Written argumentation practices in two Argentinian undergraduate courses: multidimensionality and epistemic potentials

Abstract

This paper states that the epistemic potentialities of writing and arguing are largely derived from the interweaving of four dimensions. Three of them are constitutive (the logical, rhetorical, and dialectical dimensions), and one is integrative (the epistemic dimension). Thus, we characterize how these four distinct dimensions operate in texts produced by first-year university students in two disciplines (Linguistics and Biology) and how those students reflect on their processes of writing and arguing. The results belong to qualitative research designed as a multiple case study, which focused on teaching practices that intertwine disciplinary contents, writing, and argumentation in Argentinian university classrooms. These results deepen the academic literacies’ lines of research regarding the role that argumentation plays in academic writing. We analyze texts produced by students and interviews with them to characterize the dimensions that such students deploy when writing and arguing to learn in their disciplines.