5. Constructing and evaluating arguments

Constructing and Evaluating Arguments
The 100 & 200 Level [Comprehend/Recognize/Interpret/Apply]

Evaluate arguments based on the evidence the author selects and how effectively the author uses it.

Operations commonly required for this component

Possible Assessment Examples

a. Comprehend that historical arguments arise from questions asked about the past and produce answers based on primary sources and refined by debate with other historians.

a. Give students an excerpt coming from each a secondary and tertiary source. Have them list the differences

For detailed example, see Appendix 7

b. Produce simple arguments based on primary,  secondary,  and tertiary sources.

b. Ask students to list what they could and could not do with a tertiary source.

c. Recognize broad arguments about historical change, based on and supported by course materials.

c. Allow students to identify a major course theme (or themes) in a couple of paragraphs from a tertiary source.

d. Evaluate arguments based on the evidence the author selects and how effectively the author uses it.

d. Ask students to compare the same material as covered in two or three different textbooks or encyclopedias. Have them identify the "story" each one is telling.