Synopses & Reviews
Combining streamlined instruction in the writing process with outstanding accessibility, THE COLLEGE WRITER is a fully updated four-in-one book-with a rhetoric, a reader, a research guide, and a handbook-for users at any skill level. Throughout the book, numerous student and professional writing samples highlight important features of academic writing-from voice to documentation-and offer models for users' own papers. The fifth edition features a greater focus on writing across the curriculum, further supported within the research chapters by additional coverage of report writing, primary research, and avoiding plagiarism.
Review
"I appreciated most the rhetorical approach your team has taken and the efforts you are making to deliver a 21st century writing resource that functions across the disciplines . . . Your team has clearly thought through what our writers need to be successful as communicators."
Review
"The Outcomes Checklist reinforces the concepts and makes the students accountable for learning."
About the Author
Dr. Randall VanderMey (Ph.D. University of Iowa, M.F.A. in Fiction, Iowa Writers' Workshop, M.A. University of Pennsylvania) is Professor of English and English Department Chair at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He has taught composition, literature, and technical writing at Iowa State University, Dordt College, and the University of Iowa and led several off-campus programs in Europe through Westmont. VanderMey has received numerous fellowships, grants, and awards for teaching and writing. He has published two books of poems, KENOSIS: A SONG CYCLE, and CHARM SCHOOL: FIVE WOMEN OF THE ODYSSEY, as well as a book of personal essays, GOD TALK: TRITENESS AND TRUTH IN CHRISTIAN CLICHES. He was co-author of a psychiatric trade book, GENES AND THE MIND. In Spring 2013 Westmont College produced the world premiere of his full-length play, PLATINUM CIRCLE: A PLAY IN THREE ONE-ACTS. Dr. Verne Meyer is a businessperson and an educator who has taught in high schools and in college. In 1977, he cofounded Write Source Educational Publishing House, now a subsidiary of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Supplemental. A graduate of Calvin College, Marquette University, and the University of Minnesota, he has co-authored FUSION 1, FUSION 2, WRITE 1 SENTENCES TO PARAGRAPHS, WRITE 2 PARAGRAPHS TO ESSAYS, and more than a dozen English handbooks, including WRITE SOURCE 2000, WRITERS INC, WRITE FOR COLLEGE, THE COLLEGE WRITER, WRITE FOR BUSINESS, THE BUSINESS WRITER, and WRITING EFFECTIVE E-MAIL. Today, Dr. Meyer is a contributing editor for Write Source, Houghton Mifflin, and UpWrite Press. He also leads writing workshops across the United States. Dr. John Van Rys currently teaches writing at Redeemer University College, Ancaster, Ontario. Van Rys has taught writing for 18 years. A graduate of The University of Western Ontario and Dalhousie University, Van Rys received the highest scholarships available in Canada-the SSHRCC (Canada Council) Doctoral Fellowship and the Killim Scholarship-during his graduate studies. He has co-authored FUSION 1, FUSION 2, WRITE 1 SENTENCES TO PARAGRAPHS, WRITE 2 PARAGRAPHS TO ESSAYS, and a variety of business-writing handbooks and materials for the educational and business-writing markets, including WRITE FOR WORK, SCHOOL TO WORK, THE COLLEGE WRITER, WRITE FOR BUSINESS, THE BUSINESS WRITER, WRITING EFFECTIVE E-MAIL, and WRITING BUSINESS AND SALES CORRESPONDENCE. Pat Sebranek is a businessperson and an educator who co-founded Write Source in 1977. Prior to founding Write Source, Mr. Sebranek taught writing and speaking at the high school level for 16 years, where he developed several courses aimed at helping students use the writing process more effectively. He has co-authored FUSION 1, FUSION 2, WRITE 1 SENTENCES TO PARAGRAPHS, WRITE 2 PARAGRAPHS TO ESSAYS, and many more English handbooks, including WRITE SOURCE 2000, WRITERS INC, WRITE FOR COLLEGE, THE COLLEGE WRITER, WRITE FOR BUSINESS, THE BUSINESS WRITER, and WRITING EFFECTIVE E-MAIL. He continues to contribute to products that will help individuals improve their communication skills.
