When you’ve chosen the article that you want to assess, turn again to the section called “Assessing Whole Arguments” on pages 28-29 in your textbook. This first assignment uses the steps described there. So, when you get any piece of writing in this class, the first task is to pick out exactly what the argument is that the author is making. Then you should go on to assess the quality of the argument by making and supporting a claim that the argument presented is good or bad (meaning valid, invalid or sound). I ask you to do the tasks in this order since you obviously can’t say whether the argument is good or bad until you are clear about what the argument is. Therefore, this assignment has two parts. Start by re-reading the editorial you have chosen, and then do the following:

Part 1, Argument Structure: Tell me which specific sentence you think is the main conclusion of the editorial (don’t use the headline; be sure the sentence is from within the article because the authors don’t actually write the headlines) Then tell me what reasons (premises) the author gives to support that conclusion. This summary of the structure of the argument should only be about a paragraph long, and I want you to quote directly from the article when you list the statements that you think are serving as the conclusion and the premises of the argument. So, you should write something like the following: I think that the main conclusion of this piece is ” . . . “. The author supports this with ” . . . “, “. . . ” and ” . . . “. (This is just an example; you may find more or fewer premises). Again, what you are looking for here is the author’s view or claim about the subject; why did the author write this editorial, and what reasons does he or she give to support his or her opinion about the subject?

Part 2, Assessment of the Quality of the Argument: For this section, I want you to write a paragraph telling me whether you think the argument you outlined in part one is a good one or not and why you think that it is or is not good. You should address the following questions: is the argument valid (does the conclusion follow from the premises?). If it is valid, are the premises true (thus it would be a sound argument)? If it is invalid, why doesn’t the conclusion follow from the premises? If it is valid, but not sound, which premise might be false? Does it fit any of the special argument forms that you studied in Handout #1 or in the assigned reading from pages 19-29 of chapter 1 (it might not, and that’s okay) – if it does, explain HOW it fits that form (how is it a modus ponens, a modus tollens, a slippery slope argument, an argument by analogy or an argument from authority?).
The total assignment should only be about two good paragraphs long. It is worth 10 points and will be graded as follows: Argument Structure – 5 points, Argument Assessment – 5 points

Article #1: “Reversing Roe v. Wade Will be Just the Beginning” by Ronald Klain, The Washington Post, August 17, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/reversing-roe-v-wade-will-be-just-the-beginning/2018/08/17/02ea11cc-a18b-11e8-93e3-24d1703d2a7a_story.html?utm_term=.c51cd5c5df5d

Article #2: “Life is Short. That’s the Point” by Allison Arieff, The New York Times, August 18, 2018.

Article #3: “Fentanyl overdoses are killing Americans. The country must not accept business as usual” by The Editorial Board, The Washington Post, August 18, 2018.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fentanyl-overdoses-are-killing-americans-the-country-must-not-accept-business-as-usual/2018/08/18/b5532ea0-a255-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html?utm_term=.4c55c176e94c