argument52[AWER小组] 求拍

JasonDoveUID: 2322013

TOPIC: ARGUMENT52 - The following appeared in a memo to the human resources manager at Baobob Inc., a large architectural firm.

"Several well-known, retired architects were interviewed in Architecture Today about changes in the field. Only one had earned a college degree in architecture. All others had come into the field at an early age by serving apprenticeships that required them to work under the direct supervision of an experienced architect. Several of the colleges that we recruit from report that many promising architecture students leave school early in their undergraduate career. Therefore, because finding talented architecture graduates is becoming more difficult, Baobob Inc. should start an aggressive apprenticeship program and hire students who express an interest in architecture directly out of high school rather than wait for them to get out of college."
WORDS: 501          TIME: 00:30:00          DATE: 2008/3/8 9:11:21

In this argument, the author concludes that Baobob Inc. should adopt an apprenticeship program and hire students who are interested in architecture out of high school rather than wait for them to get out of college. It is well-presented but not well-reasoned. There are several facets that are questionable in the argument. I will discuss them in turn.

First and foremost, the evidence that only one of the well-known retired architects earned a college degree in architecture and all others came in to the field at an early age by serving apprenticeships does not mean that apprenticeship programs would be beneficial for Baobob Inc. Only the situations of several well-known retired architects may not represent the general situation. It is possible that more other well-known retired architects earned college degrees in architecture. Moreover, even if these several well-known retired architects' situation is representative enough, it would only indicate that the serving apprenticeship is effective at the time when these retired architects were in high schools or colleges. How about now? No evidence is offered by the author. Perhaps, most students in architecture would like to earn college degrees and they are more popular than those who do not earn their college degrees.

Secondly, the report of several colleges is not reasonable to illustrate that the aggressive apprenticeship program would be beneficial for Baobob Inc. The report of only several colleges may not be representative enough to reveal the situations of all colleges. Perhaps, in other colleges, architecture students prefer earning their college degrees to leaving college in their undergraduate careers. Further, students' leaving these colleges does not equal to their enrolling in the apprenticeship programs. A myriad of other reasons my caused their leaving. It is possible that their reason for leaving is the notorious reputations of these colleges or their moving to other places. So, the report of the several colleges is not a convincing evidence to indicate that Baobob Inc. should start an aggressive apprenticeship program.

Finally, even if the foregoing evidence can prove that more architecture students would like to enroll in apprenticeship programs rather than earn their degree in architect, the author's claim that they should hire students who are interested in architecture directly out of high school is still questionable. Generally, high schools do not educate students in profession. So, how can a student without any background knowledge in architecture being an apprentice? I am afraid they might not be helpful to the experience architects and might learn things slowly. In addition, only interests in architecture cannot guarantee that one is suitable for the apprenticeship program. I am afraid not.

In sum, the author fails to substantiate his conclusion that Baobob Inc. should adopt the aggressive apprentice programs rather than wait for graduates to get their college degree in architecture, because the evidence in the analysis does not lend strong support to what the author maintains. If the author provides more information with regard to architecture students’ tendency toward earning college degrees and enrolling in the apprentice programs, this argument would become more convincing.