At the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, a new class will be offered at Leesville: Argument and Theory Honors. If enough students sign up for the class, Amy Wedge, English teacher, will most likely teach the course.
However, Speech I is a recommended prerequisite for the course, as “one will need to have a knowledge of argumentation and debate, … self-confidence, speaking and listening skills that are developed in Speech I,” said Wedge. In Speech I, students focus on building confidence and learn the basics of debate.
The course is designed as an honors class that will develop student’s abilities to formulate arguments, as well as learn about the history of argument and theories that relate to argumentation. “The Argument and Theory class will be exploring language, and how to formulate arguments, and to analyze other arguments,” said Wedge.
Argument and Theory will be an important part of fulfilling Wake County Public School System’s “4 C’s” program. The program “define[s] and communicate[s] standards for Collaboration, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking,” according to their website.
“Students should take this course because it will develop critical thinking skills, communication skills, [and] understanding that there is two sides to every issue. [As well as learning] to respect and appreciate different voices, to respect and appreciation language, diction, and how that can be used to formulate an argument,” said Wedge.
