Argument in Composition

"Argument in Composition" provides access to a wide range of resources that bear on the teaching of writing and argument. The ideas of major theorists of classical and contemporary rhetoric and argument — from Aristotle to Burke, Toulmin and Perelman — are explained and elaborated, especially as they inform pedagogies of argumentation and composition. John Ramage, Micheal Callaway, Jennifer Clary-Lemon and Zachary Waggoner present methods of teaching informal fallacies and analyzing propaganda, while also providing a rationale for preferring an argument approach over other available approaches to the teaching of writing. The authors also identify the role of argument in pedagogies that are not overtly called argument, including pedagogies that foreground feminism, liberation, critical cultural studies, writing across the curriculum, genre, service learning, technology and visual rhetoric. The lists of further reading and the annotated bibliography provide opportunities for learning more about the approaches presented in this indispensable guide.