Build a better argument with the right skills as Elements of Argument teaches you how to approach, develop, and defend your position using claims, support, assumptions, and logic.
Top
Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
Purchase Benefits
Free Shipping On Orders Over $35!
Get Rewarded for Ordering Your Textbooks! Enroll Now
Customer Reviews Read Reviews
Write a Review
What is included with this book?
Build a better argument with the right skills as Elements of Argument teaches you how to approach, develop, and defend your position using claims, support, assumptions, and logic.
PART ONE Understanding Argument
1 Approaches to Argument
What Is Argument?
Aristotelian Rhetoric
Ethos
Logos
Pathos
Research Skill Using Databases
Ancient Rhetoric Today
Argument Essentials Aristotelian Rhetoric
READING ARGUMENT
Richard J. Davis, In Gun Control Debate, Logic Goes out the Window
The Shelter Pet Project, A Person Is the Best Thing to Happen to a Shelter Pet (advertisement)
Liza Long, I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother
Stasis Theory
The Stasis Questions
READING ARGUMENT
Stasis Theory Claims
Rogerian Argument
Argument Essentials Rogerian Argument
READING ARGUMENT
Julia Belluz and Steven J. Hoffman, Katie Couric and the Celebrity Medicine Syndrome
*Sarah Seltzer, Teaching Trigger Warnings: What Pundits Don’t Understand about the Year’s Most Controversial Higher-Ed Debate
Los Angeles Times Editorial Board, Warning: College Students, This Editorial May Upset You
The Toulmin Model
The Claim
The Support
The Assumption
Toulmin and the Syllogism
Argument Essentials The Toulmin Model
READING ARGUMENT
Robert J. Samuelson, In Health, We’re Not No. 1
Steven Reinberg, Embryo Selection May Help Prevent Some Inherited Disorders
Assignments for Understanding Approaches to Argument
2 Critical Reading of Written Arguments
Prereading
Strategies for Prereading
READING ARGUMENT
Carol Rose, On Pins and Needles Defending Artistic Expression
Amin Ahmad, I Belong Here
Reading for Content and Structure
Working with the Text
Strategies for Annotating a Text
READING ARGUMENT
Christopher Elliott, A Tale of Two Airlines
Summarizing
Research Skill Summarizing
Strategies for Writing Rhetorical Summaries
READING ARGUMENT
Mallory Simon, Gun Debate: Where Is the Middle Ground?
Stephanie Fairyington, The Gay Option
Evaluation
Strategies for Evaluating Arguments
Argument Essentials Examining Written Arguments
READING ARGUMENT
Bruce Schneier, The Internet Is a Surveillance State
Whitney Cramer, Giving Up Our Privacy: Is It Worth It? (student essay)
Assignments for Examining Written Arguments
3 Critical Reading of Multimodal Arguments
Visual Rhetoric
Photographs
READING ARGUMENT
Dave Martin, Looting (photograph)
Chris Graythen, Finding (photograph)
Rick Loomis, Los Angeles Airport Police Remove the Camouflaged Gun Case That Caused the Evacuation (photograph)
Charlie Riedel, Rio Olympics Refugees (photograph)
Dinendra Haria, Hey Mister! Hands Off My Sister! (photograph)
Michael Krasowitz, Texting and Driving (photograph)
Print Advertisements
Argument Essentials Visual Rhetoric
READING ARGUMENT
World Wildlife Fund, Stop Climate Change before It Changes You (advertisement)
Ad Council, It Only Takes a Moment to Make a Moment (advertisement)
Political Cartoons
READING ARGUMENT
Peter Steiner, No Caption (cartoon)
David Sipress, If One Political Party or the Other . . . (cartoon)
Graphics
READING ARGUMENT
theworld.org, Tobacco’s Shifting Burden (infographic)
Union of Concerned Scientists, Where Your Gas Money Goes (infographic)
Audiovisual Rhetoric
Television Commercials
READING ARGUMENT
Toyota, Let’s Go Places (advertisement)
Speeches and Debates
READING ARGUMENT
Elizabeth Warren, Remarks at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, September 27, 2015
Broadcast News
Strategies for Critical Listening
READING ARGUMENT
CNN Correspondents, Coverage of Obama’s Announcement in Support of Gay Marriage
Argument Essentials Audiovisual Rhetoric
Online Environments
Networking Sites
Argument Essentials Online Environments
READING ARGUMENT
William Wharton, "Peaceful" Act of Compassion
Online News and Blogs
READING ARGUMENT
Luke T. Harrington, Summer Shootings, Pokemon Go: Rebuilding Community in the Wake of Destruction (online blog)
Visual Lectures
Research Skill Evaluating Online Sources
Interactive Web Sites
READING ARGUMENT
Ad Council, embracerefugees.org
