Gain focused writing advice for a range of common academic and real-world genres through an emphasis on critical reading and writing as How to Write Anything with Readings with 2016 MLA Update gives you skills essential to academic success.

John J. Ruszkiewicz is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin where he has taught literature, rhetoric, and writing for more than thirty-five years. A winner of the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award, he was instrumental in creating the Department of Rhetoric and Writing in 1993 and directed the unit from 2001-05. He has also served as president of the Conference of College Teachers of English (CCTE) of Texas, which gave him its Frances Hernández Teacher—Scholar Award in 2012. For Bedford/St. Martin's, he is coauthor, with Andrea Lunsford, of Everything’s An Argument (6th edition, 2013), and the author of　How To Write Anything (2nd edition 2012) and A Reader's Guide to College Writing (2014).

Jay Dolmage is an assistant professor of English at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of Instructor's Manual for How to Write Anything and the coauthor of How to Write Anything: A Guide and Reference with Readings (with John J. Ruszkiewicz) and Disability and the Teaching of Writing (with Cynthia Lewiecki-Wilson and Brenda Jo Brueggemann). He is the coeditor, with Nedra Reynolds, of the new Bedford Bibliography for Teachers of Writing. He teaches graduate classes in rhetoric and composition pedagogy and has published widely on rhetorical theory and accessible teaching. To hear Jay talk about the readings in How to Write Anything, watch the Bedford/St. Martin’s “Author Talk” video.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

guide

Part 1 Genres

1 Narratives

Deciding to write a narrative
       *LITERACY NARRATIVE: Allegra Goodman, O.K., You’re Not Shakespeare. Now Get Back to Work
Exploring purpose and topic
       Brainstorm, freewrite, build lists, and use memory prompts
       Choose a manageable subject
Understanding your audience
        Focus on people
        Select events that will keep readers engaged
        Pace the story
        Adjust your writing to intended readers
Finding and developing materials
       Consult documents
       Consult images
       Talk to the people involved
       Trust your experiences
Creating a structure
       Consider a simple sequence
       Build toward a climax
Choosing a style and design
       Don’t hesitate to use first person—I
       Use figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, and analogies to make memorable comparisons
       In choosing verbs, favor active rather than passive voice
       Keep the language simple
       Develop major characters through action and dialogue
       Develop the setting to set the context and mood
       Use images to tell a story
Examining models
       MEMOIR/REFLECTION: Miles Pequeno, Check. Mate?
       GRAPHIC NARRATIVE (EXCERPT): Marjane Satrapi, from Persepolis
       ASSIGNMENTS

2 Reports

Deciding to write a report
       Present information
       Find reliable sources
       Aim for objectivity
       Present information clearly
       *RESEARCH REPORT: Susan Wilcox, Marathons for Women
Exploring purpose and topic
       Answer questions
       Review what is already known about a subject
       Report new knowledge
Understanding your audience
      Suppose you are the expert
      Suppose you are the novice
      Suppose you are the peer
Finding and developing materials
      Base reports on the best available sources
      Base reports on multiple sources
      Fact-check your report
Creating a structure
      Organize by date, time, or sequence
      Organize by magnitude or order of importance
      Organize by division
      Organize by classification
      Organize by position, location, or space
      Organize by definition
      Organize by comparison/contrast
      Organize by thesis statement
Choosing a style and design
      Present the facts cleanly
      Keep out of it
      Avoid connotative language
      Pay attention to elements of design
Examining models
      *FEATURE STORY: Lev Grossman, From Scroll to Screen
      *INFOGRAPHIC: The White House, Wind Technologies Market Report 2012
      ASSIGNMENTS

