When you developed your skills in Analyzing Arguments, you learned how to take an argument apart and examine each of its components. You also learned how to label the parts of an argument and rate them for their strength or effectiveness. Now it's time to build on these skills and make reasoned arguments on your own. If you apply to graduate school or law school, you will likely have to write an essay that presents a reasoned argument as part of the admissions process. But regardless of what direction your future takes, the ability to make strong and effective arguments is an important skill that you will use often.

Here is a common problem that you may identify with:

You really love your parents, but it seems that every time you try to talk to them, the conversation turns into a shouting match. The way you see it, you are an adult who is quite capable of deciding how much sleep you need, when you need to be home, what to eat, and so on, but to your parents, you are still their "baby." Using what you have learned in psychology class about family relations and communication, you conclude that a few sessions with a family therapist would help you and your parents work out better ways of communicating, thinking, and feeling. But there is a problem: your parents "don't believe in that therapy stuff."