Directions:  In the appropriate conference on our class Discussion Board (Your Group; Counterarguments), propose counterarguments to refute your peers' arguments, and then defend your own arguments.

Post
In Your Group; Counterarguments, briefly summarize the arguments your presented in your most recent paper.

Response

On the discussion groups page, look for the two people directly below your name.*  Go to the Counterarguments conference, and look for their arguments section.  I'd suggest either printing it out, or at least copying it into your word processor.

Respond to their post. In that post, do your best to refute their arguments.  You can either:

• Use the techniques in the counterarguments lecture, or
• Bring up new arguments in opposition to the thesis.

Remember, your job is to strengthen their argument by bringing up potential opposition.  Be polite, be tactful, but do your level best to shoot their arguments down.  (Special note: yes, even if you think they're right.  It may set Plato spinning in his grave, but good rhetoricians can develop arguments on any position.  And if the counterarguments you're proposing distress you, just remember that you're doing this to make the arguments you do support stronger).

*If either of those people do not have a draft posted, just move down to the next person who does.  

Follow-up:
(Note: this does not have to be posted.  It is entirely for your benefit.)

So, now that you're good and mad about the opposition, defend yourself!

(Actually, first take a deep breath and remember that I instructed these people to shoot you down, 'kay?  Repeat after me: it is not personal.  It is not personal.  Good.  Now defend yourself.)

Find the posts arguing against your arguments, and refute their arguments.  Again, look at the counterarguments lecture.  Your three best bets are to:

• Attack the factual basis of the counterargument.
• Attack the comparative importance of the counterargument.
• Attack the logic of the counterargument.
• Attack the relevance of the counterargument.