ERIC Number: EJ728727
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Dec
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0098-6291
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
What's So Funny about Stephen Toulmin?: Using Cartoons to Teach the Toulmin Analysis
Brunk-Chavez, Beth L.
Teaching English in the Two-Year College, v32 n2 p179-185 Dec 2004
The Toulmin model of argument was introduced in 1958 by British philosopher Stephen Toulmin in "The Uses of Argument" and adapted by compositionists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Consisting of six parts--claim, support, warrant, backing, rebuttal, and qualifiers--the model provides a means for composition students "to describe the process by which arguments [are] generated in real discourse" (Fulkerson 45). The application of Toulmin's analysis to cartoons is a great way to get students thinking about the first three parts of an argument as discussed by Toulmin, including what is explicitly stated as well as what is implied. With the Toulmin analysis, determining an argument's warrants can be especially tricky and frustrating for students. Using cartoons is an effective strategy for teaching the importance of warrants in a way that students can easily understand and enjoy. (Contains 2 figures and 3 notes.)
Descriptors: Cartoons, Teaching Methods, Models, Persuasive Discourse, Writing (Composition), Humor, Logical Thinking
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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