Thursday, October 15, 2026
Required Reading, APA Citation
Delf, L., Drummond, R., & Kelly, K. (2022). A dam good argument (1st ed.). Oregon State University. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/1259
Opening Activity · Writing With Joy Warm-Up
1 of 5Your Joy in Writing
What brings you joy when you write, or what could?
Joy in writing can be a great sentence, an idea that finally clicks, a song you play while drafting, or the feeling of finishing. Name one thing that has brought you joy (or that you want to bring you joy) in writing.
Today's Reading
Delf, L., Drummond, R., & Kelly, K. (2022). A dam good argument (1st ed.). Oregon State University. Focus: constructing and supporting claims, counterarguments, and analyzing persuasion.
Berea Writes! Handbook, Relevant Chapters
Read these handbook chapters alongside A Dam Good Argument to sharpen how you read, analyze, and build arguments.
Adams, S. & Nichols, A. (2025). Berea Writes! An Online Handbook for Learning & Inquiry.
Building a Claim
A strong claim is arguable, specific, and significant. It's not a fact or a feeling, it's a position a reasonable person could disagree with. A Dam Good Argument teaches that your claim should stake out ground worth defending.
Evidence & Support
Evidence earns your argument. Mix types, statistics, expert testimony, examples, and reasoning, and always explain how the evidence supports the claim, not just that it relates to the topic.
Counterargument
Anticipating the opposing view is a strength, not a weakness. Name the strongest objection fairly, then answer it. A Dam Good Argument calls this 'answering the opposition', it builds credibility and sharpens your own claim.
Analyzing Persuasion
Ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic) are the tools of persuasion. Analyze how other writers use them, then use them deliberately in your own argument.
Draft Your Working Claim
Try writing your essay's working claim below. A good claim is arguable, specific, and significant. Save it, you can come back and revise.
0 words
Table Activity · Pressure-Test a Claim
- Share your working claim with your table.
- Each peer asks one "how do you know?" question about your evidence.
- Together, name the strongest objection to the claim, then revise the claim so it answers that objection.
- Be ready to share your revised claim with the class.