Short description:

In this volume leading composition scholars consider the ways in which argumentation as an approach to teaching writing remains valuable - in spite of the challenge presented by postmodern theories.

The book first explains the traditional approaches to argument - the enthymeme, evidence, Toulmian, Rogerian and classical rhetoric - and illustrates why they are of particular relevance today. The contributors then `redefine' argument by connecting it with theoretical movements that have been adverse to it - feminism, narratology and reflexive reading. As a result, the book unites apparently conflicting approaches into a new definition of argument that emphasizes inquiry over discord and understanding over entrenched difference

Long description:

Does traditional argument still have a place in the composition classroom? How can the process of argument be used productively by students? In this edited volume, some of the leading composition scholars today consider the ways in which argumentation as an approach to teaching writing remains valuable, in spite of the postmodern theories of composition that have challenged its relevance. First, the contributors "revisit" and explain the traditional approaches to argument--enthymeme, evidence, Toulmian, Rogerian, and classical rhetoric--and show why they are more relevant today than ever. They then "redefine" argument by connecting it with theoretical movements that have been adverse to it--feminism, narratology, and reflexive reading. As a result, the book unites apparently conflicting approaches into a new definition of argument that emphasizes inquiry over discord and understanding over entrenched difference. Argument Revisited, Argument Redefined enables compositions scholars and teachers to incorporate argumentative inquiry more effectively into the classroom, and demonstrates that argument as a genre and as a process can still serve students well. This unparalleled volume will be of use to professors and researchers in written communication, rhetoric, linguistics and communication.

Table of Contents:

Introduction - Barbara Emmel, Paula Resch, and Deborah Tenney
ARGUMENT REVISITED
The Reasoned Thesis - John T Gage
The E-Word and Argumentative Writing as a Process of Inquiry
Evidence as a Creative Act - Barbara Emmel
An Epistemology of Argumentative Inquiry
The Toulmin Model of Argument and the Teaching of Composition - Richard Fulkerson
Rogerian Rhetoric - Doug Brent
Ethical Growth through Alternative Forms of Argumentation
Classical Rhetoric - Jeanne Fahnestock and Marie Secor
The Art of Argumentation
ARGUMENT REDEFINED
Positioning Oneself - Pamela J Annas and Deborah Tenney
A Feminist Approach to Argument
Principles for Propagation - Judith Summerfield
On Narrative and Argument
The `Argument of Reading' in the Teaching of Composition - Mariolina Salvatori
The Argument of Reading - David Bartholomae