The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

Introduction Academic writing requires to express themselves and respond to others Effective writers do more than make claims (“I say”); they also map those claims relative to the claims of others (“They say”) Writing as series of moves Seasoned writers do these naturally… templates help the rest of us learn them explicitly!

Goal To help you become a critical, intellectual thinker who can participate in conversations in a meaningful way. “You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, as discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about… You listen for a while, until you decide you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against you… The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress” -Kenneth Burke, The Philosophy of Literary Form

Starting with What Others are Saying Most importantly: writing needs a point Not only your point, but what larger conversation your thesis is responding to Must come first Best to state your position and the one you’re responding to ASAP. Elaborate later! Always keep what “they say” connected in your essay… gives you a sense of mission and urgency

Starting with What Others are Saying Introduce standard views Conventional wisdom has it that… Introduce something implied or assumed Although X doesn’t say so directly, she apparently assumes that…. Introduce ongoing debate On the one hand…. On the other hand…. Others even maintain… My own view is…

Starting with What Others are Saying Exercise 1 The following claims all provide an “I Say.” See if you can supply a plausible “They Say.” What might these be responding to? Our experiments suggest that there are dangerous levels of Chemical X in the Ohio groundwater. My own view is that this novel has certain flaws. Football is so boring. I’m afraid that templates like the ones in this book will stifle my creativity.

The Art of Summarizing Central tool Balance between the original author and your thoughts Theory: “The Believing Game” (Peter Elbow) Try to inhabit their worldview– readers shouldn’t be able to tell whether you agree or disagree

The Art of Summarizing Read what Zinczenko says In his article, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko accuses the fast food companies of an evil conspiracy to make people fat. I disagree because these companies have to make money. Natural to summarize others quickly, but be fair Avoid “closest cliché syndrome” Entering conversation: study very closely and not collapse it into something you have already heard or know

The Art of Summarizing But remember, your goal is your own response Summary has to fit your agenda, while still being true to the text In his article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that today’s fast food chains fill the nutritional void in children’s lives left by their overtaxed working parents. With many parents working long hours and unable to supervise what their children eat, Zinczenko claims, children today regularly turn to low-cost, calorie-laden foods that the fast food chains are all too eager to supply. When he himself was a young boy, for instance, and his single mother was away at work, he ate at Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and other chains on a regular basis and ended up overweight. Zinczenko’s hope is that with the new spate of lawsuits against the food industry, other children with working parents will have healthier choices available to them, and they will not, like him, become obese. In my view, however, it is the parents, and not the food chains who are responsible for their children’s obesity. While it is true that many of today’s parents work long hours, there are still several things that parents can do to guarantee that their children eat healthy foods.

The Art of Summarizing Bottom line: Fair summary, but also points toward the second paragraph: the writer’s thesis Make sure your “they say” and “I say” are well matched Avoid LIST summaries Bottom line: Summarize the author’s views accurately, in a way that fits your own agenda. DO NOT, however, ignore or misrepresent the source.

The Art of Summarizing Signal verbs that fit Authors don’t “say” or “discuss” They “urge” “emphasize” and “insist on” Vivid and precise She demonstrates that… In fact, they celebrate the fact that… _______, he admits.

Making a claim Expressing Agreement Argue Acknowledge Insist Admire Assert Believe Claim Emphasize Observe Remind us Report Suggest Expressing Agreement Acknowledge Admire Agree Celebrate the fact that Corroborate Do not deny Endorse Extol Praise Reaffirm Support Verify

Questioning or Disagreeing Making Recommendations Complain Complicate Contend Contradict Deny Deplore Disavow Question Refute Reject Renounce Repudiate Making Recommendations Advocate Call for Demand Encourage Exhort Implore Plead Recommend Urge Warn

The Art of Summarizing Exercise 2 To get a feel for Peter Elbow’s “believing game,” write a summary of some belief that you strongly disagree with. Then write a summary of the position that you actually hold on the topic. Give both summaries to a classmate and see if they can tell which position you endorse. If you’ve succeeded, they won’t be able to tell!

