1. What to Argue About.
A Book that Changed the World.
Why Silent Spring Became a Classic.
Tactics of Silent Spring.
Analyzing Arguments: Pathos, Ethos, and Logos.
Reading Arguments.
Become a Critical Reader.
Position and Proposal Arguments.
Rachel Carson, "The Obligation to Endure."
Union of Concerned Scientists, “The Impact of Global Warming in North America.”
2. Finding Arguments.
What Exactly Is an Argument?
The Basics of Arguments.
What is Not Arguable.
Find a Topic.
Read Your Assignment Carefully.
Think about What Interests You.
List and Analyze Issues.
Explore Your Topic.
Freewrite.
Brainstorm.
Use an Online Subject Directory.
Read about Your Topic.
Make an Idea Map.
Think about Your Audience.
What Does Your Audience Know–And Not Know?
What Is Your Audience’s Attitude Toward You?
What Is Your Audience’s Attitude Toward Your Subject?
Write a Thesis.
Focus Your Thesis.
Evaluate Your Thesis.
3. Finding and Supporting Good Reasons.
The Basics of Reasoning.
Find Good Reasons.
Can You Argue by Definition?
Can You Argue from Value?
Can You Compare or Contrast?
Can You Argue from Consequence?
Can You Counter Objections to Your Position?
Questions for Finding Good Reasons.
Find Evidence to Support Good Reasons.
Fallacies in Arguments.
Organize Good Reasons.
Create Credibility.
Argue Responsibly.
Choose an Appropriate Voice.
4. Understanding Written Arguments: Rhetorical Analysis.
What is Rhetorical Analysis?
The Goals of Rhetorical Analysis
Textual Analysis: Using Rhetorical Concepts as an Analytical Screen.
Silko's Purpose and Argument.
Silko's Use of Logos, Pathos, and Ethos.
Silko's Arrangement.
Silko's Style.
Metaphors in Ads.
Contextual Analysis: Communication As Conversation.
Silko's Life and Works.
The Context of Publication.
The Larger Conversation.
Silko's Political Goals.
Write a Rhetorical Analysis.
Sample Student Rhetorical Analysis: Erica Strausner, "The NRA Blacklist: A Project Gone Mad."
STEPS TO A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS.
5. Understanding Visual Arguments: Visual Analysis.
What Is a Visual Argument?
Visual Persuasion.
Visual Evidence.
Photographs.
Tables.
Charts and Graphs.
Evaluating Charts and Graphs.
Write a Visual Analysis.
Sample Student Visual Analysis: Angela Yamashita, "Got Roddick?"
STEPS TO A VISUAL ANALYSIS.
Using Different Approaches to Construct an Argument
6. Definition Arguments.
Kinds of Definitions.
Formal Definitions.
Operational Definitions.
Definitions from Example.
Building a Definitional Argument.
Scott McDonald, "Setting the Record Straight."
STEPS TO A DEFINITION ARGUMENT.
7. Causal Arguments.
Methods of Finding Causes.
Building a Causal Argument.
Sample Student Causal Argument: Jennifer May, “Why Are Teenage Girls Dying to Be Thin?”
STEPS TO A CAUSAL ARGUMENT.
8. Evaluation Arguments.
Kinds of Evaluations.
Where Do Criteria Come From?
Building an Evaluation Argument.
Sample Student Evaluation Argument: DeMarcus Taylor, “A Unhealthy Practice”
STEPS TO AN EVALUATION ARGUMENT.
9. Narrative Arguments.
Kinds of Narrative Arguments.
Building a Narrative Argument.
Leslie Marmon Silko, "The Border Patrol State."
STEPS TO A NARRATIVE ARGUMENT
10. Rebuttal Arguments.
Critical Thinking.
Two Ways of Rebutting.
Refutation.
Counterargument.
Linda Chavez, “The ‘Separation of Church and State’ Myth.”
STEPS TO A REBUTTAL ARGUMENT.
11. Proposal Arguments.
Components of Proposals.
Building a Proposal Argument.
Sample Student Proposal Argument: Brian Witkowski, “Need a Cure for Tribe Fever? How About a Dip in the Lake?”
STEPS TO A PROPOSAL ARGUMENT.
12. Revision: Putting It All Together.
Keep Your Goals in Mind—But Stay Flexible.
Read As You Write.
Take the Perspective of Your Reader.
Revision Checklist: Focus on Your Argument.
Revision Checklist: Focus on Your Style and Proofread Carefully.
Get Help on Your Draft.
13. Effective Visual Design.
Design Basics.
Arrangement.
Consistency.
Contast.
Understanding Typefaces and Fonts.
Creating Images and Other Graphics.
Pictures.
Other Graphics.
Writing Arguments for the Web.
The First Page Is the Most Important.
Divide Your Text into Chunks.
Make the Text Readable.
Determine the Visual Theme of Your Site.
Keep the Visuals Simple.
Make Your Site Easy to Navigate.
14. Effective Oral Presentations.
Planning an Oral Presentation.
Getting Started.
Selecting Your Topic.
Thinking About Your Audience.
Supporting Your Presentation.
Planning Your Introduction.
Planning Your Conclusion.
Delivering an Oral Presentation.
The Importance of Practice.
Speaking Effectively.
Nonverbal Communication.
Tips: Effective Speeches.
Handling Questions.
Multimedia Presentations.
Visual Elements.
Tips: Readable Transparencies and Slides.
Presentation Software.
15. Effective Research.
Research: Knowing What Information You Need.
What Makes a Good Subject for Research.
Planning Your Research.
Interviews, Observations, and Surveys.
Finding Library Sources.
Scholarly, Trade, and Popular Journals.
Finding Web Sources.
Kinds of Search Engines.
Tips: Search Engines.
