Week 7 writing

Discussion Board assignments should include 3 posts: 1 original post by(250-300 words) and at least 2 responses to classmates (100 – 150 words). Late posts are not accepted.

To receive full credit, your posts should demonstrate:

• clear understanding of the topic with relevant reference to this week’s course content and your own life experience
• in-depth analysis through original insight, well-developed ideas, and meaningful connections
• active, professional, and collaborative engagement that moves the discussion forward

Prompt:

1. Share a lesson you learned from this week’s readings and how you can apply that lesson when you write a professional, persuasive letter to a person in authority.
2. Based on the textbook’s types of arguments (categorical, causal, definitional) and types of faulty reasoning (circular reasoning, hasty generalization, red herring), which types do you often or typically use? Give examples from your social, academic, or work life.

Read about critical thinking and writing arguments.

Terryberry, K. (2017). Writing for the health professions (2nd ed.). XanEdu.

• Terryberry “Critical Thinking and Reading” and “Assessing Your Own Work” p. 135–138
• Terryberry Ch 8 Writing the Argument – whole chapters

student response 1

One of the lessons that resonated with me the most during this week’s reading was the concept of having clear and focused thoughts. I feel that urgency can be conveyed in writing and the reader can sense that as well. It is important that your writing is deliberate and well thought out prior to submitting. Analyzing your writing by reading it out loud is an exercise that I have found particulary helpful. In my personal experience, I sometimes find that I am rushing my writing or assignments and must do double the work to correct my hasty submissions. The reading helped to reinforce that rushed work is not beneficial to the reader or myself. As Terryberry (2005) mentioned, the best writing does not come from pure intelligence, rather it comes deliberate practice and skills developed over time.

In my daily practice a very common example of a causal argument followed by a hasty generalization is that of sugar and oral health. Since elementary school, we have been educated on the correlation between sugar consumption and decay. While a substantiated causal argument, it has led to the hasty generalization that sugar causes all disease in the mouth. Many times my patients have said to me, “my gums bleed, but I don’t eat any candy.” They are under the assumption that, because sugar can cause decay, it must cause all oral disease. This is a hasty generalization that is very common in dentistry. Another common example is “my tooth hurts, I must have a cavity.” While decay can sometimes hurt, pain in teeth can be caused by fractures, infections, or root exposure among other things. There may not be any decay at all and yet, the tooth can be very symptomatic. Many hasty generalizations in dentistry make it particulary challenging to educate patients.

Terryberry, K. (2005). Writing for the Health Professions (1st ed.). Delmar Cengage Learning. https://www-r2library-com.ezproxymcp.flo.org/Resource/Title/1401841929

student #2

Persuasive letters aim to sway the reader’s thoughts and actions toward the writer’s perspectives, interests, or issues. To increase security near your shop, you may want to write a persuasive letter to the city officials to fix the streetlight. To make an effective persuasive letter, start by brainstorming the key points you want to make and explain why they matter. Also, you should consider any counterarguments that might be raised against your request. For example, if you are writing a letter regarding a broken streetlight, you can mention specific incidents that have happened due to it. It is essential to use simple, clear, and concise sentences when writing your letter. Begin with your main points in the opening statements and emphasize the importance of your request. By doing so, you can increase the chances of your letter being well-received and achieving its intended purpose. Moreover, it is crucial to maintain a friendly, polite, and factual tone while avoiding emotional and judgmental language. Be open to compromise and end with a persuasive statement to increase the chances of your request being accepted. The city may not be able to fulfill your request, but they could suggest an alternative solution that meets your needs.

I use a casual argument often in my daily life. A causal argument is an argument that aims to explain how a particular problem came about by identifying its cause. Reasoning is the process of using common sense and rational thinking to reach a conclusion, often answering a how or why question. Logical reasoning can lead to better outcomes. The other day, I felt dizzy while at the clinic, which was due to dehydration. After identifying the cause of my problem, I took a break and drank some water to resolve it. I believe that by seeking assistance from a writing center, I would be able to improve the quality of my final paper and make it more polished. Those are a few examples of casual argument and logical reasoning.

Faulty reasoning occurs when a conclusion is drawn without proper support from the data. With the increasing influence of social media, patients often ask whether flossing is harmful to their teeth and gums or if the root canal procedure is toxic to humans. In such cases, it is essential to caution them about relying solely on online information,å as social media posts may not always be based on scientific evidence. It is crucial to present scientific evidence based on peer-reviewed research to enable individuals to make informed decisions about their dental health.

References

Terryberry, K. (2017). Writing for the Health Professions, 2nd ed. Faculty & Staff Books. https://digitalcommons.daemen.edu/faculty_books/4