The Art of Summarizing Exercise 3 Write two different one paragraph summaries of David Zinczenko’s “Don’t Blame the Eater.” Write the first one for an essay arguing that, contrary to what Zinczenko claims, there are inexpensive and convenient alternatives to fast food restaurants. Write the second for an essay that agrees with Zinczenko in blaming fast food companies for youthful obesity, but questions his view tht bringing lawsuits against those companies is a legitimate response to the problem. Compare the two; though they are of the same article, they should look very different!

The Art of Quoting Quoting gives credibility to your summary Helps ensure that it is fair and accurate Don’t quote too little/Don’t quote too much Major problem: assuming the quotations speak for themselves Orphan Quotations: they’ve been taken away from their contexts, and need to be integrated into their new surroundings

The Art of Quoting Two ways to achieve this integration: Choose quotations wisely Surround every major quotation with a frame explaining whose words they are, what the quotation means and how the quotation relates to your text. Quoting what THEY SAY must always be connected to what YOU SAY!!

Choose Meaningful Passages The Art of Quoting Choose Meaningful Passages Have a sense of what you want to do with them Make sure they are relevant to your work Have a reason for saying it as a quote instead of a paraphrase. If your text develops and they no longer fit, change the quotes

The Art of Quoting Frame Every Quotation Avoid “Hit and Run” quotes Susan Bordo writes about women and dieting. “Fiji is just one example. Until television was introduced in 1995, the islands had no reported cases of eating disorders. In 1998, three years after programs from the united States and Britain began broadcasting there, 62% of the girls surveyed reported dieting.” I think Bordo is right. Another point Bordo makes, is…

The Art of Quoting Make a “quotation sandwich” Lead-in claim: explain who is speaking and sets up the quote Follow up explain why it’s important and what you take it to say, or have to say about it. Accurately reflect the spirit of the passage Not “Bordo states…” but “Bordo is alarmed that..” See templates for Introducing Quotations See templates for Explaining Quotations

The Art of Quoting The feminist philosopher Susan Bordo deplores the hold that the Western obsession with dieting has on women. Her basic argument is that increasing numbers of women across the globe are being led to see themselves as fat and in need of a diet. Citing the island of Fiji as a case in point, Bordo notes that “Until television was introduced in 1995, the islands had no reported cases of eating disorders. In 1998, three years after programs from the united States and Britain began broadcasting there, 62% of the girls surveyed reported dieting.” Bordo’s point is that the West’s obsession with dieting is spreading even to remote places across the globe. Ultimately, Bordo complains, the culture of dieting will find you, regardless of where you live. Bordo’s observations ring true to me because a friend of mine from a remote are in China speaks of the cult of dieting among young women there…

The Art of Quoting Integrates, but also serves to demonstrate writer’s interpretation of Bordo Show’s that the quote has been used meaningfully to set up writer’s argument. Follow up sentences don’t repeat word-for-word: they echo while still moving in writer’s direction Hybrid text Remember: audience needs to see how YOU interpret the text (quotes can be interpreted differently to support different agendas)

The Art of Quoting Exercise 4 Find a text that quotes someone’s exact words as evidence of something “they say.” How has the writer integrated the quotation into his or her own text? How has he or she introduced it and what, if anything, has the writer said to explain it and tie it to his or her own text? Based on what you’ve read in this chapter, are there any changes you would suggest?

The Art of Quoting Exercise 5 Look at an essay or report that you have written for one of your classes (Summer Synthesis Essay and/or Adversity Argument Essay!) Highlight your quotes/summaries in one color, your explanation/ connection in a second, and introductory information in a third. How have you integrated the quotation into your own text? How have you introduced it? Explained what it means? Indicated how it relates to your text? Write a paragraph of analysis about your quote integration.