William T. FitzGerald Volume 3 Chapter Description Exposure to rhetorical figures, once central to writing pedagogy, has largely fallen out of favor in composition. This chapter reintroduces today’s students to the stylistic possibilities of figures of speech, drawing on an analogy to figure skating to illustrate how writing communicates with an audience through stylistic moves. […]
Writing with Force and Flair Read More »
Kerry Dirk Volume 1 Chapter Description In this chapter, I introduce students to genres as rhetorical responses to reoccurring or similar situations. After defining genre in the context of rhetoric and composition scholarship, I use examples from popular culture, discussion from contemporary scholars, and personal experience to show students how genre awareness requires a rhetorical
Rebecca Jones Volume 1 Chapter Description Public argument has been compromised by either/or argumentation strategies characterized by Lakoff and Johnson through the metaphor, “argument is war.” This essay discusses the blocks to ethical argumentation and offers three models: classical rhetoric, Toulmin, and pragma-dialectics that provide theoretical and practical methods for recognizing and inventing good arguments.
Finding the Good Argument OR Why Bother with Logic? Read More »
Laura Bolin Carroll Volume 1 Chapter Description Students are digital natives who spend their days saturated in rhetorical messages that they have learned to decode quite well – for example, they can easily size up an instructor within moments of walking into the classroom. As students look at various messages from fashion advertising to political
Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis Read More »
Alex Reid Volume 2 Chapter Description Blogging offers unique opportunities for first year composition writers to develop personal motivations and rewards for writing. This chapter will help you encourage students to find an approach to the unique rhetorical features of blogging as a genre. Students may need detailed assistance as they get started in the
Why Blog? Searching for Writing on the Web Read More »
Steve Krause Volume 2 Chapter Description During the research process, many first year writing students can become attached to their rhetorical positions which suggests an involvement in projects that help students learn and grow as researchers. However, if student researchers explore their stance at the exclusion of other viewpoints, they unintentionally limit their understanding of
On the Other Hand: The Role of Antithetical Writing in First Year Composition Courses Read More »
Janet Boyd Volume 2 Chapter Description Rather than merely define rhetoric and provide examples, this chapter asks students to participate in playful exercises that revolve around a hypothetical murder. While the facts remain the same, the rhetorical situations vary: you can invite your students to write as if they are detectives, coroners, eulogists, and lawyers.
Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking) Read More »
