Christopher Isherwood,
Stomping onto Broadway with a Punk Temper TantrumSOCIAL SATIRE: Jordyn Brown, A Word from My Anti-Phone Soapbox
VISUAL COMPARISON: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Crash Test 5 Causal Analyses
Why choose an causal analysis?
CAUSAL ANALYSIS: Jonah Goldberg, Global Warming and the Sun
Exploring purpose and topic
Understanding your audience
Finding and developing materials
Creating a structure
Choosing a style and design
Examining models
RESEARCH STUDY: Kyu-Heong Kim, Bending the Rules for ESL Writers
EXPLORATORY ESSAY: Liza Mundy, Whats Really Behind the Plunge in Teenage Pregnancy
CULTURAL ANALYSIS: Charles Paul Freund, The Politics of Pants 6 Proposals
Why choose a proposal?
TRIAL BALLOON: Barrett Seaman, How Bingeing Became the New College Sport
Exploring purpose and topic
Understanding your audience
Finding and developing materials
Creating a structure
Choosing a style and design
Examining models
FORMAL PROPOSAL: Donald Lazere, A Core Curriculum for Civic Literacy
MANIFESTO OR SUGGESTION: Katelyn Vincent, Technology Time-out
VISUAL PROPOSAL: Palletttruth.com, Asian LongHorned Beetles… 7 Literary Analyses
Why choose a literary analysis?
LITERARY INTERPRETATION: Kelsi Stayart, Authentic Beauty in Morrisons The Bluest Eye
Exploring purpose and topic
Understanding your audience
Finding and developing materials
Creating a structure
Choosing a style and design
Examining models
CLOSE READING: Kanaka Sathasivan, Insanity: Two Women
CULTURAL ANALYSIS: Kelli Marshall, Glees Unevenness Explained
PHOTOGRAPHS AS LITERARY TEXTS:
Dorothea Lange, Jobless on Edge of Pea Field, Imperial Valley, California
Walker Evans, Burroughs Family Cabin, Hale County, Alabama
Gordon Parks, American Gothic 8 Rhetorical Analyses
Why choose a rhetorical analysis?
ANALYSIS OF AN ADVERTISEMENT: Seth Stevenson, Can Cougars Sell Cough Drops?
Exploring purpose and topic
Understanding your audience
Finding and developing materials
Creating a structure
Choosing a style and design
Examining models
ANALYSIS OF AN ARGUMENT: Matthew James Nance, A Mockery of Justice
ANALYSIS OF A VISUAL TEXT: J. Reagan Tankersly, Humankinds Ourobouros
CULTURAL ANALYSIS: Beth Teitell, A Jacket of The People
Part 2 SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS
9 Essay Examinations
Understanding essay exams
Wade Lamb, Platos Phaedrus
Getting the details right 10 Position Papers
Understanding position papers
Heidi Rogers, Triumph of the Lens
Getting the details right
11 Annotated Bibliographies*
Understanding annotated bibliographies
Getting the details right 12 Synthesis Paper*
Understanding synthesis papers
Getting the details right 13 E-mail
Understanding e-mail
John Ruszkiewicz, Annual Big Bend Trip
Getting the details right
14 Business Letters
Understanding business letters
Nancy Linn, Cover Letter
John Humbert, To Home Design Magazine
Getting the details right 15 Résumés Understanding résumés
Andrea Palladino, Résumé
Getting the details right 16 Personal Statements
Understanding personal statements
Michael Villaverde, Application Essay for American Service Partnership Foundation Internship
Getting the details right 17 Lab Reports
Understanding lab reports
Sandra Ramos, Synthesis of Luminol
Getting the details right
18 Oral Reports
Understanding oral reports
Terri Sagastume, Presentation on Edenlawn Estates
Getting the details right
REFERENCE
Part 3 IDEAS
19 Brainstorming
Find routines that support thinking
Build lists
Map your ideas
Try freewriting
Use memory prompts
Search online for your ideas VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Browse for Ideas 20 Brainstorming with Others
Choose a leader
Begin with a goal and set an agenda
Set time limits
Encourage everyone to participate
Avoid premature criticism
Test all ideas
Keep good records
Agree on an end product 21 Smart Reading
Read to deepen what you already know
Read above your level of knowledge
Read what makes you uncomfortable
Read against the grain
Read slowly
Annotate what you read
Read visually 22 Critical Thinking*
Think in terms of claims and reasons
Think in terms of premises and assumptions
Think in terms of evidence
Anticipate objections
Avoid logical fallacies 23 Experts
Talk with your instructor
Take your ideas to the writing center
Find local experts
Check with librarians
Chat with peers
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Use the Writing Center 24 Writers Block
Break the project into parts
Set manageable goals
Create a calendar
Limit distractions
Do the parts you like first
Write a zero draft
Reward yourself
Part 4 SHAPING AND DRAFTING
25 Genre*
Recognize the variety of genres
Know how to use genres
Appreciate that genres change 26 Thesis
Write a complete sentence
Make a significant claim or assertion
Write a declarative sentence, not a question
Expect your thesis to mature
