A Lively Argument

by Travis Rocha

Christopher Newport is a small university compared to the D1 schools that have upwards of 20,000 students. Though, that doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of opinions on campus. The great thing about college is being exposed to all sorts of new people and ways of thinking. In my argumentation class, for the communication major, all of these opinions are unleashed in a glorious, spectacular way.

We spent the first half of the semester learning the basics of argument. This included theories, techniques and rhetorical devices that form good and bad arguments. It was incredibly informative and my peers and I learned a great deal of information. Though, personally, I’ve always been more of a hands-on learner. For the past few classes, we’ve now been in engaging in argument throughout the duration of the period. We discuss real, controversial topics that we have researched and studied. Everyone always definitely has a lot to say. That’s why I love the class though, we’re clearly passionate about our stances and that’s what makes the arguments so compelling.

It’s not enough to just study argument, you definitely have to get your hands dirty and give it a try if you ever want to come close to mastering it. We don’t really have winners or losers in the class, only arguments for their own sake. It’s all in good fun and I’m very happy to be learning in such an engaging and diverse environment like Christopher Newport.