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1. DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION
585 MANOOGIAN HALL
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
(313) 577‐2943 FAX (313) 577‐6300
COURSE SYLLABUS
Argumentation & Debate COM 2110, Section 001
Spring 2015
Instructor: John P. Koch
Course Time/Days: MW 10:30am to 1:20PM
Course Location: Manoogian 221
Instructor's Office Location: Manoogian 524
Instructor's Phone & Email Address: johnpkoch@wayne.edu
Instructor's Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 1:30 to 3:00
Course Description: This course is designed to make students more effective critical thinkers and
consumers of information and arguments. The course introduces students to fundamental
argumentation and reasoning concepts and asks students, in written argument briefs and in class
debate assignments, to apply different types of argumentation and refutation to defend their
positions and rebut oppositional arguments. This course also satisfies the university’s Critical
Thinking General Education Requirement and department major requirement.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course,
1. Students will be able to identify and evaluate types of arguments, inductive and deductive
reasoning processes, and logical fallacies in quizzes or examinations and in writing briefs
and participating in classroom debates.
2. Students will be able to use and organize evidence to support claims for and against a
proposed policy action in writing briefs and participating in classroom debates.
3. Students will be able to evaluate and rebut opposing students’ claims, evidence, and
reasoning in writing briefs and participating in classroom debates.
4. Students will be able to apply inductive and deductive reasoning and recognize logical
fallacies in writing briefs and participating in classroom debates.
Course Materials:
Ellis, Richard, et al. “Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American
Executive, 3rd Ed.”
Herrick, James. “Argumentation: Understanding and Shaping Arguments, 8th Ed.”

2. Occasional readings from the course Blackboard website (blackboard.wayne.edu)
Prerequisites: COM 1010 (Public Speaking) is a prerequisite for this course.
Activities/Assignments:
Class Organization: Each week we will cover various argumentative concepts. In addition,
most classes will feature a debate from the book “Debating the Presidency.” You must come
prepared to class having read from the Herrick book and ready to debate the topic from the
Ellis, et. al collection. Participation in these class‐wide debates is a substantial part of your
overall grade. Finally, there will be one two‐on‐two policy debate at the end of the semester,
with a topic to be chosen by your group, but focused in some way on presidential power.
Research Briefs: Briefs are this course’s equivalent of a research paper. They are a logical
outline with block quotations supporting each subpoint. These quotations are gathered in
your research of the topic for debate for the semester. You will complete one brief assignment,
for the side of the debate you are on for the final debate. No one will be permitted to participate
in the class debate unless they have first submitted their brief assignment.
Quizzes: There will be 2 quizzes during the course. You will receive study guides for them.
They will include a mix of multiple‐choice, listing and short‐answer questions.
Argument Analysis Paper: You will be asked to write a short 3‐4 page paper that analyzes the
arguments used to discuss some political or social controversy. You will be asked to describe
the arguments in terms of their claims, data, and warrants, and to assess the quality of the
arguments based on concepts discussed in the course.
Grading:
Points will be assigned based on the completion of the course assignments. Please use the following
area to record your grades.
Brief /75 Quiz 1 /50
Participation /175 Quiz 2 /50
Final Debate /100 Arg Analysis Paper /50
Total Grade /500
Students’ grades will be determined by the total number of points they earn on a 500 point scale. The
grade breakdown is as follows:
500‐468=A 415‐400=B‐ 349‐333=D+
467‐450=A‐ 399‐383=C+ 332‐300=D
449‐433=B+ 382‐368=C 299‐below=F
432‐416=B 367‐350=C‐
Incompletes: Incompletes are reserved for extraordinary circumstances such as
personal emergencies that can be documented. An incomplete is granted when in the
judgment of the instructor a student can successfully complete the work of the course

3. without attending regular class sessions. Incompletes, which are not converted to a letter
grade within one year, will automatically revert to an F (failing grade).
Withdrawing from Class: As of Fall, 2006 there are no longer W and X grades, students
who withdraw from a course after the end of the 4th week of class will receive a grade of
WP, WF, or WN.
• WP will be awarded if the student is passing the course (based on work due to date)
at the time the withdrawal is requested
• WF will be awarded if the student is failing the course (based on work due to date)
at the time the withdrawal is requested
• WN will be awarded if no materials have been submitted, and so there is no basis for
a grade
Students must submit their withdrawal request on‐line through Pipeline. The instructor
must approve the withdrawal request before it becomes final, and students should
continue to attend class until they receive notification via email that the withdrawal has
been approved. Students who stop attending but do not request a withdrawal, will receive
an automatic F (failing grade).
Make‐up Work and Extra Credit: Generally, it is not the policy of this instructor to allow
extra credit or make up work—you should concentrate on presenting the best possible
assignments and work when it is first presented.
However, if an event on campus occurs that is relevant to the course and is deemed by the
instructor to be worth attending, he may assign extra‐credit opportunities during the semester
to attend campus events or activities. If your work schedule prohibits the opportunity to attend
such events, an alternative assignment will be given for that extra‐credit.
Additionally, students may have an opportunity to earn extra‐credit by debating with a student
who needs a partner (e.g., we have an odd‐number of students in the course, someone dropped
the course, or someone is absent). If you put in equal or better effort in debating again for a
round of debates, you can earn up to a letter grade improvement in your debate grade for that
round of debates.
Grade Appeals: The college policy for appealing a final grade can be found at:
http://www.cfpca.wayne.edu/files/FinalGradeAppeal.pdf
Policy Statements
Attendance: The student is expected to attend all class meetings. This class requires student
participation to develop both practical and conceptual understanding of course material.
Non‐Debate/Exam Days: You are allowed two excused absences. Every additional absence after this
will result in a 5% (25 point) deduction in your overall grade. Arriving later than 1 hour after the
start of class will constitute an absence.
Absences for school activities or events, documented illnesses will be excused. You should notify me
the moment you know you will not be in class. The decision on what constitutes an excused or
unexcused absence will be left to the instructor.
Debate/Exam Days: There is a strict attendance requirement for all non‐lecture days. This includes
days when debates occur and examination days. If for any reason you are not able to take a test or
participate in a debate on the given day, you must notify me in writing or in person before that class

