Module 2 Assignment: Analyzing an Argument

  1. Watch the TED talk by Kelsey Leonard: “Why Lakes and Rivers Should Have the Same Rights as Humans.” The TED site includes a transcript as well.
  2. After watching the speech, try to summarize Leonard’s thesis in your own words. Write down your summary.
  3. Find the sentence in Leonard’s speech that seems like the clearest articulation of her thesis. Write it down, and compare it to your own version.
  4. Draw a map/diagram of Leonard’s argument. Your map can be as plain or as artistically inventive as you want, as long as you cover the following points:
    1. The end point should be the thesis– the claim that Leonard is tried to prove.
    2. What are the steps on the way to this claim? Your map should include the major moves in Leonard’s argument (as short summaries, not as full quotations).
    3. What evidence does Leonard use to support each of the moves in her argument? Add this evidence (as keywords, not as whole sentences) to your diagram or map.
  5. In the end, you should have a diagram or map of Leonard’s argument that shows the major supports for her claim, as well as the evidence that backs up these supports. Which piece of evidence do you find most convincing? Are there any pieces of evidence you don’t find convincing?