Find the Premises

Due: Sunday night at 11:59pm Mountain Time

In this assignment, you will examine sample arguments and identify the premises.

Before starting this assignment watch a brief video about what a podcast is (Links to an external site.).

Step 1: Consider the scenario:

You are the primary contributor for Low Cost Foodies, a nationally syndicated podcast specializing in the current affairs of the fast food industry. Listeners value the Low Cost Foodies for their insider knowledge and lighthearted banter. Your writing partners are out reporting for an upcoming episode and will not be able to help in the scripting process this week. Accordingly, you have been tasked with managing the entire script of this week's podcast on the premises and hidden premises in the fast food industry.

Step 2: Review assignment requirements.

Introduce the Low Cost Foodies audience to the concepts of premise and hidden premise. These can be found everywhere in the fast food industry, but it takes some understanding and careful attention to identify them. In a two-page (500-word) podcast script, composed of two separate segments, explore the notions of premise. In Segment 1, "Spot the Premise," identify the premise (or hidden premise) of each conclusion provided below. This information will be useful for Segment 2, "Defending the Premises," in which you provide a more in-depth analysis into the aforementioned conclusions.

Podcast Segment 1: Spot the Premise

• Everyone I know likes Chick-a-Cola. It must be really good!


• I can't believe the McDonald's VP is voting to cut employee benefits. He must be in the president's pocket.


• If a restaurant is crowded, then people love the menu. The restaurant is crowded. People must love the new menu.


• Industrialized cattle farms are immoral because they murder animals.


• The fast food industry is in turmoil. The poor economy has brought down consumer spending, so the fast food industry is going to collapse.

Podcast Segment 2: Defending the Premises

• Do the assumptions really support the conclusion? Why or why not?


• Identify which of the premises use deductive reasoning and which use inductive reasoning. What characteristics define deduction? What defines induction?


• How can assumptions inform the premise of an argument?


• Contrast the principal differences between explicitly expressed and tacitly implied premises. Which of the conclusions have explicitly expressed or tacitly implied premises?


• Explain the effect explicit and implicit assumptions have on the final conclusion.

Step 3: Write a podcast script.

Using the HUM330 podcast script template 

write a two-segment podcast script (500 words minimum) that meets the topical requirements listed in Step 1. Format your entry in the following manner:

• All podcast scripts should be contained within one document.


• Label each script with the segment title provided in the entry requirements.


• At the end of the script, cite the sources you used to complete it.

Remember, you are writing for a varied listening audience of fast food lovers. It is important that you exhibit superior knowledge of the subjects being covered while still packaging the materials in a way that is fun and engaging for the Low Cost Foodies audience. They should be excited to hear your podcast material. Follow these guidelines to further engage the listening audience:

• Use clear, concise sentences.


• Use clear and relatable real-world examples to help explain concepts.


• Use language intended for a listener as opposed to a reader. For example, avoid language such as "As you can see..."


• Share your enthusiasm and interest in the subject matter.


• Relate the material back to your own personal experience when possible.


• Read the entry out loud to yourself before finalizing it.

Step 4: When you have completed your assignment, save a copy for yourself in an easily accessible place.

Cite any sources in APA format.