Resumen

SERRANO DE MORENO, Stella. Composition of Argumentative Texts: A didactic Approach. Revista de Ciencias Sociales [online]. 2008, vol.14, n.1, pp.149-161. ISSN 1315-9518.

Argument is a discursive ability that every citizen should develop in order to be an effective social actor. This ability is recognized by Del Caño (1999) “as one of the bases of life in society”. Notwithstanding this recognition of argument as a way of thinking and acting in a democracy, students of higher education reveal a lack of knowledge of this discursive mode. Therefore, this article proposes to offer didactic situations that will allow professors to contribute to the development of written argumentative competence in the students. This capacity prepares them to act with good judgment in solving problems by stating well-supported and convincing personal arguments that foster dialogue in the search for consensus and responsible dissent, contributing thereby to the development of a critical conscience for participating consciously in citizen life.

Palabras clave : Didactics; text composition; writing; argumentative competence; university education.