4. period. If you do not, you will not be allowed to makeup the test or debate. Debates cannot be made
up. If you are not debating on a given day, you are still expected to attend class on those days.
Arriving Late/Excessive Tardiness: It is highly disruptive to the class when students arrive late to
class. While this is annoying during regular class days, it’s completely unacceptable on days in which
debates are scheduled. We have approximately 35 students who all have to debate within a short
period of time. If you aren’t in class on time when you should be preparing to debate, you set back the
entire class. If you are scheduled to debate at a given time and you are late in arriving in time to
debate, you will receive a 10% reduction in your debate grade.
Late Assignments: Any written material associated with the speech is to be turned in the day it is
due. Any assignment turned in late or presented late will be reduced by 10 percent for each calendar
day (not class day) it is late. To prevent a serious reduction in your grade, be sure to turn in any late
assignment as soon as possible.
Blackboard: Some readings for the course will be made available on the course Blackboard website.
Call C&IT at (313) 577‐4778 if you have problems accessing Blackboard.
Cell Phones, Tablets, Laptops: I, like you, am a creature of the modern age and heavily depend on
cell phones and laptops to get by in my daily life. However, these technologies can create tremendous
disturbances in the classroom.
If you have a cell‐phone, tablet, laptop or any similar technology, the instructor expects you to turn
them off or put them on ‘silent” mode during class.
As for laptops, I encourage students to use these to help them take and organize their course notes.
HOWEVER, if a student is caught using laptops and wireless connections to instant message people,
check out websites, play games, etc. during class, the student will be prohibited from bringing laptops
to class.
Bottom line: I appreciate your needs for technology, but if it begins to disrupt the class, I will ask
you not bring these technologies with you in class.
Disabilities: If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, you will need to
register with Student Disability Services (SDS) for coordination of your academic accommodations.
The Student Disability Services (SDS) office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library
in the Student Academic Success Services department. SDS telephone number is 313‐577‐1851 or
313‐577‐3365 (TDD only). http://studentdisability.wayne.edu/services/index.php
Once you have your accommodations in place, I will be glad to meet with you privately during my
office hours to discuss your special needs. Student Disability Services’ mission is to assist the
university in creating an accessible community where students with disabilities have an equal
opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at Wayne State University.
Please be aware that a delay in getting SDS accommodation letters for the current semester may
hinder the availability or facilitation of those accommodations in a timely manner. Therefore, it is in
your best interest to get your accommodation letters as early in the semester as possible. (Provide a
deadline date for submission if you wish)
Plagiarism/Academic Dishonesty: Materials that are clearly not the student's own work or which
are not appropriately documented will be subjected to close scrutiny. All acts of academic dishonesty
including cheating and plagiarism will be treated as violations of appropriate student conduct and
will be subject to disciplinary action. The University Due Process Policy can be found at:
http://doso.wayne.edu/student‐conduct/Academic_Integrity.html.

5. Acts of plagiarism will result in automatic failure of the assignment in question. Severity of the
plagiarism may result in additional actions, including a request that the incident be placed on your
academic record. University due process procedures will be followed.
Religious Observances: It is Wayne State’s policy to respect the faith and religious obligations of
students, faculty and staff. Students with exams or classes that conflict with their religious
observances should notify me well in advance so that we can work out a mutually agreeable
alternative.
Tolerance for Fellow Students’ Opinions: This is an argumentation and debate class. Some of the
examples and issues we will discuss are purposefully controversial. As a result, I expect to hear
difference in opinions and several perspectives. Please be respectful of the opinions and thoughts of
your fellow students, whether you agree with them or not. Additionally, I also ask that you do not
needlessly “argue for argument’s sake” in class in hopes that it will score points with the instructor.
The purpose of class discussion is to illustrate concepts and apply them to practical situations.