Introduce a thesis early in a project
Or state a thesis late in a project
Write a thesis to fit your audience and purpose 27 Strategies*
Use description to set a scene
Use division to divide a subject
Use classification to sort objects or ideas by consistent principles
Use definition to clarify meaning
Use comparison and contrast to show similarity and difference 28 Organization
Examine model documents
Sketch out a plan or sequence
Visualize structure when appropriate
Provide clear steps or signals for readers
Deliver on your commitments 29 Outlines
Begin with scratch outlines
List key ideas
Look for relationships
Subordinate ideas
Decide on a sequence
Move up to a formal outline 30 Paragraphs
Make sure paragraphs lead somewhere
Develop ideas adequately
Organize paragraphs logically
Design paragraphs for readability
Use paragraphs to manage transitions 31 Transitions
Use appropriate transitional words and phrases
Use the right word or phrase to show time or sequence
Use sentence structure to connect ideas
Pay attention to nouns and pronouns
Use synonyms
Use physical devices for transitions
Read a draft aloud to locate weak transitions 31 Introductions
Announce your project
Preview your project
Provide background information
Catch the attention of readers
Set a tone
Follow any required formulas
Write an introduction when youre ready 33 Conclusions
Summarize your points, then connect them
Reveal your point
Finish dramatically 34 Titles
Use titles to focus documents
Create searchable titles
Avoid whimsical or suggestive titles
Capitalize and punctuate titles carefully
Part 5 STYLE 35 High, Middle, Low Style
Use high style for formal, scientific, and scholarly writing
Use middle style for personal, argumentative, and some academic writing
Use a low style for personal, informal, and even playful writing 36 Inclusive and Culturally Sensitive Style
Avoid expressions that stereotype genders
Avoid expressions that stereotype races, ethnic groups, or religious groups
Treat all people with respect
Avoid sensational language 37 Vigorous, Clear, Economical Style
Improve your sentences
Use strong, concrete subjects and objects
Avoid clumsy noun phrases
Avoid sentences with long windups
Avoid strings of prepositional phrases
Avoid doublings
Turn clauses into more direct modifiers
Cut introductory expressions such as it is and there is/are when you can
Vary your sentence lengths and structures
Listen to what you have written
Cut a first draft by 25 percent—or more
Part 6 REVISING AND EDITING 38 Revising Your Own Work
Revise to see the big picture
Edit to make the paper flow
Edit to get the details rightVISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Revise your Work 39 Peer Editing
Peer edit the same way you revise your own work
Be specific in identifying problems or opportunities
Offer suggestions for improvement
Praise what is genuinely good in the paper
Use proofreading symbols
Keep comments tactful
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Insert a Comment in a Word Document
Part 7 RESEARCH AND SOURCES
40 Beginning Your Research
Know your assignment
Come up with a plan
Find a manageable topic
Seek professional help
Distinguish between primary and secondary sources
Record every source you examine
Prepare a topic proposal 41 Finding Print and Online Sources
Learn to navigate the library catalog
Locate research guides
Identify the best reference tools for your needs
Use online sources intelligently 42 Doing Field Research
Interview people with unique knowledge of your subject
Make careful and verifiable observations
Learn more about field work 43 Evaluating Sources
Preview source materials for their key features and strategies
Check who published or produced the source
Check who wrote the work
Consider the audience for a source
Establish how current a source is
Check the sources documentation 44 Annotating Sources
Annotate a source to understand it
Read sources to identify claims
Read sources to understand assumptions
Read sources to find evidence
Record your personal reactions to source material
45 Summarizing
Use a summary to recap what a writer has said
Be sure your summary is accurate and complete
Use a summary to record your take on a source
Prepare a summary to provide a useful record of a source
Use summaries to prepare an annotated bibliography 46 Paraphrasing Sources
Identify the key claims and structure of the source
Track the source faithfully
Record key pieces of evidence
Be certain your notes are entirely in your own words
Avoid misleading or inaccurate paraphrasing
Use your paraphrases to synthesize sources 47 Integrating Sources into Your Work
Cue the reader whenever you introduce borrowed material, whether it is summarized, paraphrased, or quoted directly
Select an appropriate “verb of attribution” to frame borrowed material
