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Fd10b Course Outline Revised 2021 2023

The course FD10B - Language: Argument at the University of Guyana focuses on developing critical thinking, reasoning, and persuasive language skills essential for law students. It includes lectures, tutorials, and practical exercises such as mooting and debates, emphasizing research and the structure of arguments. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze, construct, and present arguments effectively, both in writing and orally.

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21 views

Fd10b Course Outline Revised 2021 2023

The course FD10B - Language: Argument at the University of Guyana focuses on developing critical thinking, reasoning, and persuasive language skills essential for law students. It includes lectures, tutorials, and practical exercises such as mooting and debates, emphasizing research and the structure of arguments. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze, construct, and present arguments effectively, both in writing and orally.

Uploaded by

CeCe Boo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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UNIVERSITY of GUYANA

UNIVERSITY OF GUYANA

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL STUDIES


DEPARTMENT OF LAW

Course Outline

FD10B - LANGUAGE : ARGUMENT

COURSE NUMBER : FD10B


COURSE NAME : Language : Argument
COURSE CREDITS : 4
COURSE DELIVERY : Lectures; Tutorials
Oral presentations; Moots and Debates; Written exercises;
Research

To succeed in the profession of law, you must seek to cultivate command of


language. Words are the lawyer’s tools of trade.
(Lord Denning 1979, English judge and Master of the Rolls, 1899-1999)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is primarily a course in


argument
reasoning and logic
critical thinking
research
persuasion
and the use of language.
It is designed to introduce students of Law to critical thinking and the scientific
process of reasoning. It is about the techniques and structure of argument;
the building/ construction of argument
the analysis and criticism of arguments
the refutation of arguments.
It emphasises the use of research in building arguments; an understanding and
application of
the science of logic and reasoning;
the science of argument,
as against the use of fallacies;
and the use of language in their presentation, including
how language is used to persuade / the use of language as a tool of
persuasion;
the use of fallacies as a strategy for persuasion /and the use of
fallacies in argument.

AIMS OF THE COURSE


While sensitising students to critical thinking, it sharpens their awareness of the
way language is used to persuade while setting out to improve their own use of
language in the presentation and refutation of arguments in both written and
oral delivery. The course emphasises the value and the use of research to
support arguments as well as proper acknowledgement, documentation and
citation of sources.

It introduces students to
mooting,
while setting out to improve their
competence in debating,
in the structure of argument, and the production of
formal written papers based on researched evidence.

OUTCOMES
At the end of the course students are expected to be able to
 analyse and criticise arguments;
 think critically;
 build a good argument;
 reason;
 research;
 research and use evidence to support arguments;
 refute arguments;
 make formal written and oral presentations
 construct and write a well documented paper,
 cite and acknowledge sources;
 orally present an argument, supported by research,
 be better prepared for mooting
 analyse and apply induction and deduction;
 recognise and identify fallacious reasoning;
 recognise how arguments break down;
 recognise strategies and techniques of persuasion
 understand and use language in persuasion.
COURSE MATERIAL

Critical Thinking
New formal approaches to critical thinking as an academic discipline; critical thinking as
a resource, a skill, the ability to discriminate; the removal of bias, prejudice; an
approach to information.

Legal language, terms


(see “inference and judgement, below)
A few differences between the use of terms in normal, everyday language, and their use
in legal language; attempts in the legal process to get as close as possible to the truth,
and the factual.

Inferences and Judgement


Students should be able to understand the meaning and use of these terms; their
importance in the reasoning process and argumentation, as well as in law; recognise
and identify the differences, similarities and parallels among – facts, inferences,
judgements, assumptions

Stylistics : Styles of Language


Students are introduced to the way language is used in the different styles of writing,
and the characteristics of each, particularly persuasion, exposition, description and
narrative so that they are able to recognise and identify the techniques used in each to
achieve the writer’s purpose.

Aristotelian Logic / Argument / Reasoning


Students are introduced to the understanding and analysis of reasoning and the science
of logic. The Aristotelian reasoning is used and students are taught to reduce
arguments to syllogisms and use Venn Diagrams to test and analyse their validity.

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning


The understanding and application of two processes in the science of reasoning and
logic.
1. Induction : Inductive Reasoning
2. Deduction : Deductive Reasoning.

Debates and Mooting


The practice of formal debating and mooting in law; group work, research, presentation,
rebuttal and analysis. This exercise is competitive and pays attention to the practice of
Mooting.
Persuasion
This course is partly about persuasion. Students are acquainted with the language and
the various techniques of persuasion. An advocate needs to be able to persuade as
well as to recognise the techniques and strategies used in persuasion.

Research / Documentation / Bibliography


The course also aims to sharpen the students’ capacity to research and use relevant
material to support arguments and to be used in essays.

