Backpack Writing, MLA Update Edition

by Faigley, Lester

• ISBN13: 9780134586366
• ISBN10: 0134586360
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-07-13
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

For college courses in Composition and Rhetoric.

This version of Backpack Writing has been updated to reflect the 8th Edition of the MLA Handbook (April 2016)*

Revealing the writing process through interactive learning
Backpack Writing, 4th Edition presents writing, reading, and research processes dynamically, using a variety of visuals to illustrate how readers interact with texts and how writers compose. One of the first textbook authors to focus on multimedia composing, Lester Faigley employs his own advice to engage individuals in every step of the writing process--for everyday life--and pulls back the curtain on how writers work. Backpack Writing gives individuals the support they need to succeed in their careers.

* The 8th Edition introduces sweeping changes to the philosophy and details of MLA works cited entries. Responding to the “increasing mobility of texts,” MLA now encourages writers to focus on the process of crafting the citation, beginning with the same questions for any source. These changes, then, align with current best practices in the teaching of writing which privilege inquiry and critical thinking over rote recall and rule-following.

Table of Contents

PART 1: THE ACADEMIC WRITER

1 Thinking as an Academic Writer
Explore Through Writing                    
Understand the Process of Writing
Understand the Rhetorical Situation
Analyze Your Assignment
Think About Your Genre
Think About Your Medium
Think About Your Topic
Think About What Your Readers Expect
Think About Your Credibility

2    Reading as an Academic Writer
Become a Critical Reader                    
Become a Critical Viewer
Annotate Academic Readings
Recognize Fallacies
Write a Summary
Write a Paraphrase
Move from Reading to Invention
Start an Annotated Bibliography
Synthesize Readings and Visuals

3    Planning    
Move from a General Topic to a Writing Plan        
Narrow Your Topic
Write a Thesis
Make a Plan

4    Drafting        
Draft with Strategies in Mind                
Write a Zero Draft
Draft from a Working Outline
Start Fast with an Engaging Title and Opening Paragraph
Develop Paragraphs
Conclude with Strength
Link Within and Across Paragraphs

5    Revising        
Revising and Editing                    
Evaluate Your Draft
Respond to Others
Pay Attention to Details Last
Revise Using your Instructor’s Comments

PART 2: THE PERSUASIVE WRITER

Writing to Reflect
6    Reflections    
Writing a Reflection                    
What Makes a Good Reflection?
Reflections About Visuals
REFLECTIONS

Sue Kunitomi Embrey, Some Lines for a Younger Brother . . .
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, My Hips, My Caceras  
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
How to Write a Reflection

STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Janine Carter, The Miracle Quilt

Projects

Writing to Inform
7    Informative Essays and Visuals    
Reporting Information                    
What Makes Good Informative Writing?
Informative Visuals
INFORMATIVE ESSAYS AND VISUALS

Katherine Mangan, Is Faster Always Better?
Shane D. Johnson, Aiden Sitebottom, and Adam Thorpe, Bicycle Theft 

How to Write to Inform
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Lakshmi Kotra, The Life Cycle of Stars

Projects

Writing to Analyze    
8    Rhetorical and Visual Analyses
Writing an Analysis                        
Writing a Rhetorical Analysis
Writing a Visual Analysis
RHETORICAL AND VISUAL ANALYSES

Tim Collins, Straight from the Heart  
Frank Gehry, The Ray and Maria Stata Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

How to Write an Analysis
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Chris Gonzalez, Russell Lee’s Pie Town Photographs

Writing Arguments        
9    Causal Arguments     
Writing a Causal Argument                        
What Makes a Good Causal Argument?
Visual Causal Arguments
CAUSAL ARGUMENTS

Laura Fraser, The French Paradox  
Tom Vanderbilt, Why I Became a Late Merger (and Why You Should Too)

How to Write a Causal Argument
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Armandi Tansel, Modern Warfare: Video Games’ Link to Real-World Violence

Projects

10    Evaluation Arguments    
Writing an Evaluation Argument                        
What Makes a Good Evaluation Argument?
Visual Evaluations
EVALUATION ARGUMENTS

Bill McKibben, The Only Way to Have a Cow  
Rachel Laudan, In Praise of Fast Food

How to Write an Evaluation
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Jenna Picchi, Organic Foods Should Come Clean

Projects

11    Position Arguments    
Writing a Position Argument                         
What Makes a Good Position Argument?
Visual Position Arguments
POSITION ARGUMENTS

Ted Koppel, Take My Privacy, Please!
Michael Pollan, Eat Food, Food Defined 

How to Write a Position Argument
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Patrice Conley, Flagrant Foul: The NCAA’s Definition of Student Athletes as Amateurs

Projects

12    Proposal Arguments     
Writing a Proposal Argument        
What Makes a Good Proposal Argument?
Visual Proposals
PROPOSAL ARGUMENTS

Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence  
Glenn Loury, A Nation of Jailers 

How to Write a Proposal Argument
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Kim Lee, Let’s Make It a Real Melting Pot with Presidential Hopes for All

PART 3: THE MULTIMEDIA WRITER

13    Composing in Multimedia                 
Understand the Process of Composing in Multimedia
Take Pictures That Aren’t Boring
Create Graphics
Create Audio
Create Video
Create a Photo Essay

14    Designing for Print and Digital Readers                     
Start With Your Readers
Use Headings and Subheadings Effectively
Design Pages
Understand Typography
Evaluate Your Design

PART 4: THE WRITER AS RESEARCHER
   
    Guide to Research
15    Planning Research                                     
Analyze the Research Task
Ask a Question
Draft a Working Thesis

16    Finding Sources                                     
Identify the Kinds of Sources That You Need
Search Using Keywords
Find Sources in Databases
Find Sources on the Web
Find Multimedia Sources
Find Print Sources
Create a Working Bibliography

17    Evaluating Sources                                     
Determine the Relevance and Quality of Sources
Determine the Kind of Source
Determine If a Source Is Trustworthy

18    Writing the Research Project                             
Write a Draft
Avoid Plagiarism
Quote Sources Without Plagiarizing
Summarize and Paraphrase Sources Without Plagiarizing
Incorporate Quotations
Incorporate Visuals
Review Your Research Project

19    MLA Documentation                                 
Elements of MLA Documentation
Entries in the Works-cited List
In-text Citations in MLA Style
Books in MLA-Style Works Cited
Web Sources in MLA-Style Works Cited
Other Sources in MLA-Style Works Cited
Visual Sources in MLA-Style Works Cited
Sample MLA Paper
George Abukar
It’s Time to Shut Down the Identity Theft Racket