3 Arguments

Deciding to write an argument
     Offer levelheaded and disputable claims
     Offer good reasons to support a claim
     Understand opposing claims and points of view
     Frame arguments powerfully—and not in words only
     *ARGUMENT TO ADVANCE A THESIS: Stefan Casso, Worth the Lie
Exploring purpose and topic
      Learn much more about your subject
      State a preliminary claim, if only for yourself
      Qualify your claim to make it reasonable
      Examine your core assumptions
Understanding your audience
      Consider and control your ethos
      Consider self-imposed limits
      Consider the worlds of your readers
Finding and developing materials
      List your reasons
     Assemble your hard evidence
     Cull the best quotations
     Find counterarguments
     Consider emotional appeals
Creating a structure
      Make a point or build toward one
      Spell out what’s at stake
      Address counterpoints when necessary, not in a separate section
      Hold your best arguments for the end
Choosing a style and design
     Invite readers with a strong opening
     Write vibrant sentences
     Ask rhetorical questions
     Use images and design to make a point
Examining models
     *REFUTATION ARGUMENT: Bjørn Lomborg, The Limits of Panic
     *VISUAL ARGUMENT: Matt Bors, Can We Stop Worrying about Millenials Yet?
      ASSIGNMENTS

4 Evaluations
Deciding to write an evaluation
      Explain your mission
      Establish and defend criteria
      Offer convincing evidence
      Offer worthwhile advice
      *ARTS REVIEW: Lisa Schwarzbaum, The Hunger Games
Exploring purpose and topic
      Evaluate a subject you know well
      Evaluate a subject you need to investigate
     Evaluate a subject you’d like to know more about
     Evaluate a subject that’s been on your mind
Understanding your audience
     Write for experts
     Write for a general audience
     Write for novices
Finding and developing materials
     Decide on your criteria
     Look for hard criteria
     Argue for criteria that can’t be measured
     Stand by your values
     Gather your evidence
Creating a structure
     Choose a simple structure when your criteria and categories are predictable
     Choose a focal point
     Compare and contrast
Choosing a style and design
     Use a high or formal style
     Use a middle style
     Use a low style
     Present evaluations visually
Examining models
      SOCIAL SATIRE: Jordyn Brown, A Word from My Anti-Phone Soapbox
     *PRODUCT REVIEW: Eric Brown, Monsters U.’s Site Might Just Give You “Web-Site Envy”
      VISUAL COMPARISON: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Crash Test
     ASSIGNMENTS

5 Causal Analyses

Deciding to write a causal analysis
      Don’t jump to conclusions
     Appreciate your limits
     Offer sufficient evidence for claims
     CAUSAL ANALYSIS: Jonah Goldberg, Global Warming and the Sun
Exploring purpose and topic
     Look again at a subject you know well
     Look for an issue new to you
    Examine a local issue
    Choose a challenging subject
    Tackle an issue that seems settled
Understanding your audience
     Create an audience
     Write to an existing audience
Finding and developing materials
     Understand necessary causes
     Understand sufficient causes
     Understand precipitating causes
     Understand proximate causes
     Understand remote causes
     Understand reciprocal causes
Creating a structure
     Explain why something happened
     Explain the consequences of a phenomenon
     Suggest an alternative view of cause and effect
     Explain a chain of causes
Choosing a style and design
     Consider a middle style
     Adapt the style to the subject matter
     Use appropriate supporting media
Examining models
     *RESEARCH STUDY: Alysha Behn, Where Have All the Women Gone?
     *CULTURAL ANALYSIS: Lance Hosey, Why We Love Beautiful Things
      ASSIGNMENTS

6 Proposals

Deciding to write a proposal
     Define a problem
     Target the proposal
     Consider reasonable options
     Make specific recommendations
     Make realistic recommendations
     TRIAL BALLOON: Barrett Seaman, How Bingeing Became the New College Sport
     Exploring purpose and topic
     Look for a genuine issue
     Look for a challenging problem
     Look for a soluble problem
     Look for a local issue
Understanding your audience
    Appeal to people who can make a difference
    Rally people who represent public opinion
Finding and developing materials
    Define the problem
    Examine prior solutions
    Outline a proposal
    Defend the proposal
    Figure out how to implement the proposal
Creating a structure
Choosing a style and design
     Use a formal style
     Use a middle style, when appropriate
     Pay attention to elements of design
Examining models
     MANIFESTO: Katelyn Vincent, Technology Time-out
     *VISUAL PROPOSAL: Jen Sorenson, Loan Bone
     ASSIGNMENTS

