Generalizing

I found the concept of generalizing in chapter 14 to be both interesting and useful. The chapter explained that we generalize when we conclude a claim about about a group, the population, from a claim about some part of it, the sample. When one generalizes, they are making an argument. The term generalization was also defined in this section. It is the general claim that is the conclusion. This term can also be used to describe the entire argument. Inductive evidence was also explained in this section. Inductive evidence for the generalization is the plausible premises about the sample. The only way we can determine if a generalization is good is to see it as an argument. The examples in the section were very helpful and they allowed me to better understand generalizing. An example that was given showed that just because a study taken in one city shows that people are not satisfied with a type of SUV, it does not mean that people everywhere are not satisfied with their SUV's.

Favorite and Least Favorite Things About Class

Overall, I feel that this class was very informative and interesting. One of my favorite things about this class was the fact that it was available online. This was my first online class and I enjoyed having the luxury of being able to have an online class. Another one of my favorite things about this class was the textbooks that we used. I found both of the textbooks to be very helpful. They both explained concepts in great detail and they provided excellent examples that helped me grasp the concepts. Another thing I enjoyed about this class was that all of the students were able to view their classmates blogs and share comments with them. This helped me look at some of the concepts in a different way and understand them better. One of my least favorite things about this class was that we had to post on our blogs twelve hours apart. Another one of my least favorite things about the class was that we never had the chance to meet up as a class and discuss the concepts we were learning about. One way I think this class can be improved is by removing the time restrictions on the blog posts.

What I Have Learned

I have learned so many new concepts this semester. Some things that stood out to me this semester were arguments, fallacies, counterarguments, claims, repairing arguments, and how to effectively communicate within groups. Arguments were a very interesting area to me. I learned that the basic definition of an argument is, "an attempt to convince someone, using language, that a claim is true." This section definitely taught how to write better arguments. I also learned a lot about counter arguments in this class. A counter argument is basically refuting an argument. I learned about the different ways to write a counter argument. Fallacies were also one of the most interesting things I learned about in this class. There are so many different fallacies that I learned about. In the future I will be able to avoid fallacies in my writing. The different types of claims that I learned about were also interesting. I learned a lot about general claims and concealed claims. I also learned techniques for repairing arguments which are very useful. The Group Communication book taught me a lot of information too. I learned how to effectively communicate in small groups and organizations. I also learned about the importance of leadership and decision making in groups and teams. I can use many of the skills I learned from this class in the future.