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Final Exam Prep
Sample Argument Position Prompts
Background/Rhetorical Situation (to accompany both position 1 and position 2)
In the beginning of 2015, President Obama released his “free” community college proposal, and the broad outlines of the pro- and anti-positions are now discernible. Unemployment rates for people with more education than a high school degree are indeed lower, and their incomes are substantially higher. The job market of the future will undoubtedly shift toward jobs that require more than high school level skills. Free community college will indeed shift some students out of for-profit schools with low graduation rates that saddle graduates and non-graduates alike with very high levels of student debt. On the other side, we hear that students should have some skin in the game, for-profit schools are the innovative future, some college grads seem to be working in low-level jobs that don’t require fancy degrees, and more federal subsidy will just push up tuition. In addition, the proposal is supposedly dead on arrival anyway because it adds to the federal deficit and federalizes what should be a state decision. Anyone who is minimally aware should be able to see the left-right divide in this list of reactions.
One of the program’s goals is to break down the financial barriers that keep many students from pursuing a useful certificate or degree. Two free years at a community college supposedly will make a four-year bachelor’s degree more affordable. The logic behind the plan is increasing students’ accessibility to college will in turn increase college graduation rates, and more college graduates translates into more educated, highly skilled Americans in the workforce.
Initial Thoughts/Responses/Ideas
Based on this background information, what are the various positions that individuals may hold regarding this issue?
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What claims might you see in support free community college?
What claims might you see against it?
What other issues do you think may be related to this topic?
Social/cultural/political context
Sample position prompt (like something you'd see on the final exam along with the background information/rhetorical situation section)
Position/Argument 1
In “Should College Be Free, or Will That Make Us Worthless Slackers?” published in Huff Post on March 3, 2016, Haley Synder presents her position on the issue:
“College obviously costs a lot of money. In fact, it’s now twice as expensive to attend a four-year university now than it was in the 1980s, even accounting for inflation.”
“Ironically, the financial stress of college debt undermines poorer students’ success levels - in part due to the stress the debt causes as their professional lives unfold. Laura Choi of the Federal Reserve Bank reports that economic stress was extremely harmful to individuals’ physical and mental health and that this emotional burden resulted in more “workplace absenteeism, diminished workplace performance, and depression.” These data show that the financial stresses from college debt have at least some effect on holding poorer college-educated Americans back once they are in the work place, compared to their debt-free college grad peers. If we can alleviate the financial burden required for many low-income individuals to receive an education, then we can help set up individuals for future success simply by making their lives a little easier.”
“College education should not just be a great opportunity for some fortunate people; rather, I argue, given all of the ways in which it helps to level out unjust inequalities, free public college should become a constitutional right.”
“The founders asserted that everyone had the right to pursue “life liberty” and “happiness.” Surely lifting grossly unjust burdens of debt that selectively dog some students for life is part of this pursuit of “happiness” that our Founders would have supported if they could only have foreseen it. Anyone who wants to put in the hard work it takes to earn a college degree absolutely deserves to do that, and by alleviating the financial burden of college we are providing an essential right that can make lives easier, and pave the road for all young American to have an equal shot at the American Dream.”
First, understand the argument and the way the argument is supported/developed
Basic position
Reasoning for position
artistic appeals
Next, brainstorm about how you might agree.
Even if you are "against" Synder's overall argument that supports free college tuition, there may be elements of this passage that are valid or worth considering or exploring.
What do you agree with?
Ways to think about how you agree:
Can you point out some evidence or line of reasoning that supports the claim in order to add to this conversation?
Can you identify some corroborating personal experience or a situation that would help to support an aspect of this argument?
Can you build on this argument by explaining something that needs to be better understood?
What can you add to this conversation?
What do you disagree with?
Ways to think about how you disagree:
Does the author fail to take any relevant factors into account?
Is any part of his argument based on faulty or incomplete evidence?
Does any portion of his argument rest on questionable assumptions?
Does the author use flawed logic?
Does the author overlook what you take to be the real issue?
Position/Argument 2
In “Free Tuition Won’t Help Students,” published in The Washington Post on November 13, 2015, Chenny Ng presents her position on the issue:
“Free tuition will not solve today’s real problem: the gap between enrollment and graduation. Nearly 90 percent of high school graduates enroll in college within eight years, but graduation rates are another story, hovering around 39 percent for community colleges. Michal Kurlaender of the University of California at Davis finds that while free community college in the state may have led to higher enrollment, it has not translated into higher levels of persistence or graduation. Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institution concluded the same thing about free community colleges in Michigan and also noted that free tuition does little to close graduation gaps by race and income. If the cost of attending college drops to zero, so does the perceived cost of dropping out. Making college tuition free will certainly help some students succeed in higher education and in the workforce, but it will certainly not help all students. The cost of college tuition is not the chief reason why students do not graduate from college or become highly trained professionals and productive citizens.”
“A second issue is somewhat of a far-fetched generalization, but a generalization shared by others. If college became free, blue-collar vocational careers would be further looked down upon and likely would take a hit in employment. We often look down upon electricians, plumbers, landscapers and construction workers because of their lack of a formal college education, but in reality many of these jobs can be extremely lucrative. Some of these people do have technical degrees that would be achieved more easily with free tuition, but many of these schools already have extremely low tuition compared to most universities or there are easy ways of obtaining scholarships for these programs.”
“Think about it. If every student, regardless of his or her potential or propensity for academic success, had a choice between going to a free university and studying something like law, medicine, or science or pursuing a technical or training program for a skilled trade or labor-oriented blue collar job, which path would that student most likely choose? Free college tuition furthers the notion that college is for everyone and that given the financial means, everyone can thrive in the world of higher education.”
First, understand the argument and the way the argument is supported/developed
Basic position
Reasoning for position
artistic appeals
Next, brainstorm about how you might agree.
Even if you disagree with Ng's overall argument (because you are in favor of free college tuition), there claims in this passage that are valid or relevant in some way-- elements of this passage that are valid or worth considering or exploring.
What do you agree with?
Ways to think about how you agree:
Can you point out some evidence or line of reasoning that supports the claim in order to add to this conversation?
Can you identify some corroborating personal experience or a situation that would help to support an aspect of this argument?
Can you build on this argument by explaining something that needs to be better understood?
What can you add to this conversation?
What do you disagree with?
Ways to think about how you disagree:
Does the author fail to take any relevant factors into account?
Is any part of his argument based on faulty or incomplete evidence?
Does any portion of his argument rest on questionable assumptions?
Does the author use flawed logic?
Does the author overlook what you take to be the real issue?
Work on Argument Exercise
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