7 Literary Analyses

Deciding to write a literary analysis
     Begin with a close reading
     Make a claim or an observation
     Use texts for evidence
     Present works in context
     Draw on previous research
     *LITERARY INTERPRETATION: William Deresiewicz, What Gatsby’s Really Looking For
Exploring purpose and topic
     Choose a text you connect with
     Choose a text you want to learn more about
     Choose a text that you don’t understand
Understanding your audience
     Clearly identify the author and works you are analyzing
     Define key terms
     Don’t aim to please professional critics
Finding and developing materials
     Examine the text closely
     Focus on the text itself
     Focus on meanings, themes, and interpretations
     Focus on authorship and history
     Focus on genre
     Focus on influence
     Focus on social connections
     Find good sources
Creating a structure
     Imagine a structure
     Work on your opening
Choosing a style and design
     Use a formal style for most assignments
     Use a middle style for informal or personal papers
     Follow the conventions of literary analysis
     Use appropriate abbreviations
     Review quotations
     Cite plays correctly
     Explore alternative media
Examining models
     CLOSE READING: Emily Dickinson, I felt a Funeral, in my Brain
     Kanaka Sathasivan, Insanity: Two Women
     PHOTOGRAPHS AS LITERARY TEXTS: Dorothea Lange, Jobless on Edge of Pea Field, Imperial Valley, California
     Walker Evans, Burroughs Family Cabin, Hale County, Alabama
     Gordon Parks, American Gothic
     ASSIGNMENTS

8 Rhetorical Analyses
Deciding to write a rhetorical analysis
     Take words and images seriously
     Spend time with texts
     Pay attention to audience
     Mine texts for evidence
     *RHETORICAL ANALYSIS: Paula Marantz Cohen, Too Much Information: The Pleasure of Figuring Things for Yourself
Exploring purpose and topic
     Make a difference
     Choose a text you can work with
     Choose a text you can learn more about
    Choose a text with handles
    Choose a text you know how to analyze
Understanding your audience
Finding and developing materials
    Consider the ethos of the author
    Consider how a writer plays to emotions
    Consider how well reasoned a piece is
Creating a structure
     Develop a structure
Choosing a style and design
     Consider a high style
     Consider a middle style
     Make the text accessible to readers
Examining models
    ANALYSIS OF AN ARGUMENT: Matthew James Nance, A Mockery of Justice
    CULTURAL ANALYSIS: J. Reagan Tankersley, Humankind’s Ouroboros
    ASSIGNMENTS

Part 2 Special Assignments

9 Essay Examinations

Understanding essay exams
     Anticipate the types of questions to be asked
     Read exam questions carefully
     Sketch out a plan for your essay(s)
     Organize your answers strategically
     Offer strong evidence for your claims
     Come to a conclusion
     Keep the tone serious
Getting the details right
     Use transitional words and phrases
     Do a quick check of grammar, mechanics, and spelling
     Write legibly or print
Wade Lamb, Plato’s Phaedrus

10 Position Papers

Understanding position papers
     Read the assignment carefully
     Review the assigned material carefully
     Mine the texts for evidence
     Organize the paper sensibly
Getting the details right
     Identify key terms and concepts and use them correctly and often
     Treat your sources appropriately
     Spell names and concepts correctly
     Respond to your colleagues’ work
Heidi Rogers, Triumph of the Lens

11 Annotated Bibliographies
Understanding annotated bibliographies
     Begin with an accurate record of research materials
     Describe or summarize the content of each item in the bibliography
     Assess the significance or quality of the work
     Explain the role the work plays in your research
Getting the details right
     Record the information on your sources accurately
     Follow a single documentation style
     Keep summaries and assessments brief
     Follow directions carefully

12 Synthesis Papers

Understanding synthesis papers
     Identify reputable sources on your subject
     Summarize and paraphrase the works you have identified
     Look for connections between your sources
     Acknowledge disagreements and rebuttals
     Don’t rush to judgment
    Cite materials that both support and challenge your thesis
Getting the details right
     Provide a context for your topic
     Tell a story
     Pay attention to language
     Be sure to document your sources
Lauren Chiu, Time to Adapt?

