Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Writing Academic
Arguments
Stephen Wilhoit
Chapter One:
Academic Arguments
What are the three main goals of academic arguments?
Explain, Persuade, Mediate
Context matters: the rhetorical situation
Compositions are always SOMEONE writing SOMETHING for
SOMEONE
The Rhetorical Writing Situation
Writer-Expertise, Qualifications, Author Opinion
Audience-Prior knowledge, Hostile Audience?, Adjusting to
the audience
Topic- Writers focus, Exploration, Writer/Audience
Background, Shaping Argument
Occasion-Why this argument?, Context, Relevant to other
arguments?
Purpose-Persuasion, Knowledge (self, topic), Mediation,
Search for Truth
Effective Academic Arguments
Clear & Precise
Well Supported
Properly Qualified
Placed in Context
Voice and Tone
Follows Established Conventions
Chapter Two:
Persuasive Academic Arguments
Logic (Logos)
Emotion/Values (Pathos)
Credibility (Ethos)
All info from Stephen Wilhoits A Brief Guide to Writing Academic Arguments (2009), Longman.