Academic writing can be confusing to outsiders and newcomers. Often filled with abstractions, this style of writing can lose readers with all the pretense. Yet to succeed in college – and in many careers – people need to learn to express themselves effectively. The authors seek to demystify this task by showing readers how they can think about the forms of academic writing.
Primarily, the authors show readers how to integrate their perspective into a wider conversation of perspectives. Academic writers cite other authors with strong opinions (the “they say” piece), but they still voice their own opinion in stark terms (the “I say” piece). The authors don’t want new writers to drown in others’ perspectives and forget their own argument. They want communicators to integrate multiple perspectives to advance a compelling argument.
By using set formulas in writing filled with blanks to fill in with material, they show readers that academic writing isn’t all that difficult. Indeed, they teach every reader/writer – even those, like me, who have been around the bush for a while – how to think better and express themselves more clearly.
This work is centrally geared towards students of rhetoric at the beginning of their college careers. It’s a bestselling text primarily for that purpose. Yet anyone seeking to brush up on rhetoric can also benefit from reading this work. It’s filled with engaging examples that keep the pages turning and the thoughts sparking.
Communicating clearly and intelligently is a leadership skill in today’s world, and respectful rhetoric is a core competency to integrate with others. No one likes someone who just crams their own opinions down everyone’s throats; we prefer working with leaders who work with us. This book does just that, which is why rhetoric will always be an essential field of study.
They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing
By Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein
6th Edition
Copyright (c) 2024
WW Norton & Company
ISBN13 9781324070030
Page Count: 414
Genre: Writing, Education
www.amazon.com