13 E-mails

Understanding e-mail
     Explain your purpose clearly and logically
     Tell readers what you want them to do
     Write for intended and unintended audiences
     Keep your messages brief
     Distribute your messages sensibly
Getting the details right
     Choose a sensible subject line
     Arrange your text sensibly
    Check the recipient list before you hit send
     Include an appropriate signature
     Use standard grammar
     Have a sensible e-mail address
     Don’t be a pain
*Kori Strickland, Writing Center Course Eligibility

14 Business Letters
Understanding business letters
     Explain your purpose clearly and logically
     Tell readers what you want them to do
     Write for your audience
     Keep the letter focused and brief
     Follow a conventional form
Getting the details right
    Use consistent margins and spacing
    Finesse the greeting
    Distribute copies of your letter sensibly
    Spell everything right
    Photocopy the letter as a record
    Fold the letter correctly and send it in a suitable envelope
    Don’t forget the promised enclosures
Nancy Linn, Cover Letter
John Humbert, To Home Design Magazine

15 Résumés
Understanding résumés
     Gather the necessary information
     Decide on appropriate categories
    Arrange the information within categories in reverse chronological order
    Design pages that are easy to read
Getting the details right
    Proofread every line in the résumé several times
    Don’t leave unexplained gaps in your education or work career
    Be consistent
    Protect your personal data
    Look for help
Andrea Palladino, Résumé

16 Personal Statements
Understanding personal statements
    Read the essay prompt carefully
    Decide on a focus or theme
    Be realistic about your audience
    Organize the piece strategically
    Try a high or middle style
Getting the details right
    Don’t get too artsy
    Use common sense
    Compose the statement yourself
    Michael Villaverde, Application Essay for Academic Service Partnership Foundation Internship

17 Writing Portfolios
Understanding writing portfolios
     Take charge of the portfolio assignment
     Appreciate the audiences for a portfolio
     Present authentic materials
     Take reflections seriously
Getting the details right
     Polish your portfolio
     Understand the portfolio activities
     Give honest feedback to colleagues
     Take advantage of multimedia

18 Oral Reports
Understanding oral reports
     Know your stuff
     Organize your presentation
     Keep your audience on track
     Use your voice and body
     Adapt your material to the time available
     Practice your talk
     Prepare for the occasion
Getting the details right
     Be certain you need presentation software
     Use slides to introduce points, not cover them
     Use a simple and consistent design
     Consider alternatives to slide-based presentations
Terri Sagastume, Presentation on Edenlawn Estates

reference

Part 3 Ideas

19 Brainstorming

Find routines that support thinking
Build from lists
Map your ideas
Try freewriting
Use memory prompts
Search online for your ideas
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Browse for Ideas

20 Smart Reading

Read to deepen what you already know
Read above your level of knowledge
Read what makes you uncomfortable
Read against the grain
Read slowly
Annotate what you read

21 Critical Thinking

Think in terms of claims and reasons
Think in terms of premises and assumptions
Think in terms of evidence
Anticipate objections
Avoid logical fallacies

22 Experts

Talk with your instructor
Take your ideas to the writing center
Find local experts
Check with librarians
Chat with peers
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Use the Writing Center

23 Writer’s Block

Break the project into parts
Set manageable goals
Create a calendar
Limit distractions
Do the parts you like first
Write a zero draft
Reward yourself

Part 4 Shaping & Drafting

24 Thesis

Compose a complete sentence
Make a significant claim or assertion
Write a declarative sentence, not a question
Expect your thesis to mature
Introduce a thesis early in a project
Or state a thesis late in a project
Write a thesis to fit your audience and purpose

25 Strategies

Use description to set a scene
Use division to divide a subject
Use classification to sort objects or ideas by consistent principles
Use definition to clarify meaning
Use comparison and contrast to show similarity and difference

26 Organization

Examine model documents
Sketch out a plan or sequence
Provide cues or signals for readers
Deliver on your commitments

