Global Politics 4th Period

Ad Hominem

Attacking the person making the argument instead of the argument.

Straw Man

Exaggerating and distorting an argument to make it easier to attack.

Slippery Slope

Suggesting a chain of events that result in an extreme outcome without any proof.

False Dilemma

Forcing a choice between extremes ignoring other possible solutions or the middle ground.

Hasty Generalization

Making a broad conclusion with insufficient evidence to make that conclusion.

Circular Reasoning

Using the conclusion of an argument as one of its premises. The argument just repeats itself.

Post Hoc

Assuming an event that followed another was caused by the first.

Appeal to Authority

Assuming something is true because an authority figure said it.

Ad Populum

Suggesting that a lot of people do something so you should too.

Red Herring

Talking about a topic but deviating from the original argument.

APA Book/Ebook Citation

Author(s), Year, Title, Edition (if any), Publisher, DOI or URL.

APA Journal Article Citation

Author(s), Year, Article Title, Journal Title, Volume(Issue), Pages, DOI/URL.

APA YouTube Video Citation

Creator, Date, Video Title, Platform, URL.

APA Instagram Post Citation

Author/Org, Date, Description/Caption, URL.

Fact

Something known or proved with evidence. Ex: Mexico is a country.

Opinion

A personal view or judgment. Ex: Dancing is the best sport.

Prediction

A forecast or expectation. Ex: I believe it will rain today.

Claim

An arguable statement. Ex: Olivia Rodrigo is the best singer to listen to.

Vested Interest

A personal stake for gain. Ex: Being friends with someone for ice cream.

Value Judgement

An opinion based on personal values. Ex: Education is most important.

Bias

Inclination toward something due to a previous opinion. Often unfair.

Course of Action

Steps taken to solve or prevent a problem.

Conflict

Two or more parties with opposing views.

Trend

A pattern of something happening.

Argument

A claim with evidence, for or against.

Issue

A problem or situation.

Assumption

A claim or opinion made without evidence.

What is an Argument?

A set of statements to persuade someone of an idea or conclusion.

Claim/Thesis

Main point or conclusion.

Evidence

Supporting reasons or facts.

Warrant

Logical connection between evidence and claim.

Impact Levels

Local, National, International.

Severity

How serious or critical a problem is.

Urgency

Needs immediate attention.

Justify Severity/Impact

Based on range, degree, environment, geography, number affected.

Courses of Action

Steps to solve or prevent a problem. Can be short-term, long-term, local, national, global.

Testing a Claim

Use experiments, surveys, interviews, peer-reviewed articles.

Validity

How well results answer the original question.

Reliability

Based on strong evidence, consistency, and accuracy. Should be free of errors.

Fake News: Spelling

Check for grammar/punctuation errors.

Fake News: Joke

Could be taken seriously, but meant as a joke.

Fake News: Reliable Source?

Check if it looks professional and matches with other articles.

Fake News: Bias

Check if opinion is shown.

Fake News: Confirmation Bias

Believing things that match your opinion.

Fake News: Advertising

Trying to sell you something.

Fake News: Date

Check for April Fools or old content.

Fake News: Images

Check quality, edits, or location of the image.

Fake News: Headline

May be clickbait or too dramatic.

Fake News: Cross-check

Check other websites or if key info is missing.

CRRAAB-P Method

Used to check source reliability.

Currency

Timeliness: When was it published? Updated? Still valid?

Relevance

Is it related to your topic? Level? Audience? Variety of sources? Cited?

Reputation

Is the source well-known? Specialized in your topic?

Authority

Who is the author? Credentials? .edu/.org/.gov?

Accuracy

Truthfulness: Evidence? Reviewed? Other sources? Errors?

Bias/Purpose

Why does this info exist? Is it objective, biased, or trying to persuade?

Graph Descriptions

Use words like: shows, illustrates, compares, describes, explains.

To Fluctuate

Means there are changes over time (up and down).

Exponential Growth

Pattern of fast increase over time forming a curve.

Adjectives for Graphs

Rapid, Substantial, Steep, Gradual, Abrupt, Marginal.

Verbs for Graphs

To surge, To soar, To dip, To plummet, To fluctuate, To vary.

Adverbs for Graphs

Sharply, Markedly, Wildly, Slightly, Gently, Steadily.

Nouns for Graphs

A rise (of), A fall (in), A dip (in), A peak (of), A surge (of), A decrease (of).

Primary Source

Data collected by researcher. Fits needs, expensive, time-consuming.

Primary Source Examples

Surveys, Interviews, Observations, Focus groups, Data analysis.

Secondary Source

Data collected by others. Cheaper, faster, but might not fit needs.

Secondary Source Examples

Academic journals, Books, Gov. agencies, Schools, Commercial info.

Emotional Appeals

(Pathos) Use feelings like fear, sympathy, patriotism to persuade.

Ethical Appeals

Focus on right or wrong. Ex: animal rights, environment.

Spiral of Virtue

A positive cycle: one good thing leads to another.

Vicious Cycle

A negative loop: one problem leads to more problems.