Reading Critically, Writing Well

by Axelrod, Rise B.; Cooper, Charles R.; Warriner, Alison M.

• ISBN13: 9781457638947
• ISBN10: 1457638940
• Edition: 10th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-12-13
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

PACKAGE THIS TITLE WITH OUR 2016 MLA SUPPLEMENT, Documenting Sources in MLA Style (package ISBN-13: 9781319087975). Get the most recent updates on MLA citation in a convenient, 40-page resource based on The MLA Handbook, 8th Edition, with plenty of models. Browse our catalog or contact your representative for a full listing of updated titles and packages, or to request a custom ISBN.

Reading Critically, Writing Well helps students read for meaning and read like a writer, and it guides them as they apply what they’ve learned to their own writing. Each of the book’s 9 assignment chapters includes a genre-specific guide to reading that challenges students to analyze the authors’ techniques as well as a step-by-step guide to writing that helps them apply these techniques to their own essays in the genre. With 13 provocative new professional selections (plus 8 multimodal selections in e-Pages), an array of student models, hands-on activities for critical analysis and invention, and multiple opportunities for summary and synthesis, this text is the right choice for any instructor who wants to help students learn to read critically and write well. Now with e-Pages: multimodal reading selections that come alive online with videos, podcasts, quizzes, and more.

Author Biography

Rise B. Axelrod is McSweeney Professor of Rhetoric and Teaching Excellence, Emeritus, at the University of California, Riverside, where she was also director of English Composition. She has previously been professor of English at California State University, San Bernardino; director of the College Expository Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder; and assistant director of the Third College (now Thurgood Marshall College) Composition Program at the University of California, San Diego. She is the co-author, with Charles R. Cooper, of the best-selling textbook The St. Martin's Guide to Writing as well as The Concise Guide to Writing and Reading Critically, Writing Well.

 

Charles R. Cooper is an emeritus professor at the University of California, San Diego. He served as coordinator of the Third College (now Thurgood Marshall College) Composition Program at the University of California, San Diego, and co-director of the San Diego Writing Project, one of the National Writing Project Centers. He advised the National Assessment of Educational Progress—Writing (1973-1981) and coordinated the development of California's first statewide writing assessment (1986-1991). He taught at the University of California, Riverside; the State University of New York at Buffalo; and the University of California, San Diego. He is co-editor, with Lee Odell, of Evaluating Writing and Research on Composing: Points of Departure, and he is co-author, with Rise Axelrod, of the best-selling textbook The St. Martin's Guide to Writing as well as The Concise Guide to Writing and Reading Critically, Writing Well.

 

Alison M. Warriner is Coordinator of Composition, Director of Writing Across the Curriculum, and professor of English at California State University, East Bay, where she has also been Director of the Collaborative Academic Preparation Initiative and the Summer Writing Institutes. Previously she was Director of Communications at Sacred Heart University. She is a coauthor of Academic Literacy: A Statement of Competencies Expected of Students Entering California’s Public Colleges and Universities (2002) and of the Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) that is currently being introduced as Senior English into California public high schools through the Early Assessment Program of the CSU Chancellor’s Office.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1  ACADEMIC HABITS OF MIND: FROM READING CRITICALLY TO WRITING WELL

          Activity 1: Exploring Your Habits of Mind

Joining the Academic Conversation

          Activity 2: Developing Your Rhetorical Sensitivity

         Activity 3: Honing Ideas through Discussion

From Reading Critically to Writing Well

The Writing Process

          Activity 4: Freewriting to Develop Ideas

          Activity 5: Asking Writer’s Questions

          Activity 6: Pulling It All Together

CHAPTER 2 AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Autobiography: The Rhetorical Situation

          Composing Autobiography: Thinking about the Rhetorical Situation

A Guide to Reading Autobiography

Annie Dillard, An American Childhood

*Tom Ruprecht, In Too Deep

Saira Shah, Longing to Belong

*Jenée Desmond-Harris, Tupac and My Non-thug Life

Brad Benioff, Rick (Student Essay)

Reviewing What Makes Autobiography Effective

[e-pages] Shanon Lewis, We Were There (Student Essay)

[e-pages] Kate Beaton, Treasure (graphic memoir)

A Guide to Writing Autobiography

The Writing Assignment

Writing a Draft: Invention, Planning, and Composing

     Choosing a Subject

     Shaping Your Story

     Presenting Important People and Places

     Reflecting on Your Subject

     Drafting Your Story

     Considering a Useful Sentence Strategy

Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Constructive Critical Reading

