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Cathy Birkenstein

Cathy Birkenstein is a lecturer in English at the University of Illinois at Chicago and co-director of the Writing in the Disciplines program. She has published essays on writing, most recently in College English, and, with Gerald Graff, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Academe, and College Composition and Communication.  She has also given talks and workshops with Gerald at numerous colleges and is currently working on a study of common misunderstandings surrounding academic discourse.

Books by Cathy Birkenstein

  1. Book Cover"They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing

    Second Edition

    The book that demystifies academic writing, teaching students to frame their arguments in the larger context of what else has been said about their topic–and providing templates to help them make the key rhetorical moves.More

  2. Book Cover"They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing

    Third Edition

    The best-selling book on academic writing—in use at more than 1,500 schools.More

  3. Book Cover"They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings


    "They Say / I Say" shows that writing well means mastering some key rhetorical moves, the most important of which involves summarizing what others have said ("they say") to set up one’s own argument ("I say").More

  4. Book Cover"They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings

    Second Edition

    The best-selling text/reader on academic writing.More