizing Mars to illustrate how exploring multiple perspectives can lead to a more complex and nuanced argument, avoiding simplistic black-and-white thinking.

💡Implications

Implications refer to the consequences or results of a particular action or decision. In the video, the teacher discusses the importance of considering the implications of an argument, such as the potential benefits and limitations, to create a more sophisticated and well-rounded argument.

Highlights

Introduction to AP Lang with a warm-up and reminder to access the prompt.

Completion of Unit 8 focusing on sophisticated analogies and rhetorical situation.

Reading from Zora Neale Hurston's work to understand cultural heritage objectively.

Explanation of metaphor of a close-fitting garment to express difficulty in viewing one's culture objectively.

Transition to Unit 9 focusing on complexities of argumentation.

Importance of engaging in ongoing conversations and understanding competing positions.

Discussion on the significance of conceding in arguments to acknowledge the limitations of one's own argument.

Emphasis on the relevance of understanding multiple perspectives for both synthesis and argument essays.

Guidance on how to integrate support for competing arguments into one's own.

Importance of crafting a nuanced argument by exploring complexities across sources.

Explanation of how to articulate the implications or limitations of an argument within a broader context.

Introduction to the idea of multiple perspectives as a key element for sophisticated argumentation.

Example of different perspectives on being stuck at home due to current circumstances.

Discussion on the dangers of single-story thinking and absolutism in understanding complex issues.

Exercise on considering multiple perspectives for the issue of colonizing Mars.

Analysis of the scientific, historical, economic, environmental, political, and ethical perspectives on colonizing Mars.

Instruction on how to develop a nuanced stance on colonizing Mars by considering both supporting and opposing arguments.

Conclusion on the importance of acknowledging complexities and opposing views in forming a sophisticated argument.

Assignment of a multiple-choice exam practice question for the next lesson.

Closing remarks encouraging students to stay active, take care of themselves, and reminding them of teacher support.

