"After first providing a historical context that situates composition's recent interest in public writing, Weisser examines recent theories in composition studies that consider writing an act of social engagement before outlining a more complex theory of the public based on the work of Jurgen Habermas. The concluding holistic vision addresses the lasting importance of public writing instruction. This book does what no other book has attempted to do: place the most current, cutting-edge theories and pedagogies in rhetoric and composition in their intellectual and historical contexts, while at the same time offering a unique, practical theory of public writing for use both inside and outside of the classroom."--Jacket
