"Beyond Economics: Intersections and Opportunities with Adam Smith in the Writing and Rhetoric Classroom"

About the Author

Lara Smith-Sitton is a Rhetoric and Composition PhD student at Georgia State University. Her primary research interests are writing program design, 18th- & 19th-century rhetoric, service learning, and business & technical writing. She also serves as Associate Director of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association and Managing Editor of South Atlantic Review.

Contents

Introduction
   

Building a Bridge...

Making The Introduction

Keeping Smith Relevant

Uncover the Truth

Close Analysis and...

Moving from Historical...

Works Cited

Keeping Smith Relevant: Theory, History, and 21^st-Century America

How and why we would invite him into our classroom requires our students to have a better understanding of Smith’s primary works and what he actually puts forth in his economic and moral philosophies. Alan B. Krueger, Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University and the former United States Assistant Treasury Secretary for Economic Policy during President Barack Obama’s administration, describes the impact of Smith’s economic theories in his introduction to the 2003 edition to Wealth of Nations in this way: “No book has had more influence on economists’ thinking and economic policy—and by extension on the world population’s material well-being . . .” (Krueger xi). Yet, quotes from the work are operating like incomplete sound bites in a tabloid as they often support arguments that fail to use them in the context intended by Smith. A lack of understanding of eighteenth-century society and a failure to perform comprehensive and thorough close readings of his work contributed to a misunderstanding of his works, and again, a missed opportunity for understanding the complexities of 18^th-century society. For example, while Smith’s theories grant freedom for personal and business pursuits, these same theories also assert that government must maintain some involvement in the economic endeavors of its citizens, and our citizens and government must sympathize with and financially provide for those less fortunate.

In contrast, the primary concerns in Theory of Moral Sentiments center around the concepts of sympathy, compassion, and imagination. Smith’s premise is that individuals must endeavor to imagine themselves in the place of others and discern not only how that impacts and limits the opportunities for the individual but also society as a whole. This idea is relevant in considering the structure of an economic system, as Smith puts forth in Wealth of Nations, and in the teaching of writing—whether it be first year composition, technical and business communication, or professional writing. By showing students how to move from just reading to understanding how to make stronger connections between the text and the context develops the kind of close reading and analysis skills that Lisa Shaver contends is needed in university writing instruction to prepare students for the demands of professional communication, “Helping students . . . begin to identify analyze, and even question the rhetorical construction of information in professional writing is an academic imperative. . . .” (220).

Smith’s emphasis on the importance of imagination work quite well along side the audience response theories of James Phelan and Peter J. Rabinowitz where their work explores how a writer makes assumptions about his readers’ beliefs, knowledge, and familiarity with conventions (Rabinowitz 126). Smith’s work also emphasizes human nature’s tendency to look out for oneself before considering the needs and situation of others. When we teach writing and communication courses, at the heart of this endeavor is the need to help our students advance their close, considerate reading and analytical skills so that they can discern meaning. Smith presents a lens to understand 18^th century society, the rhetorical situation of new economic theories, and how errors occur between the writing and transmitting of information. Through literally reading contemporary analysis of Smith’s work in the mainstream media and comparing it to the primary text, students are able to affirm their own analytical abilities and gain an understanding of the economic theory upon which the US was founded.

While many students enter a writing classroom with dread or hesitation, using a topic that seems relevant to their work or lives helps them to connect to class assignments and activities. Barbara Schneider and Jo-Anne Andre’s research into preparation for workplace writing during college confirms, “extensive writing practice within content-area courses . . . leaves students feeling better prepared for workplace writing . . . “ (209); their research also reveals the need for “research and analytical skills” (210). Therefore, while students in a writing class may be from many disciplines, selecting a topic such as Adam Smith allows students from a variety of degree programs to make connections from history to their lives and work. Robert E. Wright, in his work that emphasizes the importance of understanding history for business students, makes a clear connection between the past and the future: “Without knowledge of the past, the present becomes incomprehensible. Theories of efficient markets, for example, require the use of all available information, not just breaking news” (697-8). He continues by making specific connections between the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis and 2008 financial panic and asserts that had business leaders been more aware of similar crises in the 1760s and 1920s, some of these problems may have been avoided—or at least managed more effectively. Yet, while Wright’s focus was on the need for more history courses in business schools, his argument transfers easily to other disciplines as a better understanding of the economic and financial theories that are the foundations of the US economy may lead new, emerging leaders to find solutions to the 2011 US financial crisis.