Don’t know P.J. O’Rourke? Want to? Read this
Wake Up
What does music look like?
“The Allegretto” from Beethoven’s 7th Symphony:
Genius Hypothesis
How would you construct an experiment to test the Hypothesis
“Bees Don’t Fly in the Dark”?
______________
The Research Process
I speak a lot of words fairly often about your Hypothesis becoming your Thesis and your willingness (your eagerness) to let your Hypothesis evolve. Here, I hope, is a clearer explication:
- The purpose of assigning a Hypothesis very early in the semester was not to put you behind or thwart your progress, it was to get the ball rolling.
- You identified a topic. It wasn’t well-defined or as sharp as it would need to be to support an academic argument, but it was SOMETHING meaningful that prompted you to begin to explore source material.
- From here, the process is cumulative and flexible. Instead of wasting your time “brainstorming” about your vague notion, you start to read in your area of interest. From here, the process is cumulative and flexible. And repetitive. Instead of wasting your time “brainstorming” about your vague notion, you start to read in your area of interest. From here, the process is cumulative and flexible. And repetitive. Instead of wasting your time “brainstorming” about your vague notion, you start to read in your area of interest.
- AS YOU GATHER AND INVESTIGATE SOURCES, your vague notion begins to crystallize. You start to have ideas, find angles, develop theories, encounter surprising details you can’t wait to share!
- You gather the best of those sources into your White Paper and cluster them around WHATEVER HAPPENS TO BE YOUR BEST WORKING HYPOTHESIS.
- As the semester continues, you do more research, abandon early ideas, refine your thinking, place new sources into conversation with old sources, and DEVELOP A THESIS YOU CAN PROVE.
- AT NO POINT IN THE PROCESS is there a place where you can get stuck thinking, “I have to solve this problem before I can continue.” Moving forward is the solution.
- You write early drafts of short arguments along the way. First a Definition/Categorical argument. Then a Causal Argument. Finally, a Rebuttal argument, all based on your developing thesis.
- Each of these arguments can be revised as many times as you wish, always for grade improvement.
- Eventually, the entire project coalesces into a single 3000-word, well-researched, carefully argued Research Position Paper that proves a single thesis.
______________
Critical Reading Unit
DEADLINE: Before Class MON OCT 07
You’ll find both the Lecture material (Claim Types) and the Assignment (Claims Task) at the same link. You’ll need guidance before trying to categorize the dozens of ways we can transmit information, opinion, facts, in language.
The non-Portfolio PTSD Claims Task is a critical reading exercise of an assigned reading. It is designed to take less than two hours to complete and has a one-week deadline. The first part of the assignment is to read or listen to the article “Is PTSD Contagious?” The second part is to spend ONE HOUR selecting very short excerpts from the article and identifying the claims it contains.
The Lecture/Demo:
Finding and Analyzing Claims
Source Material for Critical Reading
-
- “Is PTSD Contagious?” print version
- “Is PTSD Contagious?” podcast
The non-Portfolio PTSD Claims Task is a critical reading exercise of an assigned reading. It is designed to take less than two hours to complete and has a one-week deadline. The first part of the assignment is to read or listen to the article “Is PTSD Contagious?” The second part is to spend ONE HOUR selecting very short excerpts from the article and identifying the claims it contains.
The Lecture/Demo:
Finding and Analyzing Claims
Source Material for Critical Reading
-
- “Is PTSD Contagious?” print version
- “Is PTSD Contagious?” podcast
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
Class Notes – phoenixxxx23
Crafting an interesting hypothesis
You have to stay in total state of intriguenness with your own hypothesis
You should stick with the one hypothesis you like until you come up with a decent replacement
The process is cumulative and flexible
Develop a thesis you can prove
Moving forward is the solution, you can’t get stuck thinking.
Argument can be made in one word
In a sentence it can be 5 claims
Very nice, Phoenixxxx
Grade 3/3
Class Notes 10.2.24
Changing Hypothesis Under Approval
– Made clear that if you want to change what your research essay will about – must be approved.
