Developing and Identifying Argumentative Claims

Claim Definition: A claim—also termed an assertion or proposition—states the main idea or position of an argument.
Claims vs. Topics: A topic can be a single word or phrase, whereas a claim must be stated as a complete sentence expressing an arguable position with which people can agree or disagree.
Claim Development: Formulating a strong claim requires exploring a topic through reading, discussion, brainstorming, taking notes, and rethinking.
Examples of Topic vs. Claim:
- Statement of Fact (Not a Claim): "Many schools have single-sex classrooms." (easily verified).
- Detailed Fact (Not a Claim): "Single-sex classrooms have been around for years, especially in private schools." (easily verified).
- Arguable Claim: "Single-sex classrooms are ineffective because they do not prepare students for the realities of the workplace."

Primary Categorization: Arguments are typically guided by three types of claims: claims of fact, claims of value, and claims of policy.
Integration: While analyzed separately, arguments frequently incorporate more than one type of claim.

Definition: Assertions that something is true or not true, which become arguable when open to interpretation, raised as controversial, or challenged by new research.
Evaluation Standard: Requires a healthy skepticism when evaluating supporting evidence, research sources, and funding.
Examples:
- Asserting that the Social Security program will go bankrupt by 2025.
- Amy Domini's claims in "Why Investing in Fast Food May Be a Good Thing":
- Paragraph 3: "fast food is a way of life" (supported by sales statistics and industry growth data).
- Paragraph 4: "fast food is a global phenomenon" (supported by the opening of fast-food restaurants in nearly every country and changing dietary trends in Greece).

Definition: Arguments asserting that something is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable.
Development Requirement: Must establish specific criteria or standards and demonstrate the degree to which the subject fulfills those criteria.
Types of Criteria:
- Personal Taste: Judgments based on subjective preferences (e.g., arguing Ryan Gosling is the best leading man in Hollywood).
- External Criteria: Judgments based on measurable external metrics (e.g., evaluating Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson using box office revenues and his status as the highest paid actor in 2016 for films like the Fast and Furious franchise).
Examples:
- Amy Domini's assertion that investing in fast-food companies can be a positive action.
- Roger Ebert's 1977 four-star review of Star Wars, which evaluated the film based on its ability to transport the audience's imagination out of the body, comparing its impact to films such as Bonnie and Clyde, Cries and Whispers, Jaws, and Taxi Driver.

Statement 1: Owners of SUVs should be required to pay an energy surcharge.
Statement 2: Charter schools are an alternative to public schools.
Statement 3: Ronald Reagan was the most charismatic president of the twentieth century.
Statement 4: Requiring students to wear uniforms improves school spirit.
Statement 5: The terms global warming and climate change describe different perspectives on this complex issue.
Statement 6: Students graduating from college today can expect to have more debt than any previous generation.
Statement 7: People who read novels are more likely to attend sports events and movies than those who do not.
Statement 8: Print newspapers will not survive another decade.