Transcripts

hello and welcome we'll get started in

just a second I just want to make sure

everybody has a time to get logged in

here

you

you

you

we're going to start in just a minute

you

just a reminder you can access the

prompt in the video description and a

link in the video description and we'll

get started right now welcome to ap Lang

I'm dawn Knight I'm an English teacher

in Westfield Indiana it's a suburb of

Indianapolis welcome back if you've been

tuning in and if not thanks for joining

today so we're gonna get started today

with our warm up yesterday we wrapped up

unit 8 during which our focus was

looking at the use of sophisticated

analogies that reflect rhetorical

situation for those just joining us I'm

going to read just a very first part of

the passage so even if you weren't here

yesterday you'll kind of know what's

going on hold on I have to get readers

my mold and then we'll talk about the

answer and move on for today so this is

a passage from Zora Neale Hurston first

published in 1935 I was glad when

somebody told me you may go and collect

Negro folklore in a way it would not be

a new experience for me

when pitched headforemost into the world

I landed in a crib of Negro ISM from the

earliest rocking of my cradle I had

known about the capers Brer Rabbit is

apt to cut and what the squinch owl says

from the housetop but it was fitting me

like a tight chemise I couldn't see it

for wearing it it was only when I was

off in college away from my native

surroundings that I could see myself

like somebody else and stand off and

look at my garment then I had to have

the spyglass of anthropology to look

through it that ok so the question here

was in the second paragraph the speaker

employs the metaphor of a close-fitting

garment to express so thinking about

that passage we just read the answer is

B in the passage Zora Neale Hurston

employs the metaphor of the

close-fitting chemise to express the

difficulty of viewing her cultural

heritage objectively we can glean that

from that second paragraph when she says

just after mentioning the garment I

couldn't see for wearing it it was only

when I was off in college away from my

native surroundings

that I could see myself like

somebody else in other words objectively

and stand off and look at my garment so

don't worry if you didn't get the answer

right as we talked about with the

Abigail Adams prompt in unit 8 analyzing

metaphors can be difficult but the more

we practice the better we get okay so

what you need to know for today

we're moving into the complexities of

argumentation with unit 9 so let's look

at our focus we have two essential

knowledge pieces here one is effectively

entering into an ongoing conversation

about a subject means engaging in

positions that have already been

considered and argued about so what's

the current conversation and when

writers concede they accept all or a

portion of a competing position or claim

as correct or they agree that the

competing position or claim is correct

under a different set of circumstances

or they acknowledge the limitations of

their own argument so that's what we're

gonna start working on with this unit

why this is important this applies to

both the synthesis and argument essays

and just a couple of things from the

chief reader report students need to

understand that with sources arguing

among one another students didn't have

to accept each source as correct

instead the students needed to evaluate

the provided information based on their

own knowledge and perceptions of the

world students were expected to

understand how to integrate the support

for compete for competing arguments into

their own and students need to develop

the argument on a topic by considering

at every point how the evidence and

explanations they supply connect to the

argument being made but it goes a lot

further it's also about empowering you

to have a voice in really important

conversations so you learn to understand

and participate in conversations about

important complex issues so let's look

at the last part of the synthesis essay

rubric and if you look at on the

right-hand side I've highlighted in

orange there a couple of elements to the

scoring decision notes first of all

crafting a nuanced argument by

consistently I'd

fiying and exploring complexities or

tensions across the sources and then

articulating the implications or

limitations of an argument either the

students argument or arguments conveyed

in the sources by situating it within a

broader context so the skills we're

talking about relate directly to the

synthesis and argument essays notice

it's about the word sophistication again

this is that sophistication row so we're

looking at a more complex understanding

in order to earn this point which means

we need to delve deeper or go beyond the

surface and I put the argument essay

rubric here as well it's really the same

thing except it doesn't mention across

the sources because for the argument

essay you don't get a packet out of

sources you're using what you know from

other classes from books you've read

from your own experiences and from your

understanding of current issues so

obviously the more informs you are the

more you have to draw from

okay so let's look at today's lesson

we're looking at into the idea of

multiple perspectives of issues which is

an important element of achieving that

sophistication in argument and in

synthesis essays we'll be exploring the

complexities delving deeper and looking

at going beyond black and white and into

these shades of grey and that'll make

more sense in a little bit so a really

quick example of this is the multiple

perspectives of us being stuck at home

right now so for example I'm really

enjoying extra time with my college-age

kids who are home and they wouldn't

normally be but I also miss my other

family and friends and I'd love to go to

a baseball game or an outdoor concert

because the weather's starting to get

nice and Indiana right now so it's

definitely a little difficult my dog on

the other hand thinks this is great

because his people are here all the time

so we have different perspectives on

that issue okay so let's look at how

multiple perspectives relate to argument

and synthesis essays first we tend to

see the world in black and white I like

to show my students a TED talk called

the danger of a single story by

Chimamanda Adichie in which she

discusses how Americans see Africa from

a single perspective and therefore they

don't really understand it they also

associate her with that single

perspective and then misunderstand her

as well another person who I like to

talk about in terms of these multiple

perspectives is author Tim O'Brien who

discusses the dangers of absolutism of

seeing one view of the world and failing

to understand others this type of black

and white thinking is prevalent in

social media as well especially as we

have these algorithms that tend to show

us what we want to see that people who

think like us which reinforces our

one-sided view and although memes can be

hilarious they also often convey these I

views of the world in a single

perspective it's kind of us versus them

or right versus wrong

and we have a tendency to see the world

in these black and white terms then so

how do we keep from doing that when

we're looking at these complex issues we

don't want to we want to try to avoid

that my ways right and everyone else is

wrong kind of thinking so one of the

ways to delve deeper into the

complexities of an issue is to consider

it from multiple perspectives we can

begin thinking about these perspectives

by exploring them through various I'll

call it a lens or fields worlds if

you've been like in an AP history class

I think sometimes they refer to them as

worlds but it's really looking at a

variety of lenses to explore these

perspectives from so I put a list on

this slide it's not comprehensive in any

way but it does represent a good variety

so we're gonna look at how we can use

some of these lenses in order to see

