Argument as Dialogue Across Difference
Subtitle
Engaging Youth in Public Literacies
In the spirit of models of argument starting with inquiry, this book starts with a question: What might it mean to teach argument in ways that open up spaces for change — changes of mind, changes of practice and policy, changes in ways of talking and relating? The author explores teaching argument in ways that take into account the complexities and pluralities young people face as they attempt to enact local and global citizenship with others who may reasonably disagree. The focus is foremost on social action — the hard, hopeful work of finding productive ways forward in contexts where people need to work together across difference to get something worthwhile done.
Bio
Jennifer Clifton earned a PhD in curriculum and instruction (English education) from Arizona State University in 2012.
Praise for this book
I can think of no more timely, moral, and smart approach to literacy in and out of school than Jennifer Clifton’s new book. Unless we humans learn to discuss critical issues with each other across differences in a joint journey, not to conversion, but to a better shared world, there may soon be no livable world left for us.
James Paul Gee Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies and Regents’ Professor, Arizona State University
The ideas in this book completely transformed my perspective as an argument writing teacher. My students now view conflict as more than a two-sided philosophical battle of little interest or relevance. Rather than ‘solving’ hypothetical problems by choosing the 'right' stance, they engage with community stakeholders to enact real change. Their flexibility in critically weighing complex issues results in their being better equipped to grapple with the complexities of the adult world.
Julie Sheerman Co-director, Missouri Writing Project, teacher consultant, Marceline High School, Missouri
