Discussion- 1

Topic: Should public universities in the United States be free?

Begin by choosing a topic of interest to you (as indicated in the general instructions above). You will be using this topic in the Week 2 Creating a Valid Argument Workshop, Week 3 Scholarly Arguments on Both Sides assignment, and the Fair-minded Reasoning final paper. Topic is listed above!

Find one source that presents a view on one side of the topic you chose. Your source here does not have to be scholarly, but perhaps an article that you find in a newspaper or on the internet. Present the main argument made by the source. Make sure to put the argument in standard form, with the premises listed above the conclusion.

Without taking sides on the issue, explain whether the source provides the strongest representation of the reasoning on that side of the issue. Consider the following questions in your initial post:

· How clearly was the argument expressed within this source?

· What more could be done to strengthen the reasoning in this source?

· What might one do to objectively and fairly understand the best arguments on both sides of this issue?

Discussion 2-

In this discussion, you get to create a deductive argument on both sides of your topic. Since the arguments are deductive, they strive to be valid. That means that you should structure both arguments so that if the premises were true, then the conclusion would have to be true as well (because it logically follows from the premises).

Present both arguments in standard form, with the premises listed above the conclusion.

After you present your arguments, consider how someone with the opposite point of view might respond to each argument. Would they likely object to the truth of a premise or to the validity of the reasoning (or both) and why? Indicate briefly how you might address those weaknesses to strengthen your arguments further.