Assignments for Examining Multimodal Arguments
4 Writing Argument Analysis
Argument Essentials Writing Argument Analysis
Argument Essentials Writing the Claim
Planning the Structure
Argument Essentials Planning the Structure
Providing Support
Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Quoting
Argument Essentials Providing Support
Research Skill Incorporating Quotations into Your Text
Documenting Your Sources
Writer’s Guide Documenting Use of Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation
READING ARGUMENT
Michael Isikoff, The Snitch in Your Pocket
Ray Chong, Misuse of Cell-Phone Tracking (student essay)
DeRon Williamson, How Our Technology Is Used against Us (student essay)
Robert D. Stuart, Social Media: Establishing Criteria for Law Enforcement Use
Healthcare Management, The Science Facts about Autism and Vaccines (infographic)
James W. Ingram III, Electoral College Is Best Way to Choose U. S. President
Assignments for Responding to Arguments
5 Writing Arguments
Organizing the Argument
Defending the Thesis
Refuting an Opposing View
READING ARGUMENT
Sharon Astyk and Aaron Newton, The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Go Hungry
Strategies for Refuting an Opposing View
Finding the Middle Ground
READING ARGUMENT
Damon Linker, Finding the Moral, Sensible Middle Ground on Abortion
Strategies for Finding the Middle Ground
Presenting the Stock Issues
READING ARGUMENT
John R. Koza, States Can Reform Electoral College--Here's How to Empower Popular Vote
Writing
Writing the Introduction
Writing the Conclusion
Argument Essentials Writing Arguments
Assignments for Writing Arguments
PART TWO Analyzing the Elements
6 Claims
Claims of Fact
Argument Essentials Claims of Fact
Research Skill Identifying Your Sources
READING ARGUMENT
Josh Levs, Loaded Language Poisons Gun Debate
Claims of Value
Aesthetics
Morality
Argument Essentials Claims of Value
READING ARGUMENT
Samuel Chi, The NFL's Protest Crisis
Justin Chang, Grace Shines Past the Emotional Manipulations of "The Light between Oceans"
Claims of Policy
Argument Essentials Claims of Policy
READING ARGUMENT
Elisha Dov Hack, College Life versus My Moral Code
Kiara Ventura, Your Toxic Beauty Regime
Writer’s Guide Stating Your Claim
Assignments for Claims: Making a Statement
7 Support
Writer’s Guide Using Support
Evidence
Factual Evidence
Images
Tulsa Police Department, Police Shootings – Medical Help (photo)
Research Skill Evaluating Evidence
Argument Essentials Evidence
READING ARGUMENT
Sid Kirchheimer, Are Sports Fans Happier?
Kristen Weinacker, Safer? Tastier? More Nutritious? The Dubious Merits of Organic Foods (student essay)
Siddhartha Mukherjee, I’m Sorry, Steve Jobs: We Could Have Saved You
Appeals to Needs and Values
Appeals to Needs
Appeals to Values
Research Skill Evaluating Appeals to Needs and Values
Argument Essentials Appeals to Needs and Values
READING ARGUMENT
Ronald M. Green, Building Baby from the Genes Up
Jeremy Markel, Marketing to "Tweens" Objectifies Women
Assignments for Support: Backing Up a Claim
8 Assumptions
General Principles
Widely Held Assumptions
Recognizing and Analyzing Assumptions
Unstated Assumptions
Strategies for Recognizing Assumptions
READING ARGUMENT
Terry Eastland, Don’t Stop Frisking
Research Skill Finding and Narrowing a Research Topic
READING ARGUMENT
Michael Levin, The Case for Torture
Robert A. Sirico, An Unjust Sacrifice
Assignments for Assumptions
PART THREE Using the Elements
9 Definition: Clarifying Key Terms
The Purposes of Definition
Argument Essentials Purposes of Definition
READING ARGUMENT
Sunnivie Brydum, The True Meaning of "Cisgender"
Guy-Uriel Charles, Stop Calling Quake Victims Looters
Defining the Terms in Your Argument
The Limitations of Dictionary Definitions
Stipulation and Negation: Stating What a Term Is and Is Not
Defining Vague and Ambiguous Terms
Research Skill Using Encyclopedias
Definition by Example
Argument Essentials Defining the Terms in Your Argument
Writing Extended Definitions
Writer’s Guide Writing a Definition Essay
READING ARGUMENT
Brian Whitaker, The Definition of Terrorism
Ishmeal Bradley, Conscientious Objection in Medicine: A Moral Dilemma
Assignments for Definition: Clarifying Key Terms
10 Language: Using Words with Care
The Power of Words
READING ARGUMENT
Stihl, Consumer Confidence (advertisement)
Connotation
READING ARGUMENT
Frank Deford, Why Keep Athletes Eligible but Uneducated?
