"They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings / Edition 2

by Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst

Overview

The best-selling text/reader on academic writing.

They Say / I Say demystifies academic writing by identifying its key rhetorical moves, the most important of which is to summarize what others have said ("they say") to set up one's own argument ("I say"). The book also provides templates to help students make these key moves in their own writing. This version includes readings that demonstrate those moves—and provide stimulating conversations for them to enter. The Second Edition includes an anthology of 44 readings that will provoke students to think—and write—about five important issues, including two new ones: Is Higher Education Worth the Price? and Why Does It Matter Who Wins the Big Game?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393912753
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/15/2011
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	736
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

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.

Russel Durst is a professor of English at the University of Cincinnati, where he teaches courses in composition, writing pedagogy and research, English linguistics, and the Hebrew Bible as literature. A past president of the National Conference on Research in Language and Literacy, he is the author of several books, including Collision Course: Conflict, Negotiation, and Learning in College Composition.

Editorial Reviews

"They Say / I Say provides the keys to successful academic writing. I’ve seen this book transform mediocre college students into academic thinkers and writers."

Benjamin Fischer

"Clear, fun to read, and students like it."

Morani Kornberg-Weiss

"Demystifies academic argumentation."

Patricia Bizzell

"The argument of this book is important—that there are 'moves' to academic writing . . . and that knowledge of them can be generative. The template format is a good way to demystify the moves that matter. I like this book a lot."

David Bartholomae

"What effect has "They Say" had on my students' writing? They are finally entering the Burkian parlor of the university. . . . The only thing that's been lacking is readings, so I'm thrilled to see this new version."

Margaret Weaver

"I like the readings—they're current, and relevant to students' lives. They present a well-balanced range of different ideological perspectives—and they don't shy away from some pretty controversial issues. They will provide a fertile ground for class discussions, and students will definitely enjoy writing about them."

Tina Zigon

"Demystifies rhetorical moves, tricks of the trade that many students are unsure about. It's reasonable, helpful, nicely written—and hey, it's true. I would have found it immensely helpful myself in high school and college."

Mike Rose

"Excellent explanations of the instinctive moves that good writers make. A very useful teaching book."

Elizabeth McKetta

"The new reading chapter gives readers a roadmap for following the moves authors make as they situate their discussions in larger conversations—and gets past the agree/disagree pattern of response. The idea that any text is part of a larger conversation is as helpful for reading as it is for writing."

Eileen Seifert