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9781413010688

Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Readings Across the Disciplines (with InfoTrac)

by
  • ISBN13:

    9781413010688

  • ISBN10:

    1413010687

  • Edition: 4th
  • Format: Paperback
  • Copyright: 2005-06-30
  • Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
  • View Upgraded Edition
  • Purchase Benefits
List Price: $167.00

Summary

This cross-disciplinary reader encourages critical thinking and academic writing by presenting students with a variety of perspectives on current issues from across the curriculum. Contemporary issues engage the student, while the thematically grouped readings provide rich material for both in-class discussion and writing topics.

Table of Contents

Preface xvii
PART ONE Writing Critically and Conducting Research 1(198)
Chapter 1 Reading Critically
Reading Critically in Preparation for Writing Critically
3(4)
Organizing and Developing Ideas
7(4)
Illustration: Reading Critically
11(1)
What's in a Name? More than You Think
Joe Saltzman
11(19)
Criticizes U.S. television news for using slanted terms in reporting U.S. wars on foreign soil.
Discussion of "What's in a Name? More than You Think"
14(2)
Rhetorical Analysis of Visuals
16(5)
Rhetorical Analysis of Websites
21(5)
Chapter 2 Writing a Summary
26(10)
Writing a Summary
26(4)
Illustration: Making Marginal Notes and Summarizing
30(1)
Enter Right, Exit Left
Joshua Foer
30(4)
Explains the effects of 9/11 and the Iraq war on the political views of today's generation of college graduates.
Illustration: Summary
33(1)
Stern Belongs on the Radio Just as Much as Rush
Roger Ebert
34(9)
Argues that Howard Stern's right to be on the radio is as valid as Rush Limbaugh's.
Chapter 3 Writing a Critique
36(18)
The Connection between Reading Critically and Writing a Critique
36(1)
Writing a Critique
36(7)
The Hollow Curriculum
Robert N. Sollod
43(8)
Argues that omitting courses on religion and spirituality in higher education weakens the curriculum and leaves students ill prepared for their professions.
Illustration: Critique
46(5)
Who Needs College?
Linda Lee
51(28)
Questions the value of a college education and asks if it is appropriate for everyone.
Chapter 4 Writing an Argument
54(38)
Narrowing Your Focus and Discovering Your Position
54(4)
Structuring an Argument
58(1)
Strategies for Arguing Effectively
59(8)
Sample Student Papers
67(11)
Illustration: Opposing Arguments
78(1)
Grade Inflation: It's Time to Face the Facts
Harvey C. Mansfield
79(3)
Argues that grade inflation is widespread and explains its negative effects.
The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation
Alfie Kohn
82(121)
Counters arguments of those who charge that teachers give unrealistically high grades for mediocre performances.
Chapter 5 Synthesizing Material and Documenting Sources Using MLA Style
92(28)
Writing a Synthesis
92(2)
Illustration: Synthesis
94(5)
In-text Citations Using MLA Style
99(1)
Paraphrasing
100(3)
Quoting
103(3)
Integrating Source Material into Your Paper
106(2)
Using Ellipsis Points, Brackets, Single Quotation Marks, and "Qtd. in"
108(4)
Documenting Sources in a Collection of Essays
112(3)
Illustration: Synthesis with In-text Citations using MLA Style
115(5)
Chapter 6 Writing a Research Paper using MLA Style
120(79)
Defining Your Purpose
120(1)
Asking Questions and Discovering a Topic
121(4)
Forming a Preliminary Thesis
125(1)
Developing a Working Bibliography
126(1)
Using the Library
127(1)
Using Electronic Sources
128(3)
Creating a Preliminary Bibliography
131(4)
Evaluating Print Sources
135(2)
Evaluating Internet Sources
137(1)
Illustration: Seeking Promising Websites
138(2)
Taking Notes
140(1)
Illustration: Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting
140(2)
Avoiding Plagiarism
142(2)
Illustration: Plagiarism, Inaccurate Documentation, and Correct Handling of Source Material
144(1)
Handling Source Material
145(1)
Documenting Sources
146(2)
Citing Sources in the Text
148(4)
Creating a Works Cited Page Using MLA Style
152(13)
Writing a Research Paper
165(1)
Illustration: Sample Pages from Student Research Papers
166(10)
Student Research Paper Using MLA Style
176(13)
Writing a Research Paper Using APA Style
189(1)
Parenthetical Citations Using APA Style
190(2)
Illustration: Sample Pages from Student Research Paper Using APA Style
192(3)
APA Style References List
195(4)
PART TWO The Arts, Media Studies, and Popular Culture 199(120)
Chapter 7 Music and Video Games
201(29)
