IdEnTIFyIng TyPEs oF ClAIms 61make assertions that require support. After all, how do the Sadkers know
these things? Whether or not readers are persuaded by these claims
depends on the evidence or reasons that the authors use to support them.
We discuss the nature of evidence and what constitutes “good reasons”
later in this chapter.■ (^) Identify Claims of policy
A claim of policy is an argument for what should be the case, that a
condition should exist. It is a call for change or a solution to a problem.
Two recent controversies on college campuses center on claims of
policy. One has activists arguing that universities and colleges should
have a policy that all workers on campus earn a living wage. The other has
activists arguing that universities and colleges should have a policy that
prevents them from investing in countries where the government ignores
human rights.
Claims of policy are often signaled by words like should and must:
“For public universities to live up to their democratic mission, they must
provide all their workers with a living wage.” Myra and David Sadker
make a claim of policy when they assert that “educational sexism” must be
eradicated; otherwise, they point out, “more than half our children will be
shortchanged and their gifts lost to society” (para. 2).
Not all writers make their claims as explicitly as the Sadkers do, and
it is possible that claims of fact may seem like interpretive claims as they
are based on the inferences we draw from evidence. Thus, it is the writer’s
task to make a distinction between a claim of fact and interpretation with
sufficient evidence. But you should be able to identify the three different
types of claims. Moreover, you should keep in mind what the situation is
and what kind of argument can best address what you see as a problem.
Ask yourself: Does the situation involve a question of fact? Does the situ-
ation involve a question of value? Does the situation require a change in
policy? Or is some combination at work?
Steps to Identifying Claims
■^1 ask: Does the argument assert that a problem or condition has
existed, exists, or will exist? If so, it’s a claim of fact.
■^2 ask:^ Does the argument express an evaluation of a problem or
condition that has existed, exists, or will exist? If so, it’s a claim
of value.
■^3 ask:^ Does the argument call for change, and is it directed at some
future action? If so, it’s a claim of policy.
03_GRE_5344_Ch3_055_079.indd 61 11/19/14 11:06 AM
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