1. Having read chapter 1 of Rulebook for Arguments and having studied the method of putting arguments into standard form (also called formalizing an argument; see slides for Chapter 1), read the CNN Commentary: Open your minds, America by Rudy Ruiz. The document can be found in the content page on D2L and at this website: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/03/ruiz.closed.minds/index.html 2. After having read the commentary, formalize the argument of the essay as best you can. Remember the key strategy of putting an argument into standard form: start by figuring out the conclusion of the article (what is the main point the author is trying to get across? Hint: often times the conclusion will appear in the title of the piece.). Then try to determine the premises of the argument by picking out the statements that work together (not unrelated lists of statements) to support the conclusion. For example, if the conclusion of the article is that Americans ought to be open-minded, ask yourself WHY this is so. In other words, what does the author give as answers to the question of WHY Americans should be open-minded? Does it help accomplish something? Is there a purpose it serves? What kind of purpose might be particularly relevant for this country and its citizens as opposed to some other one?
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