Composition and the Rhetoric of Science: Engaging the Dominant Discourse.

• Author: Brigham, Matt
• Position: Critical essay

Composition and the Rhetoric of Science: Engaging the Dominant Discourse. By Michael J. Zerbe. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2007; pp. xii + 216. $35.00 paper.

Drawing from and building upon a rich tradition, Zerbe contributes insightfully to rhetoric and composition studies as well as to scholarship in the rhetoric of science. Gross and Gurak (2005) note that the rhetoric of science field continues to develop, pursuing new directions such as reception studies. Zerbe suggests yet another area of emphasis: pedagogy. Just as Roberts-Miller's (2004) Deliberate Conflict offers a compelling account of argument theory and practice in the composition classroom, so too can rhetoricians benefit by considering questions of teaching in their work.

Zerbe's purpose is twofold. First, he argues that scholars need to focus more on scientific texts, including scholarly articles, in teaching and research. Currently, he notes, "composition dances around scientific discourse for the most part, and even when it does take this discourse for a spin, as in the case with the rhetoric of science, the dance occurs in private" (p. 50). Second, turning to practitioners of rhetoric of science, he argues that scholars have not paid adequate attention to pedagogy and to rhetoric's ability to impact a wider public. Noting its "lack of visibility" (p. 64) among undergraduate and graduate students, Zerbe argues: "For the rhetoric of science to achieve the disciplinarity that Gross and others seek, the questions of its relevance to undergraduate students and how to teach the rhetoric of science to them must be considered" (p. 64). Other forms of science studies, including those with a cultural studies orientation, also are "fascinating and valuable but ultimately insufficient because of ... limited visibility and impact" (p. 83).

The book is organized straightforwardly and accessibly. Part one treats theoretical issues, including: the importance of scientific discourse in society, the shortcomings of rhetoric and composition as well as rhetoric of science, and the status of science as both a cultural studies and a literacy issue. Part two explores specific concepts, practices, and even teaching exercises that can generate new insights. Specifically, Zerbe examines scientific popularizations, scientific discourse from a cross-cultural perspective, and classics of scientific writing. Throughout, Zerbe creatively blends theory (citing, discussing, and...