Historical Argumentation: Watching Historians and Teaching Youth

Written Communication Apr 2023

Historical Argumentation: Watching Historians and Teaching Youth

Jeffery D. Nokes Brigham Young University ; Susan De La Paz University of Maryland, College Park

Abstract

In this article, we explore the uniqueness of argumentation within the field of history, considering whether historians’ processes in crafting an interpretive argument from inexact evidence might provide insights into processes vital for informed civic engagement and civil dialogue in democratic societies. We discuss the role of argumentation in history, taking both historian (expert) and student (novice) perspectives by considering what historical writing is and how it is produced, taught, and learned. Unlike other research on argumentative historical processes, we examine the role of dispositions that complement skills and enrich collaborations as historians grapple with historical problems together. We examine the role that dispositions and historical thinking skills play as students discuss evidence, plan for argumentative writing, and evaluate their peers’ ideas. We propose that the dispositions and skills involved in historians’ reading, writing, and thinking parallel the critical thinking needed for deliberative and collaborative reasoning about complex social issues. Finally, we explore how instruction and experience with deliberative collaboration within historical problem spaces may prepare students for meaningful civic engagement. We call for increased research on these potential connections.

Journal: Written Communication
Published: 2023-04-01
DOI: 10.1177/07410883221148679
Open Access: Closed
Topics: argument

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

Steiss et al. (2024)

U.S. Secondary Students’ Source-Based Argument Writing in History

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Ferretti et al. (2023)

Perspectives about Disciplinary Argumentation in the Era of Post-truth: Introdu…

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Cites in this index (3)

Paz et al. (2012)

Adolescents’ Disciplinary Use of Evidence, Argumentative Strategies, and Organi…

Written Communication
Greene (2001)

The Question of Authenticity: Teaching Writing in a First-Year College History …

Research in the Teaching of English
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Written Communication

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