Child Welfare System: Understanding Racism and its Impact

  1. Identify the Structural Pattern

    • Analyze the speaker's presentation to determine the structural pattern utilized. Possible patterns include chronological, problem-solution, cause-effect, and thematic structures.

  2. Toulmin's Model: Claim/Data/Warrant

    • Claim: The speaker's primary assertion or argument.

    • Data: Supporting evidence or facts presented by the speaker that bolster the claim.

    • Warrant: The reasoning that connects the claim and the data.

    • Example:

      • Main Claim: "The child welfare system disproportionately affects marginalized families."

      • Supporting Data: Statistics showing higher removal rates of Native families.

      • Warrant: The systemic issues perpetuated by poverty and racism lead to biased enforcement of child welfare policies, justifying the statistics presented.

  3. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

    • Ethos: Appeals to credibility or character. Example: The speaker’s professional expertise or personal story enhances their trustworthiness.

    • Pathos: Appeals to emotion. Example: The speaker shares a personal anecdote that evokes sympathy from the audience.

    • Logos: Appeals to logic or reasoning. Example: Citing research findings that demonstrate the systemic problems of the child welfare system.

  4. Identify a Fallacy

    • Choose one fallacy from the textbook (e.g., straw man, slippery slope, ad hominem).

    • Fallacy Defined: Provide a clear definition of the selected fallacy.

    • Explanation of Usage: Analyze how the speaker employed this fallacy in their argument. Example: If the speaker used an ad hominem attack against an opposing viewpoint, explain how this undermines their argument's v alidity.