- Description
- Testimonials
- Support
- About the Authors
- Specs
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Middle and high school students will argue (and sometimes quarrel), but they won’t argue well without good training. Students who complete The Art of Argument will know how to reason with clarity, relevance, and purpose . . . and have fun along the way! They will study and master 28 logical fallacies, which will provide an essential lifetime framework for filtering good and bad reasoning as well as writing and speaking effectively. This mastery of informal logic is a foundational subject by which other subjects are evaluated, assessed, and learned.
Compatible with our newly revised books, The Art of Argument Streaming Video (or 5-DVD Set) features 3 experienced logic teachers and 4 capable, engaged students discussing each fallacy presented in The Art of Argument Student Edition. Each video segment (approximately 15 minutes per lesson) features one fallacy, which is presented, defined, and then discussed and explored using a blend of enthusiasm, contemplation, and humor. Each discussion seeks to make a practical application of the fallacy to student life, advertisements, political speech, or various kinds of ethical and philosophical debates. The streaming option provides the convenience of instant access, as well as desktop, smart TV, and mobile viewing capabilities. For Homeschoolers, streaming access lasts for the life of the product. Returning school customers continue receiving streaming access at no annual cost when student editions are purchased by October 31st.
See our Support tab above for schedule recommendations. To see a sample fallacy discussion, click the Look Inside button on the image above. This sample segment features a discussion of the Straw Man fallacy—the fallacy of presenting your opponent’s argument in an unfair, inaccurate light.
Buying for a school? The Art of Argument video is a great tool for the classroom! It can be used as:
- a resource that will refresh and inspire the teacher
- a classroom resource for modeling and provoking discussion of the logical fallacies
- a substitute teacher when the regular teacher is away
- a resource for creating a summer school course
- a library item helpful to a struggling logic student or a curious parent
The Art of Argument video contains:
- More than 8 hours of content
- 28 videos—one for each fallacy contained in The Art of Argument text
- Fun outtakes, extras, and “logical” humor
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Published Reviews
- Cathy Duffy Reviews
- Hip Homeschool Moms
- Exodus Books
- Embracing Destiny
- Jimmie's Collage
- Finding Joy
- Accidentally Homeschooling . . . and Beyond
- Pebblekeeper
- Shut the Fridge
- Adventures in Home Education
Customer Testimonials
“My 6th-, 7th-, 9th-, and 10th-grade children have just finished The Art of Argument together. They loved the program material and the DVD lessons. We had fun, interesting, and educational discussions, and they love to spot fallacies in the rhetoric of the world around them! I cannot thank you enough for providing such strong materials for logic for our busy homeschool!” —Kristin K., homeschool mom and writing instructor
"Art of Argument not only teaches [students] how to think, it inspires them to engage thinking. In short, to think. A lot. It teaches a number of fallacies of thinking—in an interesting and effective way. I highly recommend them for any youth, parent and teacher who wants to boost their student's thinking ability. In fact, it is a great read for any adult." —Oliver DeMille, founder of Thomas Jefferson Education
"Working through The Art of Argument will hone your communication skills and allow you to identify fallacy in the messages being presented as 'truth,' as well as sharpen your communication skills. Even though this course could be used by a middle-school student for self-study, I’ve gotten a lot of benefit myself, going through the lessons." —Jean Hall, review for Eclectic Homeschool Association
“The Art of Argument is a thorough study of the fallacies, written in an organized, engaging manner. It is a great mix of instruction and application. I would highly recommend it for teaching logic.” —Kathy Gelzer, The Old Schoolhouse magazine
“We have been using The Art of Argument this year and my 12-year-old daughter has absolutely loved the curriculum. So much so that she claims that logic is her favorite subject.” —Ildiko, homeschool mom
"We did unit 1 of Art of Argument last year. We are doing unit 2 this year. We love the ads in AoA, which we then apply to real life advertisements.” —Paula, homeschool mom
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For placement recommendations and other questions, please see our FAQ page.
The Art of Argument Suggested Schedules (PDF)
The Art of Argument Errata (PDF) for version 8.0 and prior versions
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Joelle Hodge
Joelle Hodge holds a BA in history/political science from Messiah University in Grantham, Pennsylvania, and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Eastern University’s Templeton Honors College. She began her career as a staffer to United States Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa) before finding her professional home in the world of classical education in 1999. She has twenty years of classical education teaching experience. She has co-authored two logic books, The Art of Argument: An Introduction to the Informal Fallacies and The Discovery of Deduction: An Introduction to Formal Logic, both published by Classical Academic Press (CAP), and continues to support various editorial projects at CAP. Her primary focus is on supporting the growth and development of Classical Academic Press in her role as the Vice President of Operations, Sales and Marketing.
Prior to her current VP role, Joelle has also served CAP by helping to launch their online school, Scholé Academy, where she served as their Director for several years. As a consultant, she engages with educators across the country, tailoring workshops for classical schools and co-ops that seek to train their teachers in the fundamentals of dialectic- and rhetoric-stage pedagogy. In 2021, she was honored to become a Bluestocking in Residence through the Society For Women of Letters.
Aaron Larsen, DA
Aaron Larsen currently teaches history, Latin, logic, and rhetoric at Regents School of Charlottesville in Virginia. He previously taught at 2 classical schools in Pennsylvania. In 2001, Dr. Larsen joined a team led by Dr. Christopher Perrin and 2 other colleagues to help form Classical Academic Press. The motivation behind this endeavor was to produce exceptional Latin and logic curricula for the classical education movement. The first results of this collaboration included the publication of their logic text, The Art of Argument, and the 3-volume Latin for Children series. Aaron is also a coauthor of The Discovery of Deduction: An Introduction to Formal Logic and The Curious Historian series.
Aaron received his BA in history, with minors in philosophy and education, from Covenant College in Georgia. He completed his coursework for his DA in modern world history from St. John's University in New York and went on to write his doctoral thesis on the Meiji Restoration, which, as he likes to say, is "the most important event in world history that nobody's ever heard of."Dr. Christopher Perrin, MDiv, PhD
Dr. Christopher Perrin is an author, consultant, and speaker who specializes in classical education. He is committed to the renewal of the liberal arts tradition. He cofounded and serves full-time as the CEO/publisher at Classical Academic Press, a classical education curriculum, media, and consulting company. Christopher is also a consultant to charter, public, private, and Christian schools across the country. He serves on the board of the Society for Classical Learning and as the director of the Alcuin Fellowship of classical educators. He has published numerous articles and lectures that are widely used throughout the United States and the English-speaking world.
Christopher received his BA in history from the University of South Carolina and his MDiv and PhD in apologetics from Westminster Theological Seminary. He was also a special student in literature at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. He has taught at Messiah College and Chesapeake Theological Seminary, and served as the founding headmaster of a classical school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for ten years. He is the author of An Introduction to Classical Education, The Greek Alphabet Code Cracker, and Greek for Children, and the coauthor of the Latin for Children series, all published by Classical Academic Press.
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Grade Level: Grades 7-12
Course Length: Trimester, semester, or yearlong (to be used with the Art of Argument Student Edition)
Content Credit: 1/2 high school credit
ISBN: 9781600510632
Width: 5.5in
Height: 6.5in
Includes:- 5 DVDs (8+ hours of video)