COMM 1117 Lecture 13: COMM 1117 - Spheres of Argument
2 May 2018
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Spheres of Argument: An Introduction
How do people with different lifestyles, occupations, interests and experiences use the skills and deal
with the constraints of argumentation practices?
Spheres of argument: The ways that collections of people in the process of interacting upon and making
critical decisions [RSP 18]
• Students discuss how to construct a science project
Why understanding spheres is helpful to arguers [RSP 17]
• Our definition of argumentation said that arguments are directed at appropriate decision
makers who can give or withhold belief and action
• In many real-life situations, those decision makers organize themselves into groups that expect
participants to argue in particular ways
• If you choose to or must argue a group for which you have not been a member, you need to
figure out and adapt those expectations to your own way of arguing so that you can persuade
those decision makers
Groups of decision makers change over time [RSP 17-18]
1. Group structuration is the term for the process in which groups develop by making use of
certain rules and resources while processing information.
2. Rules control how things ought to be done in the group and resources are materials and
attributes the group can use, such as special knowledge, money, status, equipment, and
relationships
3. Rules and resources lead to procedures for making decisions that encourage certain kinds of
argument.
• Groups are called spheres when predictable patterns of communicative behavior are
used in the production and evaluation or arguments.
Sorting spheres by level of activity: Our way of sorting spheres emphasizes how grounds and backing
(authority) are used to produce arguments. [RSP 18-19]
1. By the grounds used… personal knowledge, expert knowledge, public traditions and opinions
2. By the aking used… personal experience, technical rules, public rituals and practices
1. Personal spheres [RSP 18-19]
a. Spontaneous production of grounds and backing
• What the arguers themselves bring to the conversation or argumentation
a. Appropriate ways of arguing are negotiated interpersonally
• Our relationship is as important as what we say
Ex. Susan Burton talked about her personal experience in building the New Way of Life program to return
prisoners to the community and argued for an expansion of that program nationwide
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Spheres of argument: the ways that collections of people in the process of interacting upon and making critical decisions [rsp 18: students discuss how to construct a science project. Why understanding spheres is helpful to arguers [rsp 17: our definition of argumentation said that arguments are directed at appropriate decision makers who can give or withhold belief and action. In many real-life situations, those decision makers organize themselves into groups that expect participants to argue in particular ways. Sorting spheres by level of activity: our way of sorting spheres emphasizes how grounds and backing (authority) are used to produce arguments. Heather mac donald and thaddeus russell are accustomed to doing public advocacy in media forums and are comfortable with various debating formats. They are often involved in supporting political movements. Patterns-in-use analysis- look to the ways that people who function as advocates or decision-makers use sphere arguments.
