They Say I Say” The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing.ppt

* * * * * * * * * * “They Say / I Say”The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing Insights and Templates from a book by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein Entering the Conversation Best Academic Writing Deeply engages in some way with other people’s views “write the voices of others into your text” You enter a conversation, using what others say (or might say) as a launching pad or sounding board for your own ideas. Entering the Conversation In the real world we make arguments because someone has said or done something (or perhaps not said or done something) and we need to respond Ex. “I can’t see why you like the Lakers so much.” “I agree: it was a great film.” “That argument is contradictory.” Entering the Conversation Without other people’s opinions there would be no reason to challenge, agree with, or otherwise respond–there would be no reason to argue at all. Entering the Conversation To make an impact as a writer you make statements that are: Logical Well-supported Consistent *ALSO, you must find a way to enter a conversation with others’ views–with something “they say” Entering the Conversation If your argument doesn’t identify the “they say” you are responding to, then it probably won’t make sense: What you are saying may be clear to the audience, but why you are saying it won’t be Example: “The characters in The Sopranos are very complex.” Entering the Conversation Your own argument–the “I say” moment of your text–should always be a response to the arguments of others. Ex. “Some say that The Sopranos presents caricatures of Italian Americans. In fact, however, the characters in the series are very complex.” Entering the Conversation Templates for agreement: She argues______, and I agree because_____. Her argument that ______ is supported by new research showing that _______. Entering the Conversation Template for disagreeing: While she argues ______, I disagree because_______. The argument he proposes, while persuasive, is inaccurate because_