Workshop "The invention and structure of definitions in academic texts"

Definitions are the linguistic timber that scholarly writers use to undergird their arguments, theories, paradigms, theses, and claims. Definitions are like a building’s load bearing beam – the entire weight of a writer’s argument rests on them. Without the “load bearing definition,” the writer’s argument, like a building, would collapse. Writers use definitions to both invent and support arguments.

The workshop presents definition's rudimentary rhetorical structures used to make arguments. We will discuss and analyze scholarly writers’ use of definition in published articles. We will also draft our own definitions. Ultimately, we will practice using definition's rhetorical form to both invent ideas and structure our written thought.

Speaker: Dr. Melvin Hall has a Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and has taught academic writing, argument, and critical thinking for over fifteen years, with an emphasis on the cultural role of rhetoric and comparative rhetoric. He currently teaches English language courses at Moscow Finance and Law University.

Target audience: HSE teachers, researchers, and graduate students
Language: English
Date & Time: March 11, 17:30 - 19:30
Location: online