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CORE 201 continues the University Core A emphasis on the writing process; on the relationship between reading, thinking, writing, and speaking; and on the rhetorical principles required for communicating successfully in both speech and writing. When you set out to use language to influence readers, listeners or speakers, you want to make use of rhetorical principles, which involve being aware of what communication methods will be the most effective and thinking about what will work for a particular message delivered to an actual audience in a specific context.

In CORE 201 you will build on skills that you practiced in previous courses in order to continue your development as a critical thinker. You will identify, analyze, and evaluate both written and spoken arguments. The Handbook sections on fallacies and formal and informal reasoning will serve as a resource throughout the process.

You also will build on the foundation in information literacy laid down in CORE 102 as you locate various types of sources, evaluate those sources, and integrate them into an argument.

In addition to researching a topic, you will develop an understanding of different viewpoints on an issue. You will select the most logical viewpoint and defend it in a persuasive speech that builds on CORE 102 information about public speaking while simultaneously demonstrating that you are mastering additional oral communication concepts.

Through the critical thinking aspect of Core 201, you will:

• Analyze the use of ethos, logos and pathos by sources;
• Identify fallacies;
• Discern the logical structure of arguments; and
• Evaluate an argument’s premises and how they are intended to support a conclusion.

You also will work on developing your information literacy skills by doing the following:

• Conduct background research related to their topic;
• Use subject-specific databases appropriately matched to their topics;
• Use a variety of popular and scholarly sources appropriate to their topic;
• Evaluate the comparative credibility of these sources;
• Construct a discussion that positions a variety of sources according to the sources’ viewpoints on a particular topic; and
• Cite images correctly.

In the oral communication portion of the course, you will:

• Use language that enhances the message of the presentation;
• Use nonverbal communication in a way that enhances the message of a speech;
• Create presentational aids to enhance the message of a speech; and
• Present the reasons and evidence supporting the argument.

In order to accomplish the goals of the course, you will complete three major projects:

• an analysis of someone’s argument;
• an annotated bibliography in which you demonstrate your ability to locate, document, summarize, and evaluate sources; and
• a persuasive speech in which you demonstrate your ability to construct and orally deliver a well-supported argument.

Prior to completing these projects, it will be helpful to know more about critical thinking in general. Information on argumentation, logical fallacies, and ethos, logos, and pathos will be presented as well as information regarding the Argument Analysis, Annotated Bibliography, and Persuasive Speech assignments.