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| Title: | Stasis theory and paleontology discourse |
| Author (s): | Northcut, Kathryn |
| Department/Lab Affiliations: | English & Technical Communication |
| Keywords: | argumentative texts rhetorical analysis stasis theory |
| Issue Date: | 2007 |
| Publisher: | The Writing Instructor |
| Citation: | Northcut, Kathryn M. “Stasis Theory and Paleontology Discourse” The Writing Instructor, 2007. |
| Abstract: | Stasis theory is a powerful tool for rhetorical analysis, recently under fresh consideration by rhetorical theorists (e.g. Gross) and scholars who identify its utility in the writing classroom (e.g. Carroll). In this study, I apply stasis theory to a paleontological argument involving a controversial fossil, Protoavis texensis. Discourse related to the controversy is examined under the lens of the staseis, and the application of stasis theory to visual components of argumentative texts associated with scientific communication is explored. This paper applies stasis theory to science discourse based on the work of Lawrence Prelli; Frans van Eemeren, Rob Grootendorst, and Francisca Snoeck Henkemans; Mark Turner; Jeanne Fahnestock and Marie Secor; and others. Stasis theory illuminates the issues facing a spectrum of audiences, from expert to public, who witnessed the paleontology controversy of Protoavis texensis as it simmered between 1986 and the very recent past. Numerous discursive artifacts provide the corpus for applying stasis theory in order to parse the issues at stake in the Protoavis case: peer-reviewed journal articles; explanations in popular magazines like Discover; personal communications; and illustrations from Chatterjee’s publications, most especially his 1997 book, The Rise of Birds: 225 Million Years of Evolution. |
| Type: | Article - Journal text |
| In Title: | The Writing Instructor |
| Copyright Notice: | This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. Under Creative Commons 3.0 license, full text allowed. FULL COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: |
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| title | Stasis theory and paleontology discourse |
| contributor.author | Northcut, Kathryn |
| contributor.deptlab | English & Technical Communication |
| subject | argumentative texts |
| subject | rhetorical analysis |
| subject | stasis theory |
| date.issued | 2007 |
| publisher | The Writing Instructor |
| identifier.citation | Northcut, Kathryn M. “Stasis Theory and Paleontology Discourse” The Writing Instructor, 2007. |
| identifier.pub.URI | |
| description.abstract | Stasis theory is a powerful tool for rhetorical analysis, recently under fresh consideration by rhetorical theorists (e.g. Gross) and scholars who identify its utility in the writing classroom (e.g. Carroll). In this study, I apply stasis theory to a paleontological argument involving a controversial fossil, Protoavis texensis. Discourse related to the controversy is examined under the lens of the staseis, and the application of stasis theory to visual components of argumentative texts associated with scientific communication is explored. This paper applies stasis theory to science discourse based on the work of Lawrence Prelli; Frans van Eemeren, Rob Grootendorst, and Francisca Snoeck Henkemans; Mark Turner; Jeanne Fahnestock and Marie Secor; and others. Stasis theory illuminates the issues facing a spectrum of audiences, from expert to public, who witnessed the paleontology controversy of Protoavis texensis as it simmered between 1986 and the very recent past. Numerous discursive artifacts provide the corpus for applying stasis theory in order to parse the issues at stake in the Protoavis case: peer-reviewed journal articles; explanations in popular magazines like Discover; personal communications; and illustrations from Chatterjee’s publications, most especially his 1997 book, The Rise of Birds: 225 Million Years of Evolution. |
| type | Article - Journal |
| type.DCMIType | text |
| type.status | Final version |
| rights | This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. |
| rights | Under Creative Commons 3.0 license, full text allowed. |
| rights.URI | |
| relation.isPartOf | The Writing Instructor |
| date.available | 2008-08-22T13:56:39Z |
| identifier.persist.URI |