Academic Writing

Gerald Graff is a professor of English and Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the 2008 President of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA), has had major impact on teachers through his books. The New Common Core State Standards for K-12 cite his work on the importance of argument literacy for college and career readiness. Cathy Birkenstein, a lecturer at the University of Chicago, has published essays on writing, most recently in College English, and with Gerald, in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Academe, and College Composition and Communication.

Graff and Birkenstein's best-selling book, "They Say/I Say", identifies the key rhetorical moves in writing, showing students how to frame their arguments in the larger context of what others have said and providing templates to help them make those moves. And, because these moves are central across all disciplines, their book includes chapters on writing in the sciences, writing in the social sciences, and writing about literature.