Art Form for the Digital Age
Henry Jenkins
203(4)
Argues that "computer games are art-a popular art, an emerging art, a largely unrecognized art, but art nevertheless."
Here Come the Alpha Pups
John Tierney
207(9)
Explains the advertising tactic of "viral marketing" and comments on the popularity of video games among boys.
Rock Revolt
Isabelle Leymarie
216(5)
Explores claims of a relationship between music and violence.
Rap, Rage and REDvolution
Cristina Verán
221(5)
Notes that while hip-hop music is an empowering voice for Native Americans, many mainstream rappers are guilty of racism in their lyrics.
Perspectives on Music and Video Games
226(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
226(1)
Research Topics
227(1)
Responding to Visuals
228(2)
Chapter 8 Media Studies
230(31)
Aggression: The Impact of Media Violence
Sissela Bok
232(6)
Reviews arguments on both sides of the debate on whether media violence influences behavior.
The End of Admiration: The Media and the Loss of Heroes
Peter H. Gibbon
238(5)
Contends that journalists bear a large part of the responsibility for Americans' inability to find heroes in public figures.
Advertising's Influence on Media Content
Jean Kilbourn
243(7)
Argues that advertisers' power is so great that they often control media content.
Liberal Media? I'm Shocked!
John Leo
250(2)
Expresses concern at the under-representation of conservatives in the news media.
I Agree with Me
P.J. O'Rourke
252(3)
Takes a humorous look at conservatives' approach to argument.
Perspectives on Media Studies
255(3)
Suggested Writing Topics
255(1)
Research Topics
256(2)
Responding to Visuals
258(3)
Chapter 9 Film and Television
261(29)
Up from Hip-Hop
John H. McWhorter
263(6)
Argues that recent films and Broadway musicals, not hip-hop and Spoken Word, represent "the true soul of black America."
Cinderella: Saturday Afternoon at the Movies
Louise Bernikow
269(8)
Examines the fairy tale "Cinderella' for the way it encourages female rivalry to gain the favor of males.
TV Violence: Does It Cause Real-Life Mayhem?
Susan R. Lamson
277(3)
Argues that television depictions of violence powerfully influence children and bear large responsibility for the high U S. homicide rate.
Stop Blaming Kids and TV
Mike Males
280(4)
Argues that poverty, abuse, and neglect are to blame for youth violence and other problems, not teens and television.
Perspectives on Film and Television
284(4)
Suggested Writing Topics
284(2)
Research Topics
286(2)
Responding to Visuals
288(2)
Chapter 10 The Arts
290(23)
Solitude and the Fortresses of Youth
Michael Chabon
292(3)
Argues that controlling the content of students' creative work is not only a violation of their civil liberties but also a denial of their humanity.
Behold the Stone Age
Robert Hughes
295(4)
Raises questions about the purpose and nature of art not only for Cro-Magnons but for people today.
Don't Ignore the Arts
Harold M. Williams
299(6)
Argues that the arts are central to human life and must be included in the basic education of children.
The National Endowment for Football: We're Fighting the Wrong Battle
Daniel E. Gawthrop
305(3)
Suggests strategies for encouraging people to value artistic expression.
Perspectives on The Arts
308(1)
Suggested Writing Topics
308(13)
Research Topics
309(2)
Responding to Visuals
311(2)
E-Readings Online for Part Two
313(6)
PART THREE Social and Behavioral Sciences 319(190)
Chapter 11 Education
321(21)
One Nation, Enriched by Biblical Wisdom
David Brooks
323(2)
Discusses the controversy over school children reciting the phrase "One nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Real Generation Gap
Marianne M. Jennings
325(8)
Argues that the education today's students are getting does not prepare them for the responsibilities of adulthood.
No Time to Read?
David McCullough
333(2)
Argues that "the greatest of all avenues to learning...is in reading books."
The Closing of the American Book
Andrew Solomon
335(2)
Argues that a number of national crises-in health, politics, and, most importantly, education-are direct causes of a decline in reading.
Perspectives on Education
337(3)
Suggested Writing Topics
337(2)
Research Topics
339(1)
Responding to Visuals
340(2)
Chapter 12 Poverty and Homelessness
342(26)
Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids
Anna Quindlen
344(2)
Discusses the number of homeless children in the United States as of early 2001 and touches on the impact of homelessness on those children.
Still Hungry, Still Homeless
America Magazine Editorial
346(2)
