Written Communication Apr 2006

The Humanist Scholar as Public Expert

Christopher Eisenhart University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Abstract

Although the rhetoric of expertise stemming from the hard and social sciences has been well researched, the scholarship has not tended to focus on acts of public expertise by scholars from the humanities. This article reports a case study in the rhetorical practices of a theologian, acting as a public expert, first attempting to affect decision making in the Waco conflict in 1993 and then attempting to participate in and shape the public debates that followed it. To compare the practices of this humanities scholar to expectations from research on the rhetoric of expertise, a rhetorical analysis was conducted on the context, style, genre, and argument in the scholar’s public writings. This article discusses (a) the role of kairos in the policy cycle in determining the scholar’s bids for acceptance as an expert, (b) the use of narrative as a generic hybrid of intra- and interdisciplinary practice, and (c) the role of “understanding” asa special topic.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2006-04-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088306286392
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism genre theory argument qualitative research public rhetoric affect and writing
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Cramer (2015)
    Stasis Four for Literate Jurisdictions: Writing for an Art World Referee
    Rhetoric Review

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