Questioning Ideas:
For your SLR, fill in the blanks:
“I am studying ___________, because I want to find out what/why/how ___________ in order to help my reader understand ___________”
and
“In recent discussions of ________, a controversial issue has been whether _______. On the one hand, some argue that _________. From this perspective, _________. On the other hand, however, others argue that ______. In the words of one of this view’s main proponents, “________.” According to this view, ________. In sum, then, the issue is whether ________or _____.
My own view is that _________. Though I concede that ________, I still maintain that ________. For example, _________. Although some might object that ______, I reply that _______. The issue is important because ______.“
Benay asserts that there is a difference between the type of thinking between these two templates. What do you think that differences is?
Do you believe that one of the above templates inhibits your ability to learn the reason behind underlying structures? Why or why not?
Reading like a reader:
- They Say, I say is a book that exists and helps students understand the moves typical in academic writing genres.
- Templates help struggling writers understand what to say, but they also “impede the ability of students to truly understand and integrate why these writing maneuvers really matter” (370).
- Template completion can replace “harder learning” (371)
- Use templates to highlight rhetorical moves, but understand the process is more complicated than the templates shows.
They Say, I say is a book that exists and helps students understand the moves typical in academic writing genres.
All the debate about whether or not the book is good only elides the question of whether or not it is actually representative of academic writing genres.
- It kind of is in the sense that the broad rhetorical moves are present.
- It kind of isn’t because academics are typically much more concise than the templates. (+hedges are more about mutual understanding than concessions, so
)
Connecting ideas:
How would you summarize the method employed in each paper?
Which type of argument do you find more convincing to you? Why?
Getting beyond the text:
- In groups, choose an academic article. In that article, locate and highlight the rhetorical moves in the template above “In recent discussions of…”
- With a partner try to find the same rhetorical moves in your SLR.
- Find the same rhetorical moves in your exercise for today.
