#speculatingaboutcauses

In this Digital Journal Post (#8), I want you to, in writing, practice on your thesis in your Speculating About Causes essays. 

A quick review of information you have already worked through on thesis-building. 

In Arguing a Position, your thesis was a “position statement.” Your guidance there was: 

One of the basic features of the genre Arguing A Position is the strong position statement. This will be the thesis of your essay. But, more specifically, for this genre of writing and argumentation, the statement should be a strong and clear statement. There should be no ambiguity in where you stand on the matter. Very often, writers struggle with this element of the genre because we so often shy from taking a hard line on a controversial issue.

This is also true in ANY thesis statement. Your reader, your audience, should not have to guess your judgment on the matter at hand. In this case, your audience should be clear on the cause you are suggesting is strongest. Take a stand. There is no lightning bolt that falls from the sky if you are off the mark. If you follow your thesis up with a strong argument, then you are supporting that stand. You do this by avoiding logical fallacies; supporting your viewpoint with credible, unbiased research; and doing the hard work of considering multiple possible objections and confronting these in your writing. These are ALL skills you have been building throughout the semester.

In Justifying an Evaluation, your instructions were to consider both the judgment and why evaluating this particular subject was significant. Remember: what, who, why should we care?

What is your judgment here? What is your position on this topic?

There are two main things at play here when considering your ultimate judgment:

YOUR judgment (of course), and

the significance of your judging this subject, whatever it may be.

YOUR judgment should be stated clearly and succinctly in our thesis statement. You should offer your reader a quick glimpse into the argument to come by including a few of your reasons for your judgment within your thesis statement.

Naming the phenomenon or trend: You must clearly establish the phenomenon or trend in order to take a stand that your audience can understand (Arguing a Position). 

Making a decision on which of the possible causes (causal analysis): You have evaluated multiple causes. (Justifying an Evaluation).

Clearly defining which of those causes you have evaluated represents a most likely cause or a stronger possibility than another (Speculating About Causes). These are all skills you should be considering while building your thesis in this paper. 

DJP #8 prompt:

In this DJP, answer the following 3 questions. These are your 3 guidelines. Write this DJP in full sentences. This is a ‘think’ piece. If you write just a little, you are only shortening your own practice.

What are you writing about (subject/topic)?  

Where have you been (quick causal analysis mention)?  

And what are you trying to prove now (your preferred cause)?

What are you wondering about? 

Stephen King in “Why We Carve Horror Movies” asks, “When we [see] a horror movie, we are daring the nightmare. Why?” (SMG 422). 

Michaeleen Doucleff asks, Why does Adele’s “Someone Like You” evince so much emotion? (“The Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker: Why does Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ make everyone cry? Science has found the formula”).

In “The Telescope Effect,” Shankar Vedantam asks, “Why have successive generations of Americans - a people with extraordinary powers of compassion - done so little to halt suffering on such a large scale?” (SMG 416). A question Vedantam asks in 2010. His question is relevant again as we watch the refugee crisis in the Middle East unfold today. 

That’s the thing with a phenomena or a trend. You are not just asking a question that is relevant for JUST TODAY. Your question will continue to be relevant. You are looking for a question about human behavior or a natural situation that is continuous to some degree.

The documentary series “Years of Living Dangerously” asks causal questions about climate change. They do ultimately move to human behavior. But, you will see the documentary episodes look to nature as the subject. (Click on “Years of Living Dangerously” above to watch the first episode of this documentary series. Us your list of argumentative elements to identify the steps the filmmakers make.)

DJP#7

Offer at least two phenomena and/or trends that you are interested in researching. 

Briefly summarize each. (Maybe 1 small paragraph for each so that we can understand clearly what you are questioning.)

 Use full sentences in your digital journal post.