– If that is the case, there is a multitude of possible reasons. Lack of evidence to make rebuttals, newfound topic that’s more intriguing, etc.
– Sources aren’t important sources until they can be properly used to explain what’s relevant of it, to the audience.
Critical Reading Assignment
– Different types of claims will differ in wording, which alters how your statement is perceived.
– Factual claims don’t inherently have to be true or proven for the claim to remain as factual.
– Evaluative claims can be subjective to the author writing it, while subjective it’s effectiveness as a claim is entirely dependent on how the writer portrays it.
– These examples of claims help the writer have personal engagement and true consideration in their writing, in anticipation of how the reader will understand it. To further elaborate on the writers intention of how his piece wants to be interpreted.
Very thoughtful and clear, ChefRat.
Phrasing your Notes in complete sentences makes it clear that you have comprehended the content sufficiently to communicate it clearly to a reader other than yourself.
Grade 4/3
Class Notes: 10/2/24
-Quote from P.J. O’Rourke: What I gain from reading this quote is to enjoy life now and in the present. Don’t be a couch potato, get out into the world.
-Bee hypothesis: Control the environment, don’t focus on the noise. Focus on one idea
-You’re stuck with the hypothesis you got, unless you find a better one. You don’t have to be married to your original idea, you’re allowed to speed date others as well.
-Starting to read about an area of interest is more important than wasting your time brainstorming. this will help generate ideas or more concise hypotheses.
-Moving forward is the best action to do, don’t get stuck in a simple question, go around it to reach a solution.
-Critical Reading Unit Homework: Only spend one hour to find claims and write a small analysis on each one you find in the article.
-By making claims constantly in an article, it should lead the reader to agree with the overall idea.
-There are multiple different claims, this includes:
-example to look back on “Let’s harvest the organs of death row inmates”
With this simple sentence it shows multiple claims: analogy, categorical and proposal.
Not bad, Taco.
Some of your claims notes are pretty confusing. I’m not sure how they would help you or another reader:
Overall fine. And I like that you start taking notes during the riddles and “opening acts.”
Grade 3/3
Notes-
If you get stuck, moving forward is the solution. Getting stuck is what allows you to realize that you need to admit there may be something here that you can’t prove. The basis of any essay/ argument is a claim that something is true.
Basic claim types-
Definition claim: Makes a claim about what something is
Analogy claim: Makes a claim that one thing is similar to another
Categorical claim: Makes a claim that something falls within categories under a certain umbrella
Factual claim: A claim that circumstances or conditions exist beyond doubt and it has indisputable evidence to support it
Evaluative claim: A claim that involves judgment of the characteristics of an item or situation
Ethical and moral claims are evaluative, but not all evaluative claims are ethical or moral
Ethical or moral claim: A type of evaluative claim that places a judgment on a social situation expresses an ethical or moral judgment
Quantitative or Numerical claim: A claim that may be factual or evaluative depending on the reliability of the measurements
Comparative claim: A claim that two or more things can be ranked involves a comparative claim
Causal claim: A claim that is an assertion of cause and effect, consequences, preconditions, or predictions of what will occur in certain circumstances
Recommendation or proposal claim: A claim to convince an audience to adopt a course of action (to adopt a different point of view on a topic of social importance)
Attributive claim: Authors don’t or can’t verify every claim they make, so, to signal that they are passing along someone else’s claim, they distance themselves by an arms-length with a phrase like “according to” or “x said”
Illustrative claim: Claims that use the methods of poetry to draw similarities or to illustrate situations. Describe people in ways to invoke sympathy
Credibility claim: A special type of evaluative claim is the credibility claim, which names the credentials of the person responsible for the claim
“Let’s harvest the organs of death row inmates”
Let’s- Proposal claim
Harvest- Analogy claim
Death row inmates- Categorical claim
Very nice, ElongatedLobster.
