Given the disparity in sociopolitical values, viewpoint diversity is an inescapable feature of any issue which invites collective consideration. Rawls (2005) argues that even on intractably contentious questions such as those around morality and religion, disagreement is not only an inevitable but a reasonable supposition. Indeed, in contemporary multicultural democracies it is typical to have competing, even incompatible, ideas exist side by side as comparatively reasonable propositions. Two political parties, for instance, can have equally persuasive but diametrically opposed ideologies, yet still both exist in the same society and command similarly enthusiastic support. Yet tensions between increasingly sophisticated and influential channels of communication, most notably social and mainstream news media, routinely magnify ideological differences between individuals and groups to degrees of distortion not previously witnessed (Rauch, 2021).
To be able to navigate the exigencies of current sociopolitical diversity and its consequent divisions, students need to develop their critical thinking skills and dispositions. I suggest that literature-based dialogic discussion provides an appropriate context for the expression of divergent perspectives and critical thinking development. It is within the context of dialogic discussion of literary and other texts, where 'wide-angle' education (Widdowson, 1983) comprises multiple voices speaking collaboratively to the same issue and thereby invoking the wisdom of crowds (Surowiecki, 2004), that sociopolitical differences can begin to be constructively addressed.
My presentation is based on findings from my recent doctoral research, which took the form of a classroom intervention on a foundation English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. The study explored the development of critical thinking through the reading and discussion of literary texts in a reading circle. This discussion format afforded students the opportunity to express their views on various-often controversial-issues arising from the texts, without fear of censure or censorship. Discussions often led to what I call a transactional dialectic among participants, a dynamic atmosphere of discursive inquiry characterised by regulated, purposeful, potentially adversarial but ultimately collaborative argumentation. Overall, I will draw on my findings to illustrate the potential of using literary texts for critical thinking development in the university classroom. I will also touch on the implications of dialogic talk informed by such texts, with reference to current debates in university education and related contentions in broader society.
References
Rauch, J. (2021). The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth. Brookings Institution Press.
Rawls, J. (2005). Political Liberalism. Columbia University Press.
Surowiecki, J. (2004). The wisdom of crowds. Abacus.
Widdowson, H. G. (1983). Learning Purpose and Language Use. Oxford University Press.