issues in a more complex way alright so

we're gonna practice with an issue

that's not really emotionally loaded

colonizing Mars should we or shouldn't

we colonize Mars so first I want you to

just think about your position on this

do you think that the United States

should colonize Mars or do you think

that we should not and I think we're

gonna try something new today instead of

me pausing to let you do activities I'm

gonna let just let you freeze if you

want to you can pause your screen and

take the time to do the activity but

we'll go ahead and move on that way if

you need longer or shorter you don't

have to wait

so we all might have our own opinion of

this but before we determine whether

this is something the US should really

do we need to fully understand it

so what perspectives do is that they

help us understand the situation a

little bit better so if you look at that

list again I put it on this slide I want

you to think about which ones you think

are actually the most important in

thinking about the issue of colonizing

Mars so for example I think science

would be an important one because we

need to know if it's even feasible is

there the technology available to get us

to Mars to create an atmosphere to feed

and sustain life there so scientifically

we definitely need to look into that

perspective but I want you to take a

couple of minutes to think about other

of these lenses that you think would

important and considering this and again

you can just pause here if you want to

take a couple of minutes to do that and

then I'll go ahead and move on so this

is what I came up with and yours may

vary from mine a bit but we probably

have some places where we overlap and

since I can't see yours for the sake of

discussion we'll just use the ones that

I highlighted here and again there may

be others that I didn't think of or that

aren't listed or that you think are more

important and that's great but we're

just going to use these to illustrate

how this works notice I have several

listed and they're from a range of

fields or lenses so I'm already

beginning to think about this in a

complex way it goes beyond just science

I'm thinking about some of the other

implications of this particular topic so

now

look into more depth into each of these

lenses because there are probably

perspectives within the various

perspectives and sometimes disagreement

or tensions within the lenses themselves

so I didn't take the time to write every

possibility of every single perspective

within these but I wanted to just kind

of show you with a representation to

give you an idea so for example in that

science lens we have the technological

capability to create an atmosphere to

get colonists there and even to sustain

life but we can't get colonists back

home from Mars once they're there

they're there permanently and the

lifespan on Mars won't be as long as on

earth historically it's important to

consider this space race and how that

inspired Americans and stem learning but

maybe people even at that time didn't

agree that it was the best route

economics the technology to build an

atmosphere and sustain life will be very

expensive and also what would the

economic system on Mars look like so

there are some considerations and

perspectives there environmentally we

need to colonize Mars in case earth can

no longer sustain life some people think

maybe others think we should invest in

resources to save the earth instead of

to colonize Mars

and just a few more in politics probably

different political affiliations will

have different stances on colonising

have to consider what the government on

Mars would look like and who would run

that government wondering whether it's

worth the expense because of the

recognition for making that happen

politically or would it upset voters who

think you know it's not worth the

expense because voters might be upset

and that the money should be put

somewhere else like into debt relief or

education and then ethically it could

save human life if something were to

happen to earth down the road but also

ethically colonists wouldn't be able to

return and their lifespan wouldn't be as

long so you see within each of these

perspectives there are multiple

perspectives or within each of these

lenses so by exploring the various

perspectives within these fields or

lenses we begin to see this isn't a

simple pro/con or black and white issue

there are many complexities or what I

like to call shades of grey there are

political environmental and economic

implications that make it reasonable to

take either stance that's where we fall

into these shades of grey and

acknowledge in our argument

acknowledging those in our argument

illustrate that we understand the

complexities of the argument and that's

where we get into that sophistication of

thought it shows we've delved deeper

yeah I said it again I say delve deeper

all the time so if you're new and

haven't seen me before it's really what

I think the class is about asking how

asking why and delving deeper

okay so again I'll have you pause here

if you want to do this activity but I'll

go ahead and move on so now that we've

evaluated the multiple perspectives on

the issue and thought it through I want

you to think about what your stance is

just write down your position on whether

to colonize Mars or not and at least

three reasons why you made that

particular decision I'll give you just a

second to pause here

okay now let's think about the other

side of the argument so that we're

thinking in complex terms it's likely

that some of your reasons had opposing

perspectives so next to your reasons I

want you to write down those

opposition's or opposing points so for

example we can create an atmosphere on

Mars to sustain earth is one of my

reasons for why we should do it but the

opposition is that yeah but look the

lifespan of colonists will be shorter so

that's an opposing argument okay so take

a couple of minutes to do that or pause

to do that and we'll go ahead and move

on

okay so once you move away from the

black and white and into the more

complex gray areas of argumentation you

end up with a more sophisticated nuanced

argument instead of we should or should

not colonize Mars a pro/con a very

black-and-white argument that you see at

the top of the screen there it might

look something more like although we

have the technology to colonize Mars the

money would be better spent investing in

improving environmental issues on earth

so of course there are a number of

potential arguments here and this is

just one of numerous possibilities but

you can clearly see the difference

notice how the more complex argument

acknowledges the opposition and includes

some of the most important fields and

lenses of that issue

and look at how the more nuanced

argument gets us into that right side of

the rubric it explores the complexities

and tensions of the argument it also

begins to get us into the second point

acknowledging the implications or

limitations of an argument by situating

it within the broader context what this

means is that we're considering the

implications or the impact that our

stance will have like it might be able

to help us save lives but also its

limitations the reason why it's not

perfect why it's imperfect like that it

will cost a lot of money so we'll get in

more depth into these points in later

lessons but I just wanted to kind of

show how even with that one simple

exercise we're starting to get into

those complexities

today's exam practice is a

multiple-choice question again and they

won't be every time that we're doing

another one this time and even though

it's multiple-choice it still kind of

includes that complexity of argument so

I want you to do this exam practice for

tomorrow's lesson you can access this

exam practice in the link in the video

description blue all right thank you so

much for watching I hope you'll join us

again tomorrow

please remember to stay active and take

care of yourselves and know that all of

us teachers out here are rooting for you

thanks

you