Argument Revisited; Argument Redefined: Negotiating Meaning in the Composition Classroom

Does traditional argument still have a place in the composition classroom? How can the process of argument be used productively by students? In this edited volume, some of the leading composition scholars today consider the ways in which argumentation as an approach to teaching writing remains valuable, in spite of the postmodern theories of composition that have challenged its relevance. First, the contributors "revisit" and explain the traditional approaches to argument--enthymeme, evidence, Toulmian, Rogerian, and classical rhetoric--and show why they are more relevant today than ever. They then "redefine" argument by connecting it with theoretical movements that have been adverse to it--feminism, narratology, and reflexive reading. As a result, the book unites apparently conflicting approaches into a new definition of argument that emphasizes inquiry over discord and understanding over entrenched difference. Argument Revisited, Argument Redefined enables compositions scholars and teachers to incorporate argumentative inquiry more effectively into the classroom, and demonstrates that argument as a genre and as a process can still serve students well. This unparalleled volume will be of use to professors and researchers in written communication, rhetoric, linguistics and communication.