Your descriptions are clear and accurate.
This one, though, fails to mention that a Factual Claim is still a Factual Claim even if the claim is false:
Clearly you took the time to make your own notes sufficient and understandable; in other words, you made your own clear claims.
Grade 4/3
Basic Claim types examples
To be clear, Unicorn, you’re stuck with your Hypothesis until you replace it with another, better, Hypothesis that your professor approves as he approved your first.
HOWEVER, your Hypothesis is just a “research goal” to get you started investigating your topic. It will likely morph as you proceed, and will eventually be replaced by your Thesis, the Big Claim you finally settle on because you can prove (or amply and convincingly demonstrate).
By and large, your descriptions of Claims Types don’t add much to the descriptions you were provided. Notes should reflect your reactions and analysis of the course material.
Close to 4 but not quite.
Grade 3/3
The fact that bees can’t fly in the dark was proven by a controlled environment in a sealed container full of bees with a manual light switch.
In order to feel comfortable with the hypothesis is something that could be thrown away if the first one doesn’t work best. However it is best to stick to the first hypothesis if the second hypothesis is stronger than the first or weaker to the point you dig yourself a a bigger grave. If the sources claims to be false than true for the initial hypothesis as the claims intentions to be true; you can switch sides by supporting the opposing side. To find a finer hypothesis is to investigate sources that interest you and then stretch out to find the vague notion.
Describing PTSD is like an emotional impact through traumatic events. From using PSTD as an example for different varieties of claims does matter in the use of word play and choice. Types of claims is a saying something that is firmly true to the statement depending on how one uses it. There can be more than one claims in a sentence such as a definitive claim can be in a categorized claim. Factual claim is like blurting out facts with little to no evidence because a factual claim can be a true or false statement.
If you don’t mind, GamersPet, I’ll use this space to model some grammar and style for you. I understand your fluency is still developing, and I admire that you’re able to make yourself understood under pressure in a language you’re still acquiring. Let’s take a look at one paragraph.
Do not hang on to an initial Hypothesis that does not work. On the other hand, you cannot abandon a Hypothesis without replacing it with a better one. [You’ll need your professor’s permission to swap Hypotheses.] If your research demonstrates that your Hypothesis is likely untrue, and supports an alternate theory, you haven’t failed. Instead, you’ve proved something new and different. Support whatever Hypothesis turns out to be the one you can prove (or amply and convincingly demonstrate). Follow the sources that interest you until your vague notion solidifies into a substantial and persuasive Thesis.
I hope that helps.
Grade 3/3
You need to start early with research to get the ball rolling. The information obtain is cumulative. To add ideas on to your hypotheses to make a strong Hypotheses. A fact doesn’t have to be right. 22
The “22” is the most convincing clue that you attended class, MadCity.
You’re not obligated to write strong Notes, but they boost your Participation Grade (5% of your overall course grade), so they’re not without importance.
Grade 1/3
Basic Claims
True, but . . . .
You’re stuck with the one we’ve approved together until you APPLY to change yours to something better. You can never have NO functioning Hypothesis. Everything grinds to a halt without one.
Well, not necessarily. It sounds factual, but it doesn’t have to be correct. No claim has to be correct to be a claim. We present them as true, but, true or false, they’re still claims.
Again, we CLAIM that the facts exist beyond doubt, but we could be wrong and the claims would still be factual, just incorrect.
I don’t see much value in the rest of your Notes, Starfire. You could read THEM, or you could read the lecture itself. They’re pretty much the same thing.
Take notes to remind you of what you learned (if anything) that ISN’T on the Agenda or in the Lecture copy.
Grade 3/3 for now.
Criteria will get more difficult as we proceed.
NOTES: 10/2/24
The Research Process:
Critical Reading unit:
Impressively succinct, Student 1512. Just a bit more content next time and you’ll have this practice nailed.