27 Outlines

Start with scratch outlines
List key ideas
Look for relationships
Subordinate ideas
Decide on a sequence
Move up to a formal outline

28 Paragraphs

Make sure paragraphs lead somewhere
Develop ideas adequately
Organize paragraphs logically
Use paragraphs to manage transitions
Design paragraphs for readability

29 Transitions

Use appropriate transitional words and phrases
Use the right word or phrase to show time or sequence
Use sentence structure to connect ideas
Pay attention to nouns and pronouns
Use synonyms
Use physical devices for transitions
Read a draft aloud to locate weak transitions

30 Introductions and Conclusions

Shape an introduction
Draw a conclusion

31 Titles

Use titles to focus documents
Create searchable titles
Avoid whimsical or suggestive titles
Capitalize and punctuate titles carefully

Part 5 Style

32 High, Middle, and Low Style

Use high style for formal, scientific, and scholarly writing
Use middle style for personal, argumentative, and some academic writing
Use a low style for personal, informal, and even playful writing

33 Inclusive and Culturally Sensitive Style

Avoid expressions that stereotype genders or sexual orientation
Avoid expressions that stereotype races, ethnic groups, or religious groups
Treat all people with respect
Avoid sensational language

34 Vigorous, Clear, Economical Style

Build sentences around specific and tangible subjects and objects
Prefer specific nouns and noun phrases to abstract ones
Avoid sprawling phrases
Avoid sentences with long windups
Favor simple, active verbs
Avoid strings of prepositional phrases
Don’t repeat key words close together
Avoid doublings
Turn clauses into more direct modifiers
Cut introductory expressions such as it is and there is/are when you can
Vary your sentence lengths and structures
Read what you have written aloud
Cut a first draft by 25 percent—or more

Part 6 Revising & Editing

35 Revising Your Own Work

Revise to see the big picture
Edit to make the paper flow
Edit to get the details right
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Revise Your Work

36 Peer Editing

Peer edit the same way you revise your own work
Be specific in identifying problems or opportunities
Offer suggestions for improvement
Praise what is genuinely good in the paper
Use proofreading symbols
Keep comments tactful
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Insert a Comment in a Word Document

Part 7 Research & Sources

37 Beginning Your Research

Know your assignment
Come up with a plan
Find a manageable topic
Ask for help
Distinguish between primary and secondary sources
Record every source you examine
Prepare a topic proposal

38 Finding Print and Online Sources

Search libraries strategically
Explore library reference tools
Use professional databases
Explore the internet

39 Doing Field Research

Interview people with unique knowledge of your subject
Make careful and verifiable observations
Learn more about fieldwork

40 Evaluating Sources

Preview source materials for their key features and strategies
Check who published or produced the source
Check who wrote a work
Consider the audience for a source
Establish how current a source is
Check the source’s documentation

41 Annotating Sources

Annotate sources to understand them
Read sources to identify claims
Read sources to understand assumptions
Read sources to find evidence
Record your personal reactions to source material

42 Summarizing Sources

Prepare a summary for every item you examine in a project
Use a summary to recap what a writer has said
Be sure your summary is accurate and complete
Use a summary to record your take on a source
Use summaries to prepare an annotated bibliography

43 Paraphrasing Sources

Identify the key claims and structure of the source
Track the source faithfully
Record key pieces of evidence
Be certain your notes are entirely in your own words
Avoid misleading or inaccurate paraphrasing
Use your paraphrases to synthesize sources

44 Incorporating Sources into Your Work

Cue the reader in some way whenever you introduce borrowed material, whether it is summarized, paraphrased, or quoted directly
Select an appropriate “verb of attribution” to frame borrowed material
Use ellipsis marks [ . . . ] to shorten a lengthy quotation
Use brackets [ ] to insert explanatory material into a quotation
Use ellipsis marks, brackets, and other devices to make quoted materials suit the grammar of your sentences
Use [sic] to signal an obvious error in quoted material

45 Documenting Sources

Understand the point of documentation
Understand what you accomplish through documentation

