Making Counterclaims

We've spent some time thinking about the debate questions (should minors have to notify their parents in order to receive sexual health services), and we've also done some research and found some sources on both sides of the issue.

Now, we're going to practice making counterclaims.

A counterclaim is some point that can be made to go against the argument that is being made.

For example:

Argument: The Pittsburgh Steelers are the greatest football team of all time.  They have won six Superbowls and have the highest number of hall of fame inductees of all NFL franchises.

Counterclaim: While they have won six Superbowls, only two of them have been within the last 25 years, while the Patriots have won four Superbowls since 2001.

Your Task:

You are going to go back through the articles that you and your classmates found last week and create counterpoints to those articles.

You do not need to agree with the counterclaim that you are making.  Part of being good at debate is being able to argue for both sides, even the side you disagree with personally.

To do this, you should:
1. Make sure you have logged into the blog by clicking "Sign In" in the upper right corner and following the instructions.
2. Go to one of the two sites where we've been putting our sources:

         - Arguments In Favor of Parental Notification

         - Arguments Against Parental Notification

3. Choose an article to write a counterclaim for.
4. Reply to the original comment by clicking "Reply"
5. Write "Counterclaim:" and then explain the counterclaim that you are making.
6. Remember, this isn't personal.  It's not about what you believe, it's about making arguments.

The more counterclaims you produce the better your grade will be.  Also, the quality of your writing matters.  Don't just flood the page with counterclaims that don't make sense.  Those won't count.