Steven Best, Dispatches from a Police State: Animal Rights in the Crosshairs of State Repression
Slanting
Research Skill Evaluating Language in Sources
Figurative Language
READING ARGUMENT
M. D. Anderson, Arming Teachers: A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Idea
Concrete and Abstract Language
Shortcuts
Clichés
Slogans
Writer’s Guide Choosing Your Words Carefully
Argument Essentials Evaluating Language
READING ARGUMENT
Jennifer Grossman, Food for Thought (and for Credit)
Barack Obama, Remarks by the President at Memorial Service for Fallen Dallas Police Officers
Assignments for Language: Using Words with Care
11 Logic: Understanding Reasoning
Induction
Argument Essentials Induction
READING ARGUMENT
Jared Diamond, Will Big Business Save the Earth?
Deduction
Argument Essentials Deduction
READING ARGUMENT
David von Drehle, It’s All about Him
Hillary Clinton, Excerpt from Remarks at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Women and the Economy Summit
Research Skill Identifying Reliable Authorities
Common Fallacies
Hasty Generalization
Faulty Use of Authority
Post Hoc or Doubtful Cause
False Analogy
Ad Hominem
False Dilemma
Slippery Slope
Begging the Question
Straw Man
Red Herring
Two Wrongs Make a Right
Non Sequitur
Ad Populum
Appeal to Tradition
Strategies for Uncovering Logical Fallacies
READING ARGUMENT
Christopher Caldwell, Drivers Get Rolled
Elizabeth Lee Vliet,"Gender Neutral" Bathrooms Are Dangerous
Assignments for Logic: Understanding Reasoning
PART FOUR Researching and Crafting Arguments
12 Planning and Research
Finding an Appropriate Topic
Invention Strategies
Evaluating Possible Topics
WRITER’S GUIDE Effective Research Paper Topics
Initiating Research
Keeping Research on Track
Writer’s Guide Keeping Your Research on Track
Research Skill What Is Common Knowledge?
Sketching a Preliminary Outline
Types of Sources
Research Skill Popular vs. Scholarly Articles
Finding Sources
Databases
Encyclopedias
Statistical Resources
Government Resources
Web-Based Sources
Multimodal Sources
Evaluating Sources
Evaluating Sources for Relevance
Evaluating Sources for Reliability
Research Skill Evaluating Web-Based Sources
Research Skill Evaluating Multimodal Sources
Argument Essentials Evaluating Sources
READING ARGUMENT
United States Department of Agriculture, Child Nutrition Programs
Taking Notes
Note Taking and Prewriting
Working with Your Outline
Managing and Documenting Sources
Argument Essentials Taking Notes
READING ARGUMENT
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Childhood Obesity: The Challenge
Los Angeles Times Editorial Board, To Curb School Lunch Waste, Ease the Fruit and Vegetable Rules
13 Drafting, Revising, and Presenting Arguments
Reviewing Your Research
Research Skill Reviewing Your Research
Avoiding Plagiarism
Argument Essentials Avoiding Plagiarism
Using Sentence Forms to Write about Arguments
Argument Essentials Using Sentence Forms
Building an Effective Argument
Revising
Argument Essentials Checklist for Effective Arguments
Oral Arguments
The Audience
Credibility
Organization
Language
Support
Presentation Aids
READING ARGUMENT
Anna Maria Chávez, Address to the National Council Session/52nd Convention of the Girl Scouts of the USA
Kathleen Sebelius, Remarks to Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute
14 Documenting Sources
MLA In-Text Citations
MLA Works Cited Entries
Directory of MLA Works Cited Entries
Print Sources
The Elements of Citation Book (MLA)
Electronic Sources
The Elements of Citation Article from a Web Site (MLA)
Other Sources
The Elements of Citation Article from a Database (MLA)
MLA-Style Annotated Bibliography
MLA Paper Format
MLA-Style Sample Research Paper
Kathleen Hedden, Competitive Foods and the Obesity Epidemic (student essay)
APA In-Text Citations
APA List of References
Directory of APA Reference Entries
Print Sources
The Elements of Citation Book (APA)
Electronic Sources
The Elements of Citation Article from a Website (APA)
The Elements of Citation Article from a Database (APA)
Other Sources
APA-Style Sample Research Paper
Angela Mathers, The Controversy over Women in Combat (student essay)
PART FIVE Debating the Issues
15 Rating Your Professors: Do Course Evaluations Matter?
Rebecca Schuman, Needs Improvement
Stephen Burt, Why Not Get Rid of Student Evaluations?