46 MLA Documentation and Format

Document sources according to convention
MLA in-text citation
MLA works cited entries
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Book
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Magazine
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Web Site
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Database
Sample MLA pages

47 APA Documentation and Format

APA in-text citation
APA reference entries
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Web Site
VISUAL TUTORIAL: How to Cite from a Database
Sample APA pages

Part 8 Media & Design

48 Understanding Digital Media

Choose a media format based on what you hope to accomplish
Use social networks and blogs to create communities
Create Web sites to share information
Use wikis to collaborate with others
Make podcasts to share audio files
Use maps to position ideas
Make videos to show and tell
Use appropriate digital formats
Edit and save digital elements
Respect copyrights

49 Tables, Graphs, and Infographics

Use tables to present statistical data
Use line graphs to display changes or trends
Use bar and column graphs to plot relationships within sets of data
Use pie charts to display proportions
Explore the possibilities of infographics

50 Designing Print and Online Documents

Understand the power of images
Keep page designs simple and uncluttered
Keep the design logical and consistent
Keep the design balanced
Use templates sensibly
Coordinate your colors
Use headings if needed
Choose appropriate fonts

Part 9 Common Errors

51 Capitalization

Capitalize the names of ethnic, religious, and political groups
Capitalize modifiers formed from proper nouns
Capitalize all words in titles except prepositions, articles, or conjunctions
Take care with compass points, directions, and specific geographical areas
Understand academic conventions
Capitalize months, days, holidays, and historical periods

52 Apostrophes

Use apostrophes to form the possessive
Use apostrophes in contractions
Don’t use apostrophes with possessive pronouns

53 Commas

Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses
Use a comma after an introductory word group
Use commas with common transitional words and phrases
Put commas around nonrestrictive (that is, nonessential) elements
Use commas to separate items in a series
Do not use commas to separate compound verbs
Do not use a comma between subject and verb
Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements

54 Comma Splices, Run-ons, and Fragments

Identify comma splices and run-ons
Fix comma splices and run-ons
Identify sentence fragments
Fix sentence fragments in your work
Watch for fragments in the following situations
Use deliberate fragments only in appropriate situations

55 Subject/Verb Agreement

Be sure the verb agrees with its real subject
In most cases, treat multiple subjects joined by and as plural
When compound subjects are linked by either . . . or or neither . . . nor, make the verb agree with the nearer part of the subject
Confirm whether an indefinite pronoun is singular, plural, or variable
Be consistent with collective nouns

56 Irregular Verbs

57 Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement

Check the number of indefinite pronouns
Correct sexist pronoun usage
Treat collective nouns consistently

58 Pronoun Reference

Clarify confusing pronoun antecedents
Make sure a pronoun has a plausible antecedent
Be certain that the antecedent of this, that, or which isn’t vague

59 Pronoun Case

Use the subjective case for pronouns that are subjects
Use the objective case for pronouns that are objects
Use whom when appropriate
Finish comparisons to determine the right case
Don’t be misled by an appositive

60 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Position modifiers close to the words they modify
Place adverbs such as only, almost, especially, and even carefully
Don’t allow a modifier to dangle

61 Parallelism

When possible, make compound items parallel
Keep items in a series parallel
Keep headings and lists parallel

reader

Part 10 Readings

62 Narratives: Readings

*Genre Moves: LITERACY NARRATIVE (EXCERPT): Amy Tan, from Mother Tongue
*NARRATIVE: Patton Oswalt, Zombie Spaceship Wasteland
GRAPHIC NARRATIVE (EXCERPT): Lynda Barry, Lost and Found
REFLECTION: Naomi Shihab Nye, Mint Snowball
MEMOIR: Ira Sukrungruang, Chop Suey
LITERACY NARRATIVE: Jonathan Franzen, The Comfort Zone

