This course will offer you the basics of argumentation skills. The course is geared towards assessing arguments found within a domain or text genre of your own choice, depending on your interests or field of study.
You will be in the lead of the learning process. You choose an area of you interest, and in which argumentation skills are fundamental: a) social media discussions, b) online news outlets, c) popular science articles, d) specific argumentative contexts such as politics, law, medicine, science. You will then be offered a toolbox you can use to perform an argumentation analysis, consisting of methods for (1) argument detection, (2) argument type identification and assessment, and (3) argument production. These tools are offered within the context of an approach to argument-checking in which the epistemic value and moral dimensions of information in the digital era are explicitly discussed. This will enable you to articulate the ethical dimension of argumentation, both at the level of argument evaluation and of argument production.
During the course, you will have the opportunity to discuss the societal relevance of argumentation theory and concrete options to make social media and online information outlets fairer, more transparent, and compliance with ethical standards. You will also have the opportunity to discuss the prospects of automatizing the process of argument-checking with experts in the field.
Schedule
The schedule will be available on Datanose.
Registration
Registration is possible for bachelor students participating in an Honours programme. Registration for the Honours courses will start on 6 June at 10 am and end on 11 June at 11 pm. You can register through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS (registration is NOT through SIS). Placement is random and students will hear within two weeks for which course(s) they are registered. There is no guarantee for placement if you register after 11 June, so make sure you register on time!
For questions about registration please email to: Honours-iis@uva.nl