Comments on the increase of homelessness, especially among children, and calls for action to address the problem.
A Modest Proposal
Jonathan Swift
348(6)
Classic, darkly satiric proposal for solving the problem of poverty in Ireland.
On the Meaning of Plumbing and Poverty
Melanie Scheller
354(4)
Explains in a highly personal essay the excruciating shame the author felt throughout her childhood-and beyond-that came from living in homes with no indoor plumbing.
The Singer Solution to World Poverty
Peter Singer
358(5)
Presents an example of a hypothetical moral dilemma to support his argument that Americans should donate to world charities in aid of impoverished children.
Perspectives on Poverty and Homelessness
363(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
363(1)
Research Topics
364(1)
Responding to Visuals
365(3)
Chapter 13 Criminal Behavior
368(34)
Deadly Compromise
Joshua Green
369(9)
Examines the issues involved in the arguments of both proponents and opponents of capital punishment.
Deadly Stakes: The Debate over Capital Punishment
John O'Sullivan
378(4)
Examines the logic of arguments used in opposition to capital punishment.
There Are No Lessons to be Learned from Littleton
Gary Kleck
382(6)
Examines the potential consequences of school violence and considers what lessons, if any, can be learned from it.
What's Wrong with America and Can Anything Be Done about It?
Wayne C. Barrett and Bernard Rowe
388(10)
Argues that American society has abandoned decency and discipline, replacing them with disrespect and a decline in moral values.
Perspectives on Criminal Behavior
398(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
398(1)
Research Topics
399(1)
Responding to Visuals
400(2)
Chapter 14 Gender and Sex Roles
402(22)
Reexamining the Plight of Young Males
Megan Rosenfeld
403(6)
Insists that it is time to pay attention to boys' development, arguing that they face far greater risks to their health and well-being than girls do.
You Can Never Have Too Many
Jane Smiley
409(8)
Praises Barbie dolls for what they taught her daughters.
Sacred Rite or Civil Right?
Howard Moody
412(5)
Addresses the debate over gay marriage in terms of the relationship between church and state and their definition of marriage.
Deconstructing Gender, Sex, and Sexuality as Applied to Identity
Whitney Mitchell
417(3)
Explains why identifying people in terms of their gender, sex, or sexuality is inefficient.
Perspectives on Gender and Sex Roles
420(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
420(1)
Research Topics
420(2)
Responding to Visuals
422(2)
Chapter 15 Race and Ethnicity in America
424(28)
Race in America
George Henderson
426(5)
Reviews the history of immigration to America and argues that America never has been a true "melting pot."
One Nation, Indivisible: Is It History?
William Booth
431(6)
Explores the effects on American life of demographic shifts caused by the recent great wave of immigration.
Hispanics and the American Dream
Linda Chavez
437(5)
Argues that Hispanics have successfully assimilated into American society.
Colorblind
Alex Kotlowitz
442(3)
Calls for both whites and blacks to examine and question their own perspectives.
How Much Diversity Do You Want from Me?
Perry Bacon, Jr.
445(2)
Explains why the pressure to speak for one's entire minority population is unfair.
Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America
447(3)
Suggested Writing Topics
447(2)
Research Topics
449(1)
Responding to Visuals
450(2)
Chapter 16 Terrorism and War
452(20)
A Pure, High Note of Anguish
Barbara Kingsolver
454(2)
Comments on the September 11 terrorist attacks on American soil and observes that "every war is both won and lost, and that loss is a pure, high note of anguish."
The Algebra of Infinite Justice
Arundhati Roy
456(7)
Makes a biting indictment of America's foreign policy as it responds to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The Images We See and Those We Don't
Jeff Jacoby
463(2)
Expresses disgust at what he calls American media's exploitation of images of Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse in Iraq.
Flag-Draped Memories
Charles Paul Freund
465(3)
Reviews the complex history of war death imagery.
Perspectives on Terrorism and War
468(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
468(1)
Research Topics
468(2)
Responding to Visuals
470(2)
Chapter 17 America Abroad in Political Science
472(27)
Fortress America
Timothy Garton Ash
474(2)
Believes that American's "soft power" has been diminished and conjectures possible effects on American politics.
