Graff Presentation

Conflict. If there is one word to sum up Gerald Graff and his ideas on composition, pedagogy, and thought, it has to be conflict. Graff employs words like “against,” “wars,” and “argumentation” to illustrate his assertion that differences of opinion are the starting point of academic discourse. Even Graff’s dissertation on poetry and objective reality centers on argumentation: he asserts that poetry is more similar to prose than most assume and that poetry makes claims and assumptions that hold objective truth and can be argued just like prose. Graff abandoned a strictly theoretical approach to focus more on pedagogical ideas, though he maintains his focus on conflict.

Graff’s promotes the idea that teachers must prepare students to enter the world of academic discourse. I like his ideas about “teaching the conflicts;” this is the way that scholars and audiences make meaning of texts. Nuanced interpretations of texts create subtle differences of meaning. Students need to first understand the scholarly vernacular being used, and if instructors need to “translate” it for them, then so be it. The essential thing is that students become familiar with the academic climate of debate and that they learn to develop their own voices within this culture.

Scott’s handouts were very helpful in understanding Graff’s arguments and how he relates to our other major theorists.