COURSE OUTLINE
1. Introduction
2. Stylistics – Kinds of Writing; The Writer’s Purpose;
Exposition vs argument
3. Critical Thinking
4. Facts, Inference, Judgement
a. Definitions
b. Legal Language and Logic
5. Logic, Reasoning, Argument
a. Induction / Inductive Reasoning
b. Deduction / Deductive Reasoning
6. Mooting and Debates
7. Written Paper
a. Research
b. Argument
c. Documentation.

WEEK 1 : INTRODUCTION

WEEKS 2 – 3 : STYLISTIC ANALYSIS : KINDS OR STYLES OF WRITING


Stylistics; The Writer’s Purpose
Expository / Exposition
Descriptive Writing / Description
Narrative / Narration
Technical and Scientific
Argumentative Writing
Persuasive Writing / Persuasion
Artistic

Exposition vs. Argument

WEEKS 4 – 5 : CRITICAL THINKING


Introduction
FACT, INFERENCE & JUDGEMENT
Definitions
Meaning : distinguishing fact from what claims to be
Legal terminology
Knowing what is factual & what is not
Legal evidence
Achieving justice & finding truth

WEEKS 6 – 8 : LOGIC, REASONING, ARGUMENT


The Science of Argument
1. Induction / Inductive Reasoning
a. Introduction – the method of science
b. Pre-requisites of Good Induction
c. Sampling
2. Induction : Bad Induction
a. Fallacies
b. Appeals; emotive appeals; popular appeals
c. Persuasion
3. Deduction / Deductive Reasoning
a. Pre-requisites of Good Argument
b. The Syllogism
c. The Venn Diagram
d. The Mathematical Analysis of Argument

WEEK 9 : CRITICAL THINKING : CLASSWORK


ANALYSIS OF FALLACIES, APPEALS, PERSUASION

Assignment One
Individual Work
Written Analysis of Persuasive Argument and Fallacies.

WEEKS 10 – 12 : MOOTING AND DEBATES


1. Organisation of debates
2. Researching evidence to support cases, arguments
3. Presentation of Arguments
4. Refutation of Argument – Rebuttals
5. Analysis of Argument – Presentation of Judgments

Assignment Two
Group Work
Debates: Research, Presentation, Refutation & Analysis of
Argument

WEEK 13 : WRITTEN PAPER


Research
Argument
Documentation
Citation of sources.

Assignment Three
Individual Work
Final Research Paper: Formal presentation of a case /argument
with researched evidence and documentation.

METHODS OF EVALUATION
Assignment 1
Individual Work : Analysis of persuasive argument. Students are given a sample
of an argument to identify persuasive techniques used and identify and analyse
the fallacies and the breakdown of the arguments.

Assignment 2
Group Work : Students oppose each other in Debates - Oral presentation of
Cases, based on researched evidence; Refutation of arguments; Assessment of
arguments and judgements.

Students research moots or cases and present arguments orally as


advocates; hear and present judgements on cases.

Assignment 3
Individual Work : Refining of research and arguments already developed in the
Debates. Case was already orally presented as part of a group. Student makes
an individual presentation of a written paper presenting the case; based on
research and well documented; all sources cited.

Students submit a Written Paper : Final Researched Argument.

Examination
There is no final written examination (as a consequence of pandemic conditions).

Advocacy : Oral Presentations / Debates


GROUP WORK
Students will oppose each other in a moot or debate. The class is given topics which
are used to present cases (moots). The class is divided into Groups, each group
researching, preparing and arguing one of the cases. The groups will research and
prepare arguments for debates in which each group will do one of the following

(a) Present arguments proposing the given topic and rebut the arguments of the
other side as plaintiff or appellant OR
(b) Present arguments opposing the given topic and rebut the arguments of the
other side as respondent OR
(c) Analyse and evaluate the arguments presented in the debate and, based on the
assessment of the arguments, decide which was the better case.

INDIVIDUAL WORK
For their individual assignment, each student will choose any one of the arguments
already researched and presented in the previous group exercises. Take the
opportunity to make corrections, to extend and refine the research, and to improve the
argument which is then presented in a final written and well documented paper.

EVALUATION

Assignment 1 : 20%
Assignment 2 : 40%
Assignment 3 : 40%

Grading Scheme
The course is graded according to the UG LLB programme which uses the UWI system
as set out below.

A ≥ 70%
B+ 60 - 69%
B 50 - 59%
C 40 - 49%
F ≤ 39%

Reading

Alison Riley, Patricia Sours, Common Law, Legal English and Grammar
S I Hayakawa, Language in Thought and Action
Richard Thouless, Straight and Crooked Thinking
Randolph Quirk, The Use of English
Darrel Hough, How to Lie with Statistics
Robert P Warren The Fundamentals of Good Writing
Trudy Govier A Practical Study of Argument
D. Gabbay, R. Johnson Handbook of the Logic of Argument and Inference
Douglas Walton The Place of Emotion in Argument
Oregon State University The Science of Argument
Aristotle, (ed.) John Warrington, Positive and Posterior Analytics

al creighton, jnr
University of Guyana
Revised October 2021

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