ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a retrospective view of theory from the late ’90s, and how this impacted on the authors’ view of a student’s first attempt at writing an argumentative essay. The New Literacy Studies offered additional dimensions to previously dominant, traditional ways of viewing discourse. The chapter outlines what the theory at that time had on offer and how this impacted on our practices. It describes how one student tries to figure out what the lecturer means by an argumentative essay. Finally, this chapter offers a summary of current strategies for teaching extensive and intensive writing in higher education, which have emerged from the experience of the two authors.
