Argument Analysis 2

The following is a memo from the principal of Academia High School.

"Academia High School should abolish its after-school performing-arts programs and replace them with computer-technology programs. When nearby Techno High School did so last year, total enrollment in all of its after-school activities remained about the same. Moreover, on entering college, many Techno students chose a major directly related to their after-school activities. On the other hand, last year only 10 percent of Academia's graduating seniors chose performing arts as their major field of study in their first year of college, clearly indicating that most students do not have a strong interest in the performing arts."

My response:

The memo concludes that Academia High should abolish its after-school performing arts program and replace them with computer-technology programs. The principle/writer of the memo supports his argument by referencing anecdotal evidence of another school who has adopted the suggested abolishment as well as the small percentage of Academia graduating seniors choosing performing arts as a college major. The argument presented is weak and unconvincing for it contains a number of inconclusive assumptions. I will analyze the assumptions as below.

Turning to the first anecdotal evidence, the principal of Academia High pointed out that of Techno High School's total enrollment in all its after school activities remained the same after abolishing their after school performing arts program. The memo failed to mention the actual numbers and hard statistics of Techno High's total enrollment. Instead, they referenced the enrollment level vaguely, leading the readers to the belief that the total enrollment statistics was a positive one. However there are factors to be considered. What was the actual number of enrollment of students in relation to the entire population of the school? Were there only a few students that enrolled in the after school programs, thus undermining the effectiveness of the abolishing the performing arts program? To convince me of the effectiveness of abolishing the after school performing arts program, the principal would need to show me that actual statistics of Techno High's enrollment was a positive one.

Secondly, the memo points to the evidence that many Techno High students chose a major related to their after school activities upon entering college. The argument rests on the assumption that Techno's students' choice of major is directly caused by their choice of after school activities, rather than any other reasons. A student's choice of major could be caused by employment trends where many potential employers are hiring students studying technology-based majors, thus influencing their decision Also, the memo did not mention which the sample size of the study or where the study was conducted. If the study was only conducted on one college in one specific region, it might produce results that are insufficient to draw a definite conclusion on. Besides, even if the abolishment of performing arts program does prove to be successful at Techno High, the same success cannot be guaranteed for Academia High.

Looking at the final evidence presented by the memo. The principal references the small percentage of Academia's graduating seniors choosing performing arts as their major, inferencing that most students do not have an interest in the performing arts. This assumption is full of loopholes. This study was only conducted on the sample of first-year college students, not taking into consideration the possibility of students switching majors in their later years. Not only that, the study did not mention the number of students who were doing double majors; it did not mention if there were any students who did both performing arts and some other major as a choice. That percentage is not sufficient enough to indicate that there is a relation between Academia's student major of choice and their interest in performing arts.

In sum, the argument presented is weak. The argument is the result of a huge speculation in which the principal has comfortably assumed a considerable amount of data. Had the principal taken the above discussed factors into view, it would have rendered the argument irrefutable. But whatever presented fails to provide a holistic picture to the superfluous claims being made.