Learning to Argue in Higher Education

Argument is perhaps one of the most misunderstood terms in higher education, meaning different things in different disciplines. Yet on one thing most educators agree: it is almost impossible to attain success at the highest levels in the humanities, arts, social sciences and other language-based disciplines without a command of argumentative skills. Learning to Argue in Higher Education was written to allow for a cross-fertilization of ideas about argument between different disciplines and traditions, and to encourage conversation about their approaches to its teaching and learning. This volume makes a significant contribution to the current thinking about argument, addressing why we teach argument in the first place, how it currently figures in teaching and learning, and how we might think about it in more productive ways. Covering everything from formal discussion in seminars to tutorials and written essays, these authors approach the problem from different angles: critical accounts of practice, classroom pedagogy, as well as theoretical models of argument, students’ perspective on learning, and the dynamics involved in teaching and learning. The book represents a range of disciplines, including architecture, law, social science, work-based education, as well as writing and composition.