Argument essay:
"Last year the parents of first graders in our school district expressed satisfaction with the reading skills their children developed but complained strongly about their children's math skills. To remedy this serious problem and improve our district's elementary education, everyone in the teacher-training program at Waymarsh University should be required to take more courses in mathematics."
In the argument above the author concludes that since the parents are not satisfied with their child's math skills, all teachers should be required to take more courses in math. The premise of the argument is that since the parents are not satisfied with their children's math skills the teachers are to blame and require additional training in math. However, the argument is flawed because it falsely assumes that the parent's will be satisfied with their children's math skills, if all teachers in the training program take additional math courses.
First, the argument wrongly assumes that teachers are the result of parent's not being satisfied with their children's math skills. However, the author fails to support this assumption. It is entirely possible that the children at Waymarsh University have difficultly initially learning math skills and need extra time to master basic skills. If this were the case, it is not that the teachers need additional math training, but that the children are the result of the parent's dissatisfaction and the children need further time to develop their skills.
Second, the argument is flawed because it erroneously assumes that parent's satisfaction of their children's math skills will increase if all teachers are required to take additional math courses. Yet, a landmark study published in 2009 showed that certain teachers are more adapt at teaching math and that additional math courses for teachers do not increase students average math skills. Given the fact that some teachers are innate math teaching skills and additional courses do not help raise the performance of the teacher's student's results, the author's argument is flawed.
Moreover, the argument could be improved by highlighting the success of Waymarsh University's students at scoring very high on math exams required to enter college. This would show that although parents are not satisfied this year with their children's math skills, the skills that their children are learning will help them get into good colleges.
In conclusion, since the argument leaves out several key issues, it is not sound or persuasive. If it included the items discussed above, the argument would have been more thorough and convincing.
Issue essay:
"Popular entertainment is overly influenced by commercial interests. Superficiality, obscenity, and violence characterize films and television today because those qualities are commercially successful."
Although the issue of what drives popular entertainment today is not black or white, I disagree with the above argument because technology has grown so much recently that popular entertainment is no longer governed by commercial interests, but rather individual choice.
First, the recent improvements in technology have made it a lot less expensive for people to make movies themselves, without being influenced by commercial interests. For example, over the last decade the number of independent movies that have been produced has increased five fold. The content of these movies is diverse and it is definitely not solely driven by superficiality or obscenity. In addition, the recent growth in Bollywood movies, which are more family oriented movies, in the US, highlights the public's increased interest in wholesome movies that are appropriate for the whole family.
Second, the growth in cable television now allows people to choose what they want to watch and when they want to watch it. Two decades ago people only had access to a few national television channels. However, today, television has expanded in content so much that people are no longer required to watch only one genera of entertainment.
On the other hand, some may argue that certain forms of popular entertainment are influenced by commercial interests (e.g., Hollywood), however, in believing this would be ingnoring the changes in technology over the past decade that have actually increased the selection and variety of entertainment options.
In conclusion, popular entertainment today is driven by the consumer's personal choice. Corporations still dominate some channels of entertainment, but this is decreasing rapidly each day.
"Last year the parents of first graders in our school district expressed satisfaction with the reading skills their children developed but complained strongly about their children's math skills. To remedy this serious problem and improve our district's elementary education, everyone in the teacher-training program at Waymarsh University should be required to take more courses in mathematics."
In the argument above the author concludes that since the parents are not satisfied with their child's math skills, all teachers should be required to take more courses in math. The premise of the argument is that since the parents are not satisfied with their children's math skills the teachers are to blame and require additional training in math. However, the argument is flawed because it falsely assumes that the parent's will be satisfied with their children's math skills, if all teachers in the training program take additional math courses.
First, the argument wrongly assumes that teachers are the result of parent's not being satisfied with their children's math skills. However, the author fails to support this assumption. It is entirely possible that the children at Waymarsh University have difficultly initially learning math skills and need extra time to master basic skills. If this were the case, it is not that the teachers need additional math training, but that the children are the result of the parent's dissatisfaction and the children need further time to develop their skills.
Second, the argument is flawed because it erroneously assumes that parent's satisfaction of their children's math skills will increase if all teachers are required to take additional math courses. Yet, a landmark study published in 2009 showed that certain teachers are more adapt at teaching math and that additional math courses for teachers do not increase students average math skills. Given the fact that some teachers are innate math teaching skills and additional courses do not help raise the performance of the teacher's student's results, the author's argument is flawed.
Moreover, the argument could be improved by highlighting the success of Waymarsh University's students at scoring very high on math exams required to enter college. This would show that although parents are not satisfied this year with their children's math skills, the skills that their children are learning will help them get into good colleges.
In conclusion, since the argument leaves out several key issues, it is not sound or persuasive. If it included the items discussed above, the argument would have been more thorough and convincing.
Issue essay:
"Popular entertainment is overly influenced by commercial interests. Superficiality, obscenity, and violence characterize films and television today because those qualities are commercially successful."
Although the issue of what drives popular entertainment today is not black or white, I disagree with the above argument because technology has grown so much recently that popular entertainment is no longer governed by commercial interests, but rather individual choice.
First, the recent improvements in technology have made it a lot less expensive for people to make movies themselves, without being influenced by commercial interests. For example, over the last decade the number of independent movies that have been produced has increased five fold. The content of these movies is diverse and it is definitely not solely driven by superficiality or obscenity. In addition, the recent growth in Bollywood movies, which are more family oriented movies, in the US, highlights the public's increased interest in wholesome movies that are appropriate for the whole family.
Second, the growth in cable television now allows people to choose what they want to watch and when they want to watch it. Two decades ago people only had access to a few national television channels. However, today, television has expanded in content so much that people are no longer required to watch only one genera of entertainment.
On the other hand, some may argue that certain forms of popular entertainment are influenced by commercial interests (e.g., Hollywood), however, in believing this would be ingnoring the changes in technology over the past decade that have actually increased the selection and variety of entertainment options.
In conclusion, popular entertainment today is driven by the consumer's personal choice. Corporations still dominate some channels of entertainment, but this is decreasing rapidly each day.