Use ellipsis marks […]to shorten a length quotation
Use brackets [ ] to insert explanatory material into a quotation
Use ellipsis marks, brackets, and other devices to make quoted materials suit the grammar of your sentences
Use [sic] to signal an obvious error in quoted material 48 Documenting Sources
Understand the point of documentation
Understand what you accomplish through documentation 49 MLA Documentation and Format
Document sources according to convention
MLA in-text citation
General Guidelines for MLA Works Cited Entries
MLA works cited entries
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Book
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a magazine
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Web Site
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Database
Sample MLA pages 50 APA Documentation and Format
APA in-text citation
APA reference entries
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Database
Sample APA pages Part 8 MEDIA AND DESIGN
51 Understanding Digital Media*
Choose a media format based on what you hope to accomplish
Use blogs to create communities
Create Web sites to share information
Use Wikis to collaborate with others
Make podcasts to share audio files
Use maps to position ideas
Make “movies” to show and tell
Try remixes and mashups to create something new 52 Digital Elements*
Have good reasons for using new media
Download and save digital elements
Use tools to edit digital media
Use appropriate digital formats
Caption images correctly
Respect copyrights
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Insert an Image into a Word Document 53 Charts, Tables and Graphs
Use tables to present statistical data
Use line graphs to display changes or trends
Use bar and column graphs to plot relationships within sets of data
Use pie charts to display proportions
Use maps to display varying types of information
Explore the possibilities of infographics 54 Designing Print and Online Documents
Keep page designs simple and uncluttered
Keep the design logical and consistent
Keep the design balanced
Use templates sensibly
Coordinate your colors
Use headings if needed
Choose appropriate fonts Part 9 COMMON ERRORS
55 Capitalization
Capitalize the names of ethnic, religious, and political groups
Capitalize modifiers formed from proper nouns
Capitalize all words in titles except prepositions, articles, or conjunctions
Take care with compass points, directions, and specific geographical areas
Understand academic conventions
Capitalize months, days, holidays, and historical periods 56 Apostrophes
Use apostrophes to form the possessive
Use apostrophes in contractions
Dont use apostrophes with possessive pronouns 57 Commas
Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to separate two independent clauses
Use a comma after an introductory word group
Use commas with transitional words and phrases
Put Commas around nonrestrictive (that is, nonessential) elements
Use commas to separate items in a series
Do not use commas to separate compound verbs
Do not use a comma between subject and verb
Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements
58 Comma Splices, Run-ons, Fragments
Identify comma splices and run-ons
Fix comma splices and run-ons
Identify sentence fragments
Fix sentence fragments in your work
Watch for fragments in the following situations
Use deliberate fragments only in appropriate situations 59 Subject/Verb Agreement
Be sure the verb agrees with its real subject
In most cases, treat multiple subjects joined by and as plural
When compound subjects are linked by either…or or neither…nor, make the verb agree with the nearer part of the subject
Confirm whether an indefinite pronoun is singular, plural, or variable
Be consistent with collective nouns 60 Irregular Verbs 61 Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
Check the number of indefinite pronouns
Correct sexist pronoun usage
Treat collective nouns consistently 62 Pronoun Reference
Clarify confusing pronoun antecedents
Make sure a pronoun has a plausible antecedent
Be certain that the antecedent of this, that, or which isnt vague 63 Pronoun Case
Use the subjective case for pronouns that are subjects
Use the objective case for pronouns that are objects
Use whom when appropriate
Finish comparisons to determine the right case
Dont be misled by an appositive 64 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
Position modifiers close to the words they modify
Place adverbs such as only, almost, especially, and even carefully
Dont allow a modifier to dangle 65 Parallelism
When possible, make compound items parallel
Keep items in a series parallel
Keep headings and lists parallel
Part 10 READINGS 66 Narrative: Readings
LITERACY NARRATIVE: David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day
MEMOIR: Rob Sheffield, Rumblefish
GRAPHIC NOVEL