SPCH 103: Argumentation and Debate

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2025
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
Strongly Recommended: ENGL C1000.
District General Education: A2. Communication & Analytical Thinking
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

This course provides students with the foundational knowledge and practice of argumentation and debate. Students engage in a variety of public speeches to advocate for and against various claims/topics. Emphasized are principles of rhetoric in argumentation and debate, such as the canons of rhetoric, effective research methods, critical analysis, reasoning, refutation, and listening. This course includes faculty-supervised, faculty-evaluated oral presentations in the presence of others. This course is appropriate for students in disciplines where argumentation, negotiation, and issue-analysis occur. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Conceptualizing and effectively using compelling arguments in support of a guiding thesis and organizational pattern appropriate for the audience, occasion, and across a variety of contexts\\n
  • Finding, critically examining, and using supporting materials from primary and secondary sources for credibility, accuracy, and relevance in their speeches and presentations\\n\\n
  • Understanding the theoretical foundations of creating and sharing knowledge, including the canons of rhetoric and the Aristotelian proofs of ethos, pathos, and logos\\n
  • Identify communication as the process of human symbolic interaction focusing on the communicative process from the rhetorical perspective in reasoning and advocacy.\\n
  • Demonstrate understanding of the psychological basis and the social significance of communication, including how communication operates in various situations.
  • Explain how traditional rhetorical principles contribute to effective communication in social interaction.\\n
  • Analyze the process of human symbolic interaction focusing on the communicative process from the rhetorical perspective in organization, accuracy, the discovery, critical evaluation and reporting of information.\\n
  • Demonstrating rhetorical sensitivity to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility\\nPracticing and refining the concepts presented in the course through a variety of well prepared faculty-supervised, faculty-evaluated speeches delivered to a live audience (one to many) using effective delivery techniques\\n
  • Knowing and adhering to ethical communication practices which include truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity of communication
  • Listening critically to provide constructive criticism to peers\\n
  • Create an argumentative speech that demonstrates an understanding of and application of sound reasoning while avoiding fallacious reasoning\\n
  • Create a response to a public speech that demonstrates clear and persuasive refutation\\n
  • Applying rhetorical principles to analyze historical and contemporary public discourse\\n
  • \\nPracticing and refining the concepts presented in the course through a variety of well prepared faculty-supervised, faculty-evaluated speeches delivered to a live audience (one to many) using effective delivery techniques

Major Course Content

  1. Creating public speeches in various debate settings
    1. Creating a public speech based on practicing and refining the concepts presented in the course through a variety of well-prepared faculty-supervised, faculty-evaluated speeches delivered to a live audience (one to many) using rhetorical and communication theory/concepts, and effective delivery techniques
    2. Create a speech demonstrating effective rhetorical appeal in a public sphere context
    3. Create a speech demonstrating effective rhetoric and listening in a technical sphere
    4. Create a speech demonstrating effective rhetoric and listening in a private sphere
  2. Debate ethics
    1. Knowing and adhering to ethical communication practices which include truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity of communication
    2. Demonstrating rhetorical sensitivity to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility
  3. Conceptualization of argumentation and debate
    1. Defining and distinguishing argumentation, debate, critical thinking, and logic
    2. Distinguish well-reasoned debate from other communication forms such as coercion and propaganda and fallacious reasoning
  4.  Application of the rhetorical principles to analyze historical and contemporary public discourse
    1. Explanatory models: Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Toulmin Model
    2. Rhetorical perspectives on debate: The Aristotelian proofs (ethos, logos, and pathos) of persuasion
    3. The canons of rhetoric (invention, disposition, style, memory, delivery)
    4. Contemporary rhetorical theories: Perelman’s New Rhetoric, The Narrative Paradigm, and Pragma Dialectics
  5. Debate Contexts
    1. Argument spheres: personal, technical, and public
    2. Rhetorical situation in various fields (e.g., legal, political, and interpersonal)
    3. Understanding the controversy
    4. Conditions going into the debate: presumption, status quo, burden of proof, topic analysis and topicality, net benefit analysis
  6. Effectively listening to the debate, such as argument analysis through “flow” sheet analysis
  7. Effective verbal and nonverbal practices while delivering a speech and managing communication apprehension
  8. Analyzing the controversy
    1. Identifying the debate proposition
    2. Types of debate propositions: fact, value, policy
    3. Methods of defining the terms
    4. Standards for evaluating defined terms
  9. Reasoning
    1. Generating and refining oral and written arguments
    2. Convergent and divergent (minority effects) advocacy
    3. Distinguishing sound reasoning from fallacious reasoning
    4. Examining Ad hominem arguments: arguing issues, not people
    5. Types of sound reasoning, such as reasoning from cause, sign, generalization, analogy, authority, forced dichotomy
    6. Testing the reasoning of arguments
    7. Fallacious reasoning related to evidence, reasoning, language, pseudo-arguments, the audience, and appeals
    8. Evidence
    9. Forms and discovery of evidence
    10. The probative force of evidence
  10. General principles for using evidence
    1. Evaluating evidence: Accuracy, relevance, and reliability
    2. Finding, critically examining, and using supporting materials from primary and secondary sources for credibility, accuracy, and relevance in their speeches and presentations
  11. Argument construction and composition
    1. The Prima Facie case
    2. Constructing an argument: Claim, Warrant, Grounds, Backing, Qualifier, Reservation
    3. Factual stock issues: Definitions, parameters, criteria, observations
    4. Value stock issues: Definitions, parameters, criteria, value, observations
    5. The advocate’s policy stock issue case: Harms (significance), Inherency, Plan, Solvency, Advantages
    6. The opposition’s policy stock issue case: Topicality, Counterplan, Disadvantages, and Kritic
  12. Refutation in the debate speech
    1. The process and structure of effective refutation
    2. Using questions and enthymemes in a debate.
    3. Constructing and delivering effective refutation, rebuttals, and cross-examination in an oral speech
  13. Effective Oral Communication Presentations
    1. Rhetorical Principles
    2. The study of effective communication in formal speeches
    3. The study of effective communication and social interaction.
    4. How to Organize an Oral Presentation
    5. Conduct Scholarly Research
    6. Organize the Speech
    7. Traditional Rhetoric and Public Speaking
    8. Rhetorical Devices in Public Speaking
    9. Effective Delivery
  14. Communication as the Process of Human Symbolic interaction Reasoning and Advocacy
    1. Organization and Accuracy
    2. Critical Evaluation and Reporting of Information
    3. Reading and Listening Effectively as well as Speaking and Writing.
  15. The Importance and Place of Argumentation and Debate in a Democratic Society
  16. Levels, Forms, or Types of Argumentation and Debate
  17. Relevant Current Issues in the American Society
  18. The Parts of a Logical, Argumentative Brief
  19. Types and Propositions and Argumentative Brief
  20. Construction of Cases and Briefs
  21. Researching for and Using Evidence
  22. Methods and Strategies for Rebuttals
  23. Principles and Procedures of Verbal and Nonverbal Presentations in a Debate Situation
  24. Criteria in the Evaluation of Arguments and Debates

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Numerous newspapers, online news sources, library database source research.

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Numerous resaerch papers requiring logic and evidence to support specific position(s)are required.
A typical paper may be 4 to 8 pages plus bibliography.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Each student is required to research, write and present argumentative briefs on specific topics.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 1: English Communication

1C. Oral Communication