16 Trigger Warnings: Do College Students Need to be Protected?
American Association Of University Professors, On Trigger Warnings
Aaron R. Hanlon, The Trigger Warning Myth
17 Gender-Neutral Bathrooms: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
Delia Melody, The Crucial Problem We're Forgetting in the Trans Bathroom Debate
Socawlege.Com, The Case Against Fully Shifting to Gender-Neutral Bathrooms
18 Gender Stereotypes: Is the "Princess" Phenomenon Detrimental to Girls’ Self-Image?
Calah Alexander, The Dangers of the Princess Culture
Crystal Liechty, In Defense of Princess Culture
19 Economics and College Sports: Should College Athletes Be Paid?
Paul Marx, Athlete’s New Day
Warren Hartenstine, College Athletes Should Not Be Paid
PART SIX Multiple Viewpoints
20 Social Networking: What Are the Consequences of Becoming an Online Society?
Alfredo Lopez, Social Networking and the Death of the Internet
Zephoria, Social Media: The Rock Star of Online Marketing (infographic)
Amy Webb, We Post Nothing about Our Daughter Online
Elise Hu, Facebook Makes Us Sadder and Less Satisfied, Study Finds
Isaac Gilman, Online Lives, Offline Consequences: Professionalism, Information Ethics, and Professional Students
John G. Browning, Watch That Tweet! Monitoring of Student Athletes’ Social Media
Thinking and Writing about the Consequences of Social Networking
21 Violence on Campus: How Far Will We Go to Keep Our Schools Safe?
Wayne LaPierre, What Should America Do about Gun Violence?
Pat Bagley, Totally Safe Schools (cartoon)
Leonard Pitts, Jr., Children Killing Children—Just Another Normal Day
Baltimore Sun, Teachers Packing Heat
Robert Ross, Mental Health Services a Defense against School Violence
Alex Mesoudi, Mass Shooting and Mass Media: Does Media Coverage of Mass Shootings Inspire Copycat Crimes?
Thinking and Writing about School Violence
22 Climate Change: It Exists. What Now?
National Center For Science Education, How Will Climate Change Affect the World and Society?
Marlene Cimons, Americans' Mental Health Is Latest Victim of Changing Climate
Andis Robeznieks, Healthcare Confronts Climate Change: Schools, Providers Focus on Health Effects to Dampen Political Opposition
Jennifer Ludden, Should We Be Having Kids in the Age Of Climate Change?
Reynard Loki, 4 Reasons Climate Change Affects National Security
Diana Liverman and Amy Glasmeier, What Are The Economic Consequences Of Climate Change?
Thinking and Writing about Climate Change
23 Competitive Sports: What Risks Should Athletes Be Allowed to Take?
Jane E. Brody, For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point
Jeb Golinkin, Why Parents Should Let Their Kids Play Dangerous Sports
Kent Sepkowitz, It’s Time to Quit Ignoring Sports Head Trauma’s Very Real Dangers
John Hardy, Ban Boxing--It's Demeaning and Dangerous
Public Broadcasting Service, The Dangers of Doping
Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery Specialists, The Dangers of Sports Specialization
Andrew M. Blecher, The NFL Concussion Crisis & the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Thinking and Writing about the Dangers of Competitive Sports
24 Freedom of Speech: Are Limitations on Our Rights Ever Justified?
Mike Keefe, Social Media Dark Side (cartoon)
Sean McElwee, The Case for Censoring Hate Speech on the Internet
Mathew Ingram, Why Twitter Is Doing the Right Thing by Refusing to Identify
Users Who Posted Anti-Semitic Comments
American Civil Liberties Union, Hate Speech on Campus
Janet Napolitano, It's Time to Free Speech on Campus Again
Christiane Amanpour, Acceptance Speech for the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award, November 22, 2016
Thinking and Writing about the Limitations on Freedom of Speech
25 Police Violence: Where Do We Go From Here?
Jaeah Lee, Here's the Data that Shows Cops Kill Black People at a Higher Rate than White People
Heather Mac Donald, Black and Unarmed: Behind the Numbers
Chauncey DeVega, What Obama’s Dallas Speech Missed: Police Brutality Is Rooted in Race-Based Housing Segregation and Economic Inequality
Redditt Hudson, I'm a Black Ex-Cop, and This Is the Real Truth about Race and Policing
Devin Coldewey, Police Complaints Drop 93 Percent after Deploying Body Cameras
Thinking and Writing about Police Violence
PART SEVEN Classic Arguments
Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience
Sojourner Truth, Ain’t I a Woman?
Rachel Carson, The Obligation to Endure
Nelson Mandela, Black Man in a White Court
Thurgood Marshall, Reflections on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution
Glossary
INDEX OF SUBJECTS
INDEX OF AUTHORS AND TITLES
The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
Need Help? Copyright © 1999-2024