Evaluating Sources.
Traditional Criteria for Evaluating Print Sources.
Additional Criteria for Evaluating Web Sources.
Taking Notes.
16. MLA Documentation.
Intellectual Property and Scholastic Honesty.
Avoiding Plagiarism.
Using Sources Effectively.
MLA Works-Cited List.
Citing Books.
Citing Articles in Periodicals.
Citing Online Sources.
Citing Visual Sources.
Citing Other Sources.
17. APA Documentation.
APA Reference List.
Citing Books.
Citing Articles in Periodicals.
Citing Online Sources.
Citing Other Sources.
18. Negotiating the Environment
E. O. Wilson, The Conservation Ethic
Sidebar: Excerpts from Aldo Leopold, The Land Ethic
N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain
Alice Walker, Am I Blue?
Wendell Berry, Manifesto, The Mad Farmer Liberation Front*
James Howard Kunstler, The Long Emergency*
Daniel Glick, The Big Thaw*
Thomas Derr, Strange Science*
Issue in Focus: Habitat Loss–The Reintroduction of Wolves into Yellowstone*
Dan Neel, Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf*
Editorial: Let the Gray Wolf Roam Free*
William Norman Gregg, Thrown to the Wolves*
From Reading to Writing*
19. Confronting Sexual Difference
Carmen Vasquez, Appearances
Jay Budziszewski, Homophobia: An Unfinished Story
Jay Budziszewski, The Seeker
Peter Gomes, Homophobic? Read Your Bible
Issue in Focus: Same Sex Marriage
Andrew Sullivan, Here Comes the Groom
Hadley Arkes, The Closet Straight
Anna Quindlen, Evan’s Two Moms
From Reading to Writing*
James Poniewozik, Queer Eye for Straight TV*
William F. Jasper, Subversion through Perversion*
Alexa Hackbarth, Vanity, Thy Name Is Metrosexual*
20. Globalization: Importing and Exporting America*
Patrick J. Buchanan, To Reunite a Nation
Richard Rayner, What Immigration Crisis?
Sidebar: Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus*
Sidebar: Thomas Bailey Aldrich, The Unguarded Gates*
Henry Payne cartoon
James Baldwin, Stranger in the Village*
Gregory Rodriguez, Why We’re the New Irish*
Todd Gitlin, Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co.*
Laura Carlsen, Wal-Mart Vs. Pyramids*
Kishore Mahbubani, American Culture: The People’s Choice or a Form of Imperialism*
Jeremy Rifkin, The European Dream*
21. Science and Ethics*
Bill Joy, Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us*
Francis Fukuyama, A Tale of Two Dystopias*
Ralph C. Merkle, Nanotechnology: Designs for the Future*
Kenan Malik, The Moral Clone*
Charles Krauthammer, Crossing Lines*
Issue in Focus: Stem Cell Research*
Ron Reagan, Speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention*
Steven Milloy, Ron Reagan Wrong on Stem Cells*
Richard Doerflinger, Don’t Clone Ron Reagan’s Agenda*
From Reading to Writing*
22. Privacy (all selections in this chapter are new)*
Issue in Focus: Debating the USA Patriot Act
American Civil Liberties Union, In Defense of Freedom at a Time of Crisis
Mike Keefe cartoon
Tom Toles cartoon
American Library Association Council, Resolution on the USA Patriot Act
John Ashcroft, The Patriot Act: Wise Beyond Its Years
David Sarasohn, The Patriot Act on Trial
TalkLeft Blog
From Reading to Writing
James Bovard, Federal Surveillance: The Threat to Americans’ Security
David Brin, Three Cheers for the Surveillance Society!
Paul Saffo, A Trail of DNA and Data
Ted Koppel, Take My Privacy, Please!
Sidebar: Randall Larsen, Traveler’s Card Might Just Pave the Way for a National ID Card
Jeffrey Zaslow, The End of Youthful Indiscretions: Internet Makes Them
Permanent Blots
23. Regulating Substances, Regulating Bodies*
Joseph A. Califano, The Right Drug to Target: Cutting Marijuana Use*
Eric Schlosser, Make Peace With Pot*
Issue in Focus: Smoking*
American Legacy Foundation, Antismoking Ad
Garry Trudeau, Doonesbury
Douglas Bettcher and Chitra Subramaniam, The Necessity of Global Tobacco Regulation*
Walter E. Williams, Nazi Tactics*
From Reading to Writing*
Malcolm Gladwell, Drugstore Athlete
Frank Shorter, Testimony before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection*
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Anti-Drinking and Driving Ad
David Hemenway, Regulation of Firearms*
Keith Bradsher, High and Mighty*
Terrence Rafferty, Kate Winslet, Please Save Us!
Consumer Freedom, Obesity Ad
Susan Llewelyn Leach, Those Extra Pounds–Are They Government’s Business?*
Ynestra King, The Other Body: Disability and Identity Politics
Evan Wright, Sister Act
24. Media*
Ben Bagdikian, Grand Theft: The Conglomeratization of Media and the Degradation of Culture*
Matt Wuerker, Freedom of the Press Meets Merger Mania*
Tom Goldstein, Does Big Mean Bad?*
Cathleen Cleaver, The Internet: A Clear and Present Danger?
John Perry Barlow, A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
Walt Handelsman, Information Superhighway
American Civil Liberties Union, Fahrenheit 451.2: Is Cyberspace Burning?
Ruben Bolling, Tom the Dancing Bug Presents*
Matt Welch, Blogworld and Its Gravity*
Joshua Kurlantzick, Dictatorship.com*
Naomi Klein, Culture Jamming: Ads Under Attack*
Sidebar: Adbusters, Absolut Impotence: An Argument about Alcohol*
Michel Marriott, The Color of Mayhem*