Grade 3/3
10/2
Hypothesis
The Research Process
Claims
Brilliant Notes, LoverOfCatsAndMatcha. These Notes could be a model for everyone. Almost everything here is a reflection of YOUR THINKING while yo were in class and could not have been recorded by someone who merely followed the Agenda without being in class.
In other words, these Notes AMPLIFY the daily curriculum and identify what, for you, were the takeaways.
Grade 4/3
Class Notes – 10/02
Types of Claims:
Fair enough.
Grade 3/3
Class Notes 10/02/24
Find data that has no opinions. Construct your experiments to remove personal opinions and bias.
An idea is only truly an idea after you tell someone about it. It needs to be articulated in a sentence to become an idea. Without the ability to articulate your idea it is not really an idea at all.
Show the results of your research. There is no reason to show where you started, just share the amazing things you found.
Refuting the most persuasive counterargument is vital. Someone can hold out until their argument is addressed. If you take that last sticking point away then as long as the rest of your argument is persuasive then you will most likely have convinced them.
Write and rewrite until you get where you want to be. Take advice and hone your argument.
Questions are not good claims. The reader gets control if you ask them a question. A good claim is declarative.
I am section 8 for the ptsd assignment
Claim types can be combined. One claim can be many types of claims all in one. If your claim is many things make sure that you defend all of your claim types or aspects of your claim. Ignoring some aspects of your claim makes the entire claim less effective.
Adding numbers from different sources often just shows that the topic is debated. They rarely add credibility.
Wonderful Notes, Student12121!
These are a true reflection of your thinking, your reactions, your takeaways from the classroom experience. You’d be unable to predict from looking at the Agenda that THESE were the lessons you’d find useful.
In other words, notes that merely reiterate what the Agenda items offer are no better than having the Agenda at hand. Your notes, on the other hand, SUPPLEMENT the Agenda items and “put you back into the room” for a reminder of what you deemed worthy of remembering.
Grade 4/3
class notes 10/2/24
Okay.
Grade 3/3
Mongoose Notes – 10/2/2024
“Talked about” Notes are generally the least effective notes, Mongoose!, and are graded the lowest.
The problem with them is that they merely raise or archive a TOPIC, not the POINT of the lesson or exercise. The topics can usually be retrieved from the Agenda without the help of notes, whereas your Notes can remind you WHY we raised a topic or WHAT WE CONCLUDED about it.
An example:
How does canine anxiety show anything about claims or how to prove them? An effective Note answers those questions:
See the difference?
Grade 3/3
Gotcha, thanks for the tip
Class notes- Oct. 2
-“Bees Don’t Fly in the Dark”- it is useful to construct an experiment to be able to prove a hypothesis
-when researching finding different opinions is important to be able to get the most accurate information
-Hypothesis may go through a change while reading and researching which is fine
Lots of good observations here, Andarnaurram.
This one needs a little nuance:
Finding and confronting different opinions is important because your reader may be holding on to one that you can refute. If you can refute “wrong” opinions, your reader will be more receptive to your version of the truth.
Grade 3/3
Class notes 10/2:
Wake Up: The visual representation represents the four musicians and their individual
Genius Hypothesis: Set up experiment inside in the dark with a camera to see if they move
The Research Process: A topic becomes an idea when you explain it to someone else, refine best hypothesis into thesis, can’t get stuck, if there is no evidence then it is not provable, rebuttal argument- evidence that refutes persuasive counterarguments, questions are bad claims
Critical Reading Unit: designed to take less than 2 hours to complete, only 1 hour selecting excerpts and identifying their claims in the section you are assigned. And their effectiveness. 1- defines something. 2- comparing two different things. 3- categorizing. 4- it is stated as a fact. 5- evaluates and argues for or against something. 6- judges the ethics or morals of a situation. 7- can be factual or evaluative. 8- ranking. 9- cause and effect. 10- persuasive. 11- secondhand claim. 12- using poetry elements. 13- uses the creditability of someone else to push claim.