Table of Contents
Part I: RHETORIC: COLLEGE STUDENT'S GUIDE TO WRITING. Reading, Thinking, Viewing, and Writing. 1. Critical Thinking Through Reading, Viewing, and Writing. 2. Beginning the Writing Process. 3. Planning. 4. Drafting. 5. Revising. 6. Editing and Proofreading. 7. Submitting Writing and Creating Portfolios. The College Essay. 8. One Writer's Process. Part II: READER: STRATEGIES AND SAMPLES. 9. Forms of College Writing. Three Curricular Divisions. Writing in the Humanities. Writing in the Social Sciences. Writing in the Natural Sciences. Critical-Thinking and Writing Activities. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 10. Narration, Description, and Reflection. Strategies for Personal Essays. Brief Narratives: Anecdotes. Sample Personal Essays. "The Entymology of Village Life," by Robert Minto. "Spare Change," by Teresa Zsuffa. "When Dreams Take Flight," by Elizabeth Fuller. "Call Me Crazy, But I Have to Be Myself," by Mary Seymour. "The Muscle Mystique," by Barbara Kingsolver. Writing Guidelines. Critical-Thinking and Writing Activities. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 11. Cause and Effect. Strategies for Cause-Effect Essays. Sample Cause-Effect Essays. "The Slender Trap," by Tina Rhys. "Dutch Discord," by Brittany Korver. "If You Let Me Play," by Mary Brophy Marcus. "Mind Over Mass Media," by Steven Pinker. Writing Guidelines. Critical-Thinking and Writing Activities. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 12. Comparison and Contrast. Strategies for Comparison-Contrast Essays. Sample Comparison-Contrast Essays. "Sethe in Beloved and Orleanna in Poisonwood Bible," by Rachel DeSmith. "Shrouded in Contradiction," by Gelareh Asayesh. "Shades of Prejudice," by Shankar Vedantam. "The Likeness Across the Atlantic," by Peter Baldwin. Writing Guidelines. Critical-Thinking and Writing Activities. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 13. Classification. Strategies for Classification Essays. Sample Classification Essays. "Latin American Music," by Kathleen Kropp. "Four Sides to Every Story," by Stewart Brand. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Metaphor," by Jessica Siegel. Writing Guidelines. Critical-Thinking and Writing Activities. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 14. Process. Strategies for Process Essays. Sample Process Essays. "Wayward Cells," by Kerri Mertz. "The Emancipation of Abe Lincoln," by Eric Foner. "Saint Caesar of Delano," by Richard Rodriguez. Writing Guidelines. Critical-Thinking and Writing Activities. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 15. Definition. Strategies for Definition Essays. Sample Definition Essays. "Economic Disparities Fuel Human Trafficking," by Shon Bogar. "Deft or Daft," by David Schelhaas. "On Excellence," by Cynthia Ozick. "Wikipedia and the Meaning of Truth," by Simon L. Garfinkle. Writing Guidelines. Critical-Thinking and Writing Activities. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 16. Reading Literature: A Case Study in Analysis. Strategies for Analyzing Literature and the Arts. Approaches to Literary Analysis. "Four Ways to Talk about Literature," by John Van Rys. Analyzing a Poem. "The Time Around Scars," by Michael Ondaatje. "The Stories Scars Hold: An Explication of Michael Ondaatje's 'The Time Around Scars,'" by Michael Doyle (Student). Analyzing a Short Story. "Good Country People," by Flannery O'Connor. "'Good Country People': Broken Body, Broken Soul," by Anya Terekhina (Student). Analysis of a Novel. "Ah, the Power of Women: Louis Erdrich's 'Love Medicine'" by Aleah Stenberg. Literary Terms. Poetry Terms. Writing Guidelines. Critical-Thinking and Writing Activities. Learning-Objectives Checklist. 17. Strategies for Argumentation and Persuasion. 18. Taking a Position. 19. Persuading Readers to Act. 20. Proposing a Solution. 21. Taking Essay Tests. Reviewing for Tests. Forming a Study Group. Consider the Testing Situation. Taking the Essay Test. Writing Under Pressure: The Essay Test Quick Guide. Taking an Objective Test. Tips for Coping with Test Anxiety. 22. Writing for the Workplace. Writing the Business Letter. Writing Memos and E-mail. Applying for a Job. 23. Preparing Oral Presentations. Organizing Your Presentation. Writing Your Presentation. "Save Now or Pay Later," by Burnette Sawyer. Developing Computer Presentations. Overcoming Stage Fright Checklist. Part III: RESEARCH AND WRITING. 24. Getting Started: From Planning Research to Evaluating Sources. 25. Conducting Research: Primary, Library, Web. 26. Building Credibility: Avoiding Plagiarism. 27. Drafting Papers with Documented Research. 28. MLA Style. 29. APA Style. Part IV: HANDBOOK. 30. Marking Punctuation. 31. Checking Mechanics. 32. Using the Right Word. 33. Understanding Grammar. 34. Constructing Sentences. 35. Avoiding Sentence Errors. 36. Multilingual and ESL Guidelines.