Title: Competency Assessment: (CU2 M1) Identifying Claims
Course: SkillsCom WR 122 15.0 > Section: Credit Unit 2 Module 1 - Toulmin's Structure of Argument

Identifying Claims Assignment

Argument exists everywhere. Writers can choose to explicitly or implicitly state their views. It’s valuable to be able to identify a writer’s claim, and the type of claim, for any given piece so that we can understand how the evidence included works, too.

Locate a recent, opinionated review published in a reputable source. Examples would include film/movie reviews, reviews of recent technology, album reviews, book reviews, concert reviews, painting or sculpture exhibit reviews, graphic novel reviews, spoken word performance reviews, or other opinion- and fact-based reviews done by writers with the authority to speak on this time. Reviews posted on sale sites (like Amazon.com) generally won’t work for this assignment.

Evaluate the review’s major claim (or claims) using the Claims reading as a starting point. Then, write a paragraph where you discuss what the writer’s claim is, what type of claim (or claims) the writer is making, and why she or he holds this opinion.

You should choose one of the following types of claims:

- Claim about Fact (Definition): If someone is writing a review of a widget and declares that widget to be the fastest widget on the market, they have a claim about fact (something we can easily test and prove).
- Claim about Cause and Effect: If someone reviews a product and says that purchasing the product will make your life better/worse or change the way we all do something, they have a claim about cause and effect.
- Claim about Policy or Solution (Action): If a review asks readers to do something, it may have a claim about Policy. For example, if, after reviewing a video game, a reviewer suggests that warning labels should be placed on games like this to keep young children from playing, then that’s a call for action or change in policy.
- Claim about Values: If a review relies on the writer’s aesthetic view (their own personal interpretation of things or their own values of beauty, quality, etc.), then they have a claim about values. For instance, if I read a review of a new movie that claims it’s the best yet representation of a certain story and that all other stories should take cues from it about how to go forward, then I’m reading a claim about values (that we should all value this movie).