The Decline of America's Soft Power
Joseph S. Nye, Jr.
476(6)
Assesses the effects of the decline in popularity of American policies abroad.
Voices from Abroad
Chris Berdik
482(10)
Compiles comments on the view of America from American citizens living in 18 countries around the globe.
Selling Our Innocence Abroad
Pico Iyer
492(2)
Examines the image of America abroad, as represented by American popular culture.
Perspectives on America Abroad in Political Science
494(3)
Suggested Writing Topics
494(1)
Research Topics
495(2)
Responding to Visuals
497(2)
E-Readings Online for Part Three
499(10)
PART FOUR Science and Technology 509(140)
Chapter 18 Digital Technology and the Internet
511(20)
Thoughts on the Digital Future of Movies, the Threat of Piracy, the Hope of Redemption
Jack Valenti
513(5)
Argues the perilous effects of piracy and the value of movies and intellectual property.
The Day I Got Napsterized: First they Came for Metallica. Then They Came for Tom Clancy. And Then They Came for Me.
Steven Levy
518(2)
Explains how his position on the Internet intellectual-property debate was personalized.
Blogging in the Global Lunchroom
Geoffrey Nunberg
520(4)
Muses on his own experience with blogs and the significance of blogs in general.
My Website, My Self
Meghan Daum
524(3)
Describes her creation of a website as a process of self discovery.
Perspectives on Digital Technology and the Internet
527(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
527(1)
Research Topics
528(1)
Responding to Visuals
529(2)
Chapter 19 Natural Sciences
531(26)
The Reach of the Imagination
Jacob Bronowski
532(7)
Explains the workings of the imagination and why it is the chief difference between humans and animals.
The Chemist
Roald Hoffmann
539(3)
Explains that, while the metaphor of discovery is appropriate for describing what chemists do, so is the metaphor of creation.
The Year of the Genome
Matt Ridley
542(5)
Celebrates the genome discoveries as a whole new way of understanding human biology."
The Influence of "Junk Science" and the Role of Science Education
Lee Ann Fisher Baron
547(3)
Offers examples of Americans' inability to distinguish solid science from 'junk science" and blames poor science education for that gullibility.
The Nature of Evidence
Boyce Rensberger
550(3)
Counters critics of science journalists and suggests ways scientists and journalists can teach average people about scientific ways of thinking.
Perspectives on Natural Sciences
553(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
553(1)
Research Topics
554(1)
Responding to Visuals
555(2)
Chapter 20 Bioethics
557(21)
Our Biotech Bodies, Ourselves
James Pethokoukis
559(2)
Gives an overview of issues and controversies associated with biotechnology.
All for the Good
James D. Watson
561(3)
The co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and first director of the Human Genome Project explains why genetic engineering must go on.
Dolly's False Legacy
Ian Wilmut
564(3)
The embryologist responsible for the world's first cloned mammal explains why he thinks human cloning should proceed only with great caution.
Playing God: Has Science Gone Too Far?
Jeff Lyon
567(7)
Explores from a religious point of view the question of whether scientists should proceed with trying to clone humans.
Perspectives on Bioethics
574(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
574(1)
Research Topics
574(2)
Responding to Visuals
576(2)
Chapter 21 Public Health
578(34)
Smallpox Shots: Make Them Mandatory
Charles Krauthammer
580(2)
Argues that individuals have no choice about inoculations when it comes to epidemic diseases.
Restructuring the U. S. Health-Care System
Arnold S. Reiman
582(4)
Examines problems with the U. S. health-care system and calls for reform.
Global Public Goods and Health
Richard D. Smith
586(2)
Raises questions about the process of initiating, organizing, and financing collective actions for health at the global level.
We All Have AIDS
Wayne Ellwood
588(7)
Argues that HIV/AIDS is everyone's problem and investigates the social inequalities which nurture the deadly disease.
Death Stalks a Continent
Johanna McGeary
595(13)
Reports on the conditions that have helped spread HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Perspectives on Public Health
608(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
608(1)
Research Topics
608(2)
Responding to Visuals
610(2)
Chapter 22 Environmental Studies
612(30)
Humboldt's Legacy and the Restoration of Science
Aaron Sachs
614(9)
