This one is slightly more complicated, so read the prompt carefully!
For composition 3, you’ll be writing about a false narrative described by Levitt and Dubner in Freakonomics Chapter 3 or 4, and incorporating evidence from a current false narrative that you identify from outside of the book.
What’s a false narrative? Any story about a person, group, or topic that isn’t true but is widely believed anyway. In chapters 3 and 4, Levitt and Dubner use the term “conventional wisdom” to help explain them.
First, you’ll make a choice: which of the following prompts do you want to answer for your essay?
Option 1, Chapter 2: What were the main logical fallacies used to perpetuate and support the false narratives about drug dealers in the 1980s and 90s?
Option 2, Chapter 3: What were the main logical fallacies used to perpetuate and support the false narrative about the sudden drop in violent crime in the 1990s?
No matter what option you select, you’ll use direct quotes from the chapter to support your claims, and identify at least 3 major logical fallacies that were used to help create, support, or perpetuate the false narratives.
Fallacies can be used individuals, groups, most of society, or even the authors themselves; make sure you can clearly explain who is using each fallacy and why.
Here’s how it might look:
The false narrative of X being good for you was mostly created by Y, who used fallacies M and P to make sure they didn’t lose customers.
Your intro will introduce the chapter of Freakonomics you’re focusing on and the basic idea of fallacies.
Your thesis statement will explain which fallacies were used to create, perpetuate, or support the false narrative from the chapter.
you can use more fallacies in your supporting points, but make sure you focus on 3 – 5.
Your body paragraphs will include topic sentences that introduce each of your supporting points, evidence from the Chapter (quotes) and the false narrative you identify from current events (quotes and detailed descriptions).
Your conclusion will restate your thesis, review the best evidence, and look to the future/explain the stakes or consequences.
Quick FAQ:
Can I use both chapters for my essay? Yes! if you use both chapters instead of just one, consider using only two fallacies as the most important to all the narratives.
What do you mean by “a current false narrative that you identify from outside of the book”? I mean a story about a person, group, or topic that is being told but is factually false; for example, “the earth is flat.” To use this in your essay, find an article, a tweet (or other social media post), or a video that tries to perpetuate this false narrative. Then explain why this example you found used the same fallacies that you identified in the book.
Approximately 5 pages (1200 – 1600 words)
Follow MLA rules (Links to an external site.) for basic format, in-text citations, and works cited page (you need to cite the ads that you use in your essay on your works cited page)
Use at least 5 direct quotes from the chapter.
Clearly identify and analyze the incentive(s) used.
+ please do let me know which chapter Are you going to use because I need it for my class discussion.
+ I want to request a rough draft by July 13.
Make sure you include:
A. a clear thesis statement (you can make changes to it later) that answers the question from the prompt you selected.
B. a brief analysis of one or more stories from Chapter 3 and/or 4, including quotes and a claim about how one or more logical fallacies helps perpetuate or support the false narrative.
C. make a connection to another false narrative that you discovered in our current culture
+no table
pdf book: http://christophe.heintz.free.fr/bgt/Freakonomics__A_Rogue_Economist_Explores_the_Hidden_Side_of_Everything__Revised_and_Expanded_.pdf
