They Say / I Say (the Moves That Matter In Academic Writing)

By (author) Graff Gerald; By (author) Birkenstein Cathy
Short description/annotation
The best-selling book that demystifies academic writing.
Description
This book identifies the key rhetorical moves in academic writing. It shows students how to frame their arguments as a response to what others have said and provides templates to help them start making the moves. The Fourth Edition features many NEW examples from academic writing, a NEW chapter on Entering Online Discussions, and a thoroughly updated chapter on Writing in the Social Sciences. Finally, two NEW readings provide current examples of the rhetorical moves in action.
Biographical note
Gerald Graff, Emeritus Professor of English and Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and 2008 President of the Modern Language Association of America, has had a major impact on teachers through such books as Professing Literature: An Institutional History, Beyond the Culture Wars: How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American Education, and Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind. Cathy Birkenstein is a lecturer in English at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has published essays on writing in College English, and, with Gerald Graff in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Academe, and College Composition and Communication.
Feature
DEMYSTIFIES ACADEMIC WRITING

They Say / I Say teaches students the rhetorical moves found in persuasive writing across all disciplines. The authors focus on the central rhetorical move that gives the book its title: how to begin with what others have said (“they say”) in order to set up one’s own argument (“I say”). The approach is practical and effective, and the language is engaging and jargon-free.

SHOWS HOW WRITING WELL MEANS ENGAGING WITH THE VIEWS OF OTHERS

Students learn to develop ideas not in isolation but as a response to what others are already saying. For example, “I disagree with X’s view that ___ because ___”, “Although I agree with X up to a point, I cannot accept her assumption that ___” .

PROVIDES TEMPLATES FOR MAKING THE RHETORICAL MOVES THAT MATTER

Students need a place to start. The straightforward templates help students with the structure and language to make sophisticated rhetorical moves in their writing.

NOW WITH MORE SUPPORT—IN PRINT AND ONLINE

Instructor resources now include more ideas and strategies for teaching academic writing. A print Instructor’s Guide, NEW online tutorials and a blog updated regularly with timely readings help you plan and teach your writing course.