Transcript Lecture Five - Sociological Argument

Lecture Five
Making and Supporting a
Sociological Argument
The Golden Rule of Arguments:
Your argument must always be in
the form of a claim with
supporting evidence; however,
you must also explain why your
evidence is related to your claim.
Arguments as Conversation

Making a good argument is like being in a
conversation with someone. In a good conversation,
people ask each other questions and give answers.

As a writer, making an argument, you will be both
asking the questions and providing the answers.

A good writer, and a well written essay, will
anticipate the reader’s questions and provide
adequate answers.
Analysis

The process of putting together your
argument is called analysis. Your argument
interprets, or analyzes, the evidence in order
to support, test, and/or refine a claim.

An analytical paper breaks down an issue or
an idea into its component parts, evaluates
the issue or idea, and presents this
breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
When putting your argument together
the main questions to answer are:

What is your point?

What evidence do you have?

Why do you think your evidence
supports your claim?
Argument outline
Main argument/claim
>sub-argument
>>evidence
>link to main argument
>sub-argument
>>evidence
>link to main argument
>sub-argument
>>evidence
>link to main argument
Main argument/claim:

The chief claim in an analytical essay is called the
thesis.

A thesis provides the controlling idea for a paper
and should be original (that is, not completely
obvious), assertive, and arguable.

A strong thesis also requires solid evidence to
support and develop it because without evidence, a
claim is merely an unsubstantiated idea or opinion.
Sub-arguments

Almost all main argument/thesis statements
are more than a single claim and a single
piece of evidence.

The main argument needs to be broken down
into several sub-arguments (at least two and
probably more) and the evidence that
supports those sub-arguments.
Evidence

Since you will be doing library research in this
class your evidence will come from the
research of other sociologists and social
scientists.

For exams this means your text books will
provide most of the evidence and for your
research paper you will find your evidence in
the studies and analysis of the resources
your research has uncovered.
Example of an analytical argument outline
with two sub-arguments:
Main Argument: Women learn to be more nurturing than men through
gender socialization.
(I am going to be looking for evidence that supports the argument that
women are encouraged to be MORE nurturing and men are NOT
encouraged to be nurturing)
>sub-argument: Mass media generally portrays women as nurturing
and in caretaking roles and rarely portrays these for men.
>>evidence: TV Shows
>>evidence: advertisements
> link to main argument (the why): Majority of TV
shows and advertisements today show women in the role
of caretaker and nurturer – the one in charge of cleaning
the house, cooking the dinner, and managing family life.
However, men are not portrayed in these ways. As we
grow up viewing these shows and advertisements we
view it as natural for women and unnatural for
men to take on caretaking and nurturing roles.
(continued on next slide)
>sub-argument: Toys marketed to young girls often encourage
nurturing and relationships, while toys marketed to young boys
encourage competition and aggression.
>>evidence: Baby and Barbie “dolls” are marketed to girls
>>evidence: “action figures”, such as The Great Hulk and
GI JOE are marketed to boys
>link to main argument (the why): Action figures
like The Great Hulk and GI Joe communicate to
young boys that men need to be big, strong, and
tough. Playing with these toys socializes boys to act
out relationships and interactions with others that
are about competition, winning, aggression, and
dominance. On the other hand, baby and Barbie
dolls communicate to young girls that they need to
take care of the needs of others, develop caring
relationships, and focus on appearance. Playing with
baby dolls socializes young girls to nurture and care
for someone that needs them and Barbie dolls
encourage girls to develop bonds and relationships.
Explaining Evidence is Important

The problem that most college students encounter
in writing argument driven essays, exams, and
research papers is that they present a main
argument and usually sub-arguments, but they don’t
present evidence or explain WHY their evidence
supports their claim (this is the analysis part).

REMEMBER: Discussing your evidence’s
significance develops and expands a paper!
Why Should Writers Use Evidence?

Writers must convince audiences of the
validity of their argument by using evidence
effectively.

As writers, we must also use evidence to
persuade our readers to accept our claims.

Evidence helps us guide the reader through
our reasoning.
When & how should you incorporate
evidence?

Once you have formulated your claim (or thesis) you should use
evidence to help strengthen your thesis and any assertion you
make that relates to your thesis.

Here are some ways to work evidence into your writing:
 Offer evidence that agrees with your stance up to a point, then
add to it with ideas of your own.
 Use quotations to support your assertion, not merely to state or
restate your claim.
 Present evidence that contradicts your stance in order to argue
against (refute) it and therefore strengthen your position.
 Use sources against each other, as if they are experts on a panel
discussing your proposition.
Weak and Strong Uses of Evidence

In order to use evidence effectively, you need
to integrate it smoothly into your paragraph
by following this pattern:



State your claim.
Give your evidence, remembering to relate it to
the claim.
Comment on the evidence to show how it
supports the claim (this is your analysis)
Weak Use of Evidence
“Today, we are too self-centered. Most families no longer sit down
to eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing
to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Everything is about what
we want.”

This is a weak example of evidence because the evidence is not
related to the claim. What does the claim about selfcenteredness have to do with families eating together? The writer
doesn’t explain the connection.

The same evidence, however, can be used to support the same
claim, but only with the addition of a clear connection between
claim and evidence, and some analysis of the quotation’s
content.
Stronger Use of Evidence
“Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don't
matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and
activities take precedence. In fact, the evidence shows that most
American families no longer eat together, preferring instead to
eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148).
Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect with others;
however, that connection has become less valued, as families
begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting
self-centeredness over group identity.”

This is a far better example, as the evidence is more smoothly
integrated into the text, the link between the claim and the
evidence is strengthened, and the evidence itself is analyzed to
provide support for the claim.
Using Quotations: A Special Type of
Evidence

One effective way to support your claim is to
use quotations, but because quotations
involve someone else’s words, you need to
take special care to integrate the evidence
into your paragraph.

You also need to be sure to give the author credit
by properly citing them.
Ineffective Use of Quotation
“Today, we are too self-centered. “We are consumers-on-therun…the very notion of the family meal as a sit-down occasion is
vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their next
activity” (Gleick 148). Everything is about what we want.”

This example is ineffective because the quotation is not
integrated with the writer’s ideas. Notice how it is dropped into
the paragraph without any connection between the claim and the
quotation. Furthermore, the quotation’s significance is not
discussed, which makes it difficult for the reader to see the
relationship between the evidence and the writer’s point.
A More Effective Use of Quotation

Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don't matter
as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take
precedence, as James Gleick says in his book, Faster,” We are
consumers-on-the-run…the very notion of the family meal as a sit-down
occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their
next activity” (148). Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect
with others; however, that connection has become less valued, as
families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting
self-centeredness over group identity.

The second example is more effective because it follows the guidelines
for incorporating evidence into a paragraph. Notice, too, that it uses a
“lead-in” phrase to introduce the direct quotation. This “lead-in” phrase
helps to integrate the quotation with the writer’s ideas. Also notice that
the writer discusses and comments upon the quotation immediately
afterwards, which allows the reader to see the relationship between the
quotation and the writer’s point.
In conclusion…

Presenting a good sociological argument
requires that we not only make a solid claim
that is supported by evidence, but that we
provide analysis that guide the reader
through our reasoning and links our evidence
and claims.

In other words, we have to explain the “how” and
“why.”