63 Reports: Readings

*Genre Moves: DESCRIPTIVE REPORT (EXCERPT): N. Scott Momaday, from The Way to Rainy Mountain
*REPORT: Kamakshi Ayyar, Cosmic Postcards: The Adventures of an Armchair Astronaut
*INFORMATIVE REPORT: Steve Silberman, Neurodiversity Rewires Conventional Thinking about Brains
*INFORMATIVE REPORT: Ross Perlin, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
LEGAL REPORT: Philip Deloria, The Cherokee Nation Decision
*GRAPHIC REPORT: Mark Graham and Stefano De Sabbata, The Age of Internet Empires

64 Arguments: Readings

*Genre Moves: ARGUMENTATIVE SPEECH (EXCERPT): Sojourner Truth, from Ain’t I a Woman?
EDITORIAL: Maureen Dowd, Don’t Send in the Clones
*ARGUMENTATIVE ARTICLE: Jeff Wise, The Sad Science of Hipsterism
ARGUMENT FOR CHANGE: Emily Bazelon, Hitting Bottom: Why America Should Outlaw Spanking
ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL VALUES: Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel, The Young, the Rich, and the Famous: Individualism as an American Cultural Value
POLICY ARGUMENT: Daniel Engber, Glutton Intolerance

65 Evaluations: Readings

*Genre Moves: EVALUATION (EXCERPT): Naomi Klein, from No Logo
*TELEVISION REVIEW: Emily Nussbaum, To Stir, with Love
SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION: Michio Kaku, Force Fields
*MUSIC REVIEW: Sasha Frere-Jones, The Next Day
TELEVISION REVIEW: Nelle Engoron, Why "Mad Men" Is Bad for Women
*MEDIA ANALYSIS: Leigh Alexander, Domino’s, The Pizza that Never Sleeps

66 Causal Analyses: Readings

*Genre Moves: DESCRIPTIVE REPORT (EXCERPT): James Baldwin, from If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?
*TECHNOLOGY ANALYSIS: Rita King, How Twitter is Reshaping the Future of Storytelling
CULTURAL ANALYSIS: Natalie Angier, Almost Before We Spoke, We Swore
CULTURAL ANALYSIS: Alex Williams, Here I Am Taking My Own Picture
*CAUSAL ANALYSIS: Robert Gehl, A History of Like
EXPLORATORY ESSAY: Tricia Rose, Hip Hop Causes Violence

67 Proposals: Readings

*Genre Moves: PROPOSAL (EXCERPT): Rachel Carson, from The Obligation to Endure
*PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE: Michael Todd, Is That Plastic in Your Trash a Hazard?
*PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE: Jane McGonigal, Video Games: An Hour a Day Is Key to Success in Life
*PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE: Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Cosmic Perspective
SATIRICAL PROPOSAL: Kembrew McLeod, A Modest Free Market Proposal for Education Reform
PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE: Peter Singer, “One Person, One Share” of the Atmosphere

68 Literary Analyses: Readings

*Genre Moves: LITERARY ANALYSIS (EXCERPT): Gloria Naylor, from The Meanings of a Word
FORMAL ANALYSIS: Adam Bradley, Rap Poetry 101
*TEXTUAL ANALYSIS: Zadie Smith, Their Eyes Were Watching God: What Does Soulful Mean?
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS:
Joni Mitchell, “Woodstock” (song lyrics)
Camille Paglia, “Woodstock”
HISTORICAL ANALYSIS: Sara Buttsworth, CinderBella: Twilight, Fairy Tales, and the Twenty-First-Century American Dream
CULTURAL ANALYSIS: Gish Jen, Holden Raises Hell

69 Rhetorical Analyses: Readings

*Genre Moves: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS (EXCERPT): Susan Sontag, from Notes on “Camp”
DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: Deborah Tannen, Oh, Mom. Oh, Honey.: Why Do You Have to Say That?
ANALYSIS OF AN ADVERTISEMENT: Stanley Fish, The Other Car
CULTURAL ANALYSIS: Laurie Fendrich, The Beauty of the Platitude
*FILM ANALYSIS: Daniel D’Addario, Johnny Depp’s Tonto Misstep: Race and The Lone Ranger
ANALYSIS OF AN ADVERTISEMENT: Caroline Leader, Dudes Come Clean: Negotiating a Space for Men in Household Cleaner Commercials

Index

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