Profiles the 19th-century scientist Baron Alexander von Humboldt and maintains that modern science would do well to adopt his integrated vision of nature.
A Declaration of Sustainability
Paul Hawken
623(10)
Offers practical guides to conservation, or, according to the subtitle, "Twelve Steps Society Can Take to Save the Whole Enchilada."
The Galileo of Global Warming
American Spectator Commentary
633(4)
Expresses one view on the global warming panic and comments on government action concerning global warming.
Out, Damn Naturalists
D. Grand DeMan
637(2)
Comments on environmentalists and describes his efforts to be environmentally responsible.
Perspectives on Environmental Studies
639(1)
Suggested Writing Topics
639(1)
Research Topics
639(1)
Responding to Visuals
640(2)
E-Readings Online for Part Four
642(7)
PART FIVE BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS 649(97)
Chapter 23 Marketing and the American Consumer
651(28)
In Praise of Consumerism
James B. Twitchell
652(7)
Discusses the social aspects of American consumerism and the inevitability of its global influence.
You Are What You Buy
Richard Wolkomir and Joyce Wolkomir
659(7)
Profiles James B. Twitchell and discusses modern materialism and the history of mass marketing.
The Birth of Hip-Hop
Kevin O'Rourke
666(6)
An analysis of the use beverage marketers make of the widespread appeal of hip-hop music.
Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today
Phyllis Rose
672(3)
Takes an amused look at consumerism in America.
Perspectives on Marketing and the American Consumer
675(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
675(1)
Research Topics
676(1)
Responding to Visuals
677(2)
Chapter 24 The Workplace
679(18)
For Love or Money
Jay Matthews
680(5)
Examines theories of behaviorists on what makes employees do their best work.
Beware the Killjoy
Matthew Boyle
685(2)
Discusses the decline of workplaces described as fun and how that relates to the low rates of job satisfaction.
Rewriting the Old Rules
Terry Golway
687(2)
Argues that women have not changed the American workplace as much as the workplace has changed women.
Warning: This Is a Rights-Free Workplace
Barbara Ehrenreich
689(4)
Argues that employers increasingly erode employees' basic civil rights as well as their self-respect.
Perspectives on The Workplace
693(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
693(1)
Research Topics
693(2)
Responding to Visuals
695(2)
Chapter 25 The Economic Impact of Outsourcing
697(23)
Offshoring Without Guilt
N. Venkat Venkatraman
698(3)
Argues that the debate about the ethics of offshoring misses the point that it represents the inevitable next generation of business practice.
The Wal-Mart You Don't Know
Charles Fishman
701(10)
Argues that in its efforts to offer consumers low prices, Wal-Mart pressures its suppliers and forces them to send jobs overseas.
30 Little Turtles
Thomas Friedman
711(2)
Describes his visit to a training center where Indians are being taught to speak with a Canadian or American accent for their jobs at call centers located in India.
SweatX Closes Up Shop
Richard Appelbaum and Peter Dreier
713(3)
Examines the reasons why a noble effort to show that businesses do not have to rely on overseas sweatshop labor failed.
Perspectives on The Economic Impact of Outsourcing
716(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
716(1)
Research Topics
717(1)
Responding to Visuals
718(2)
Chapter 26 The Global Marketplace
720(21)
Development without Borders
Kofi Annan
722(2)
Comments on the benefits of globalization and what strong nations must do to help underdeveloped ones.
Globalization without a Net
Vito Tanzi
724(2)
Argues that national governments cannot integrate their countries into the global economy and protect the poor at the same time.
Mixing '60's Activisim and Anti-Globalization
Robert Borosage
726(3)
Describes how college students have organized to protest globalization and applied pressure to bring about changes.
Dispelling the Myths about the Global Economy
Murray Weidenbaum
729(8)
Addresses what he sees as ten myths about globalization and explains why they are false.
Perspectives on The Global Marketplace
737(2)
Suggested Writing Topics
737(1)
Research Topics
738(1)
Responding to Visuals
739(2)
E-Readings Online for Part Five
741(5)
Appendix 1 Definitions of Terms Used in Discussion Questions and Writing Topics 746(2)
Appendix 2 Formatting Guidelines for Course Papers 748(2)
Credits 750(6)
Index 756

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