Question: You may think of arguments as negative confrontations where two or more people cannot come to a reasonable resolution of their perceived differences. Argument, though, can be positive in the context of advocating the need for change. While you may be passionate about an idea for change, you will also want to be precise in how you design your argument in order to influence how a person thinks about your idea for change.

For this unit's Discussion, you will use the Toulmin Model to analyze your argument for change.

Before submitting your post, please review the following podcast, "Argument and the Toulmin Model,"

Then, respond to the following prompts in at least two well-developed paragraphs:

• Share your revised thesis statement and identify the claim and warrant in that statement.

• Which of the logical appeals might be most useful to emphasize, and what logical fallacies might you need to avoid with this argument? Will the audience be likely to agree with your warrant, and if not, how might you revise the thesis? Here is an example of a thesis statement with the claim and warrant:

• Thesis: The United States should abolish capital punishment because it does not reduce the crime rate.

• Claim: The United States should abolish capital punishment.

• Warrant: (may not be directly stated): If something does not reduce the crime rate, then it should not be used.

To earn full participation credit, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers' initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric.These responses should stay on topic and generate further discussion by asking questions, mentioning relevant examples, and if possible, referencing concepts from the unit Learning Activities.

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard American English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

When you refer to concepts from the unit's Learning Activities, be sure to use a signal phrase like "According to . . .[name of reading]." If you are directly quoting the Learning Activities or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The Writing Center has resources on APA citation formatting.