GOOD video claims: example for homework
Assignments:
Critical Reading Unit before class on 10/7
If you think these Notes would help you reclaim the takeaways from the class, I’m satisfied with them. They wouldn’t work for me, but we’re both unique.
Grade 3/3
10/2
Bees can’t fly in the dark, we know this because of an experiment where they brought bees in a box and turned off the lights while they were flying.
The research process of your hypothesis is cumulative, and flexible. Rebuttal argument is important as acknowledging the other side is vital to convincing people.
Be clear in your argument by making declarative statements.
Section 16 – PTSD could be considered contagious because living with someone who suffers from PTSD could be a traumatic stress that would lead to PTSD.
Went over some claim types such as:
This one observation earns you credit, Who’sOnFirst:
Grade 3/3
After watching Beethoven songs in Guitar Hero format, we looked at an experiment where bees stopped flying in the dark. The point of course was not the bees, or the darkness, it was the beauty in simplicity of such an experiment to prove or disprove a hypothesis. This was chef’s kiss in execution. Someone must have had quite the imagination to conceive of such a hypothesis as I don’t believe this is something normally observable. Meanwhile I started with something observable and am trying to figure out the why, but doing it in a way where I first make a claim to prove/disprove. I hope though my research I can create a new hypothesis as smooth (criminal) as this one.
We went over the research processes next. While I didn’t feel like I had any lightbulb moments, I think I took away that we need to be making constant progress. In the event we can’t make progress, we change our starting point so we can make progress. I plan to just hit the ground running with research, and then based off the direction of where my sources are pointing to congruently, change my hypothesis. Backward reasoning. If all my sources give me a path forward as straight as a pretzel, then I plan to email the instructor to pick his brain.
The most interesting part came next to finish off the lesson. A small encyclopedia of different types of claims. Not like small claims court claims, but like the arguments or asserting kind. One in particular, the “factual claim” I believe caught everyone off guard when it was stated that it does not have to be true to be a factual claim. I can assure you that is not what most people think. The saying “Stick to the facts”, is synonymous with sticking to objective or measurable truths. I think in this particular political climate where “alternative facts” exist, such a notion about “factorial claims” is going to be a hard sell. If facts can be false (or true) why do, we need to make a distinction between (regular) facts and alternative facts? I may say “factual claim” for grade points, but in my head, I have already aliased it out to translate to “assertion claim” as the connotation fits better with how people use the word when compared to “fact”.
Something observable, but not often observed, which qualifies completely for investigation or proof (or credible persuasion). Don’t fret about the hypothesis. Figure out how to turn off the lights and watch the bees fall.
That’s my takeaway, too, Bagels&Coffee, but not a common approach in college writing courses. Preconceptions might get us started, but should be abandoned as soon as the research suggests a more surprising concept.
Call them what you like B&C, as long as you understand them as “statements that something is factual.” Maybe for you, “Fact Claims” would work.
Grade 4/3
Class note:
Beautiful Notes, Pineapple. I appreciate these much more than another summary of the Claims Types.
Grade 4/3
10/2
Works for me.
Grade 3/3
Class Notes – 10/2/24
Let’s look at Class Notes a different way, Softball. If I presented them to you a year from now completely out of context, would they refresh your memory of anything meaningful you took away from our time together on WED OCT 02?
Grade 2/3
Cass note. Oct 2, 2024.
These 2 words, wape up, we can perceive that they represent the 4 musicians and an individual.
The guiding hypothesis: it involves doing an experiment in the darkness of a room to test the hypothesis, whether this small insect can fly or not.
In the research process, which are the steps and procedures that are followed in a structured manner to obtain information, solve problems or answer questions, the objective of this topic is an idea that, when the hypothesis has been analyzed and corrected, becomes a thesis.
In order not to get stuck, you must have your hypotheses clear and with arguments that support what you are exposing, otherwise your hypothesis is not demonstrable and would only remain banal statements.
