This course is about learning the logical strategies necessary to build clear and concise theses, write convincing arguments and present ideas. A variety of argument forms are studied as students are encouraged to write some themselves in the form on in-class debate and fairly traditional essays. Over the course of the class, students should develop a persuasive, intelligent tone and an understanding of the ethics of argument.

Work done in this class is universally useful to a writer, from writing effective proposals to crafting believably opinionated characters. Research, done for the multiple essays required in this course, also helps students develop an analytic mind and a critical perspective.