Instruction
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning
An important skill in science is to be able to make a claim, support that claim with evidence, and explain
why that evidence supports the claim. Equally important is identifying claims, evidence, and reasoning in
the work product of others, as it helps us truly understand what the author/filmmaker is saying, and if the
author/filmmaker is making valid arguments.
analyze the information presented one of the
documentaries: “What the Health”, . After
viewing the film)s), you must identify five claims that were made in the course of the documentary. For
each claim, you should be able do the following:
1. State the claim. Also, identify the nature of the claim as either a fact claim, a value claim or a
policy claim.
2. Identify the evidence. What evidence does the filmmaker use to support the claim? Choose
claims backed up by more than one piece of evidence. Be sure to classify the source of the
information as primary, secondary or tertiary and evaluate the strength of the evidence
accordingly (see back).
3. Evaluate the evidence and explain if and how the evidence supports the claim.
4. Draw a conclusion about the veracity of the claim based on the presented evidence. That is,
describe whether it is sufficient to support the claim or if there Is there conflicting evidence.
Also, describe what additional evidence would need to be provided for the claim to be fully
supported if appropriate.
For this exercise, you must construct an argumentative essay, synthesizing your findings based on these
five claims and the supporting evidence therein associated. Your essay should include both a thesis
statement and an overall conclusion that clearly evaluate the filmmakers use of claims and arguments.
While this may be somewhat subjective, your analysis of the claims and supporting evidence should not.
Accordingly, the bulk of your grade will be based on the latter; please refer to the grading rubric posted on
Blackboard for more details. The essay is due on October 16 by 11:59 pm and MUST be uploaded via
Blackboard.
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources
Primary Sources
These sources are records of events or evidence as they are first described or actually happened without any
interpretation or commentary. It is information that is shown for the first time or original materials on which
other research is based. Primary sources display original thinking, report on new discoveries, or share fresh
information.
Examples of primary sources:
Theses, dissertations, scholarly journal articles (research based), some government reports, symposia
and conference proceedings, original artwork, poems, photographs, speeches, letters, memos,
personal narratives, diaries, interviews, autobiographies, and correspondence.
Secondary Sources
These sources offer an analysis or restatement of primary sources. They often try to describe or explain
primary sources. They tend to be works which summarize, interpret, reorganize, or otherwise provide an
added value to a primary source.
Examples of Secondary Sources:
Textbooks, edited works, books and articles that interpret or review research works, histories,
biographies, literary criticism and interpretation, reviews of law and legislation, political analyses
and commentaries.
Tertiary Sources
These are sources that index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources. Some reference
materials and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or
simply repackage ideas or other information. Tertiary sources are usually not credited to a particular author.
Examples of Tertiary Sources:
Dictionaries/encyclopedias (may also be secondary), almanacs, fact books, Wikipedia, bibliographies
(may also be secondary), directories, guidebooks, manuals, handbooks, and textbooks (may be
secondary), indexing and abstracting sources.