In critical reading, the designated topic will take less than 2 hours to complete.
1.time to select the most relevant and identify the statements in the topic assigned to each student.
2.Here different things are going to be compared.
3.categories,
4. is stated as a fact.
5 evaluates the argument for or against something.
6 moral ethics are tested.
7. can be factual or evolutionary.
8. must be classified.
9. must have cause and effect.
10. must have persuasion.
11 the claim.
12. You can use poetic elements.
13. Use credibility to make a claim.
Finally, we had an assignment, to watch a video of claims of the verse of the assigned topic.
I hope these Notes mean something to you, Colibrimic. Most of them are not intelligible to me.
Grade 2/3
Class notes 10/2
“It’s better to spend money like theres no tommorow then to spend tonight like theres no money” – P.J O”Rourke
Professor showed visual representations of Beethoven songs.
Discussed a hypothesis based on the fact that bees can’t fly in the dark.
Discussed proper research proccess for our hypothesis.
Discussed Claims assignement and how to analyze claims.
“Talked about” Notes will never qualify for full Participation Credit, Lobsterman.
Reach out if you need clarification on what I mean by that.
Grade 2/3
Class notes
10/2
-Quote of the morning is by P.J. O’Ruoke: “It’s better to spend money like there’s no tomorrow than spend tonight like there’s no money”.
-Alongside videos of what music would look like if it moved.
-It begins by discussing the hypothesis of bees being unable to fly in the dark with a video demonstration. Pointing out the value of making a Hypothesis and going through with it.
-elaborates that the hypothesis you have now is what you have unless you find a better one to research.
-Then, goes over the research process of making a hypothesis into a thesis statement, going over the purpose of the said thesis. As well as, the topic at hand and what it entails, the dangers of Brainstorming on wasteful inclusions coming up with ideas and topics that work with your hypothesis at hand, and how it fits in with the overall idea.
-Starts to go over homework about critical Reading, where we listen or read an article on PTSD being a Psychological Disorder to help with discussing different types of claims:
Definition claims- Claims that can be both categorical and factual
Analogy claim- showing that two different things are the same
Categorical claim- naming the group or category of a certain idea to enforce an idea.
Factual claim- does not need to be true to be factual, the fact can be wrong
Evaluative claim- claims that need to be judged on the characteristics of the topic
Ethical or Moral Claim- evaluates the judgment that characterizes a person’s behavior or action
Quantitative claim- a claim based on the numbers and statistics of the topic
comparative claim- comparing two opposite things, best and worst in most cases
Casual claim- simply saying one thing causes another
Recommendation or Proposal Claim- adopts a plea that allows people pursuing it a course of action
Attributive claim- Saying that someone else gave them a claim
Illustrative claim- using visuals, like poetry, art, or movies to invoke emotion out of people
Credibility claim- mentioning the credentials of the person that is responsible for the claim
I don’t see a single Note here that would help you recall an insight you gained by attending our class on WED OCT 02, KFury.
Grade 2/3
Class Notes 10/2
Hypothesis Building
Research Process Overview
Types of Claims in Arguments
Upcoming Assignment
Class notes:
hypothesis you have now is what you have unless you find a better one to research
refining and shifting your hypothesis is part of the process
Types of Claims in Arguments
Credibility Claim: References the credentials or authority of the source.
Definition Claim: States what something is.
Analogy Claim: Shows similarity between two things.
Categorical Claim: Assigns something to a group.
Factual Claim: Presents a statement as fact, even if it’s incorrect.
Evaluative Claim: Makes a judgment or assessment.
Ethical/Moral Claim: Assesses a situation from a moral standpoint.
Quantitative/Numerical Claim: Uses numbers or data.
Comparative Claim: Compares two or more things.
Causal Claim: Indicates cause and effect.
Proposal Claim: Suggests a course of action.
Attributive Claim: Cites someone else’s claim (e.g., “According to…”).
Illustrative Claim: Uses metaphor or imagery to explain.