"They say, I say" : the moves that matter in academic writing / Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface: Demystifying academic conversation -- Introduction: Entering the conversation -- Part 1. "They say". "They say" : starting with what others are saying ; "Her point is" : the art of summarizing ; "As he himself puts it" : the art of quoting -- Part 2. "I say". "Yes/No/Okay, but" : three ways to respond ; "And yet" : distinguishing what you say from what they say ; "Skeptics may object" : planting a naysayer in your text ; "So what? Who cares?" : saying why it matters -- Part 3. Tying it all together. "As a result" : connecting the parts ; "You mean I can just say it that way?" : academic writing doesn't mean setting aside your own voice ; "But don't get me wrong" : the art of metacommentary ; "He says contends" : using the templates to revise -- Part 4. In specific academic contexts. "I take your point" : entering class discussions ; "Don't make them scroll up" : entering online conversations ; "What's motivating this writer?" : reading for the conversation ; "On closer examination" : entering conversations about literature ; "The data suggest" : writing in the sciences ; "Analyze this" : writing in the social sciences --

Readings. Don't blame the eater / David Zinczenko ; Hidden intellectualism / Gerald Graff ; "Rise of the Machines" is not a likely future / Michael Littman ; The new Jim Crow : mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness / Michelle Alexander ; Everything that rises must converge / Flannery O'Connor.

"They Say / I Say teaches students the rhetorical moves found in persuasive writing across all disciplines. The authors focus on the central rhetorical move that gives the book its title: how to begin with what others have said ("they say") in order to set up one's own argument ("I say"). The approach is practical and effective, and the language is engaging and jargon-free."--Publisher's website.