I hear this all the time- people say “Oh, there’s no point in arguing because both sides just dig their heels in and come out more ingrained in whatever they believed in in the first place.” That is true for a lot of how we argue, but that’s not the way it has to be. In this course, we’ll look at how to argue with friends in a respectful manner. We’ll examine how to persuade, how to build your own case, how to spot logical fallacies, and how to gently show someone when they’re wrong. I will encourage lots of discussion and practice in each of my classes.

Class 1: Persuasion. In this class, we will discuss how to conduct an argument. We’ll take a look at psychology and charisma to see the kind of debaters we should be and how conducting an argument with respect and integrity leads to fruitful conversations, not tense ones.

Class 2: Logic and stating your case. In this class, we’ll delve into inductive and deductive reasoning. We’ll look at how to build an argument and do some fun logic puzzles and games. Then we’ll explore how to properly build an argument.

Class 3: Logical Fallacies part 1. In this class, we’ll learn about common logical fallacies, how to spot them, and how to explain to someone when they’ve made one. Then we’ll play a game to see who has the sharpest fallacy eye.

Class 4: Logical Fallacies part 2. We continue to look at more common fallacies with games and activities.

Class 5: Cross Examination. This class will focus on a difficult but very effective persuasion technique: asking questions to get your opponent to see their own mistakes. We will talk about the importance of it, look at some examples, and practice.