Persuasion+versus+Argument


 * Is Persuasion Really Different from Argument? **

This session grew out of an online conversation this summer about concerns four of us had with distinctions we saw being made between persuasive writing and argument as presented on the essaywritinghelp and KDE web sites. In this presentation we will discuss what our writing programs expect students to be able to do once they have completed their required courses, what we mean when we use the term argumentative writing, how persuasion at the college level is viewed, and what we hoped would develop out of changes in the core curriculum with regard to writing and communication. We will discuss the importance of rhetorical concepts such as ethos, pathos, and audience and how an understanding of their relationship to one another is essential to effective argumentation. We plan to highlight the incongruity from the web materials which leads to the stance "that argument needs to provide insight and convince, but not change someone's mind."

//<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Presenters: Dr. Robert Royar, Morehead State University // //<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Dr. Paul Walker, Murray State University // //<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Dr. Roxanne Mountford, University of Kentucky // //<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Dr. Joanna Wolfe, University of Louisville //

Dr. Royar has been teaching college writing for 32 years, 26 of those in Kentucky. He is an Associate Professor of English at Morehead State University where he has served for 17 years in various capacities such as General Education Writing Coordinator, Academic Assessment Coordinator, Writing Center Coordinator, an (soon to be) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Training Coordinator. He has served on the KCTE/LA Board for 16 years.