          Reading a Draft Critically

Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

     Revising Your Draft

          Troubleshooting Your Draft

     Editing and Proofreading Your Draft

Reflecting on What You Have Learned: Autobiography

CHAPTER 3  OBSERVATION

Observation: The Rhetorical Situation

          Composing Observations: Thinking about the Rhetorical Situation

A Guide to Reading Observations

The New Yorker, Soup

John T. Edge, I’m Not Leaving Until I Eat This Thing

          A Special Reading Strategy: Comparing and Contrasting Related Readings: "Soup" and Edge’s "I’m Not Leaving until I Eat This Thing"

*Gabriel Thompson, Gringo in the Lettuce Fields

Peggy Orenstein, The Daily Grind: Lessons in the Hidden Curriculum

          A Special Reading Strategy: Looking for Patterns of Opposition

Brian Cable, The Last Stop (Student Essay)

Reviewing What Makes Observation Effective

[e-pages] Brianne O'Leary, Fatty's Custom Tattooz and Body Piercing (Student Essay)

[e-pages] Sarah Kate Kramer/WNYC, Niche Market: Fountain Pen Hospital (Web page and slide show)

A Guide to Writing Observations

          The Writing Assignment

Writing a Draft: Invention, Planning, and Composing

          Working with Sources: Integrating Quotations from Interviews

          Considering a Useful Sentence Strategy

Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Constructive Critical Reading

          Reading a Draft Critically

Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and

Proofreading

          Troubleshooting Your Draft

Reflecting on What You Have Learned: Observation

CHAPTER 4  REFLECTION

Reflection: The Rhetorical Situation

          Composing Reflections: Thinking about the Rhetorical Situation

A Guide to Reading Reflections

Brent Staples, Black Men and Public Space

Dana Jennings, Our Scars Tell the Story of Our Lives

*Dan Zevin, Father Shops Best

*Rob Walker, Replacement Therapy: Why Our Gadgets Can't Wear Out Fast Enough

Katherine Haines, Whose Body Is This? (Student Essay)

[e-pages] Justin Ton, Hip-Hop You Don't Stop (Student Essay)

[e-pages] Linda Stone, Continuous Partial Attention (video with transcript)

          Reviewing What Makes Reflections Effective

A Guide to Writing Reflections

The Writing Assignment

Writing a Draft: Invention, Planning, and Composing

Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Constructive Critical Reading

          Reading a Draft Critically

Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and

Proofreading

          Troubleshooting Your Draft

Reflecting on What You Have Learned: Reflections

CHAPTER 5  EXPLAINING CONCEPTS

Concept Explanations: The Rhetorical Situation

          Composing Concept Explanations: Thinking about the Rhetorical Situation

A Guide to Reading Concept Explanations

*Susan Cain, Shyness: Evolutionary Tactic?

Deborah Tannen, Marked Women

Beth Bailey, Dating

*Dan Hurley, Can You Make Yourself Smarter?

Linh Kieu Ngo, Cannibalism: It Still Exists (Student Essay)

[e-pages] Slate, Walking Neighborhoods (interactive maps and screenshot)

          Reviewing What Makes Concept Explanations Effective

A Guide to Writing Concept Explanations

The Writing Assignment

Writing a Draft: Invention, Planning, and Composing

Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Constructive Critical Reading

          Reading a Draft Critically

Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

          Troubleshooting Your Draft

Reflecting on What You Have Learned: Concept Explanations

CHAPTER 6  EVALUATION

Evaluations: The Rhetorical Situation

          Composing Evaluations: Thinking about the Rhetorical Situation

A Guide to Reading Evaluations

Amitai Etzioni, Working at McDonald’s

*Malcolm Gladwell, What College Rankings Really Tell Us

Christine Rosen, The Myth of Multitasking

*Peter Travers, Review of Lincoln

William Akana, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: A Hell of a Ride (Student Essay)

Christine Romano, Jessica Statsky's "Children Need to Play, Not Compete:" An Evaluation (Student Essay)

[e-pages]  Brittany Lemus, Requiem for a Dream: Fantasy verses Reality (Student Essay)

[e-pages] Marlon Bishop, Gig Alert: Bright Eyes (Web page and audio file)

          Reviewing What Makes Evaluations Effective

A Guide to Writing Evaluations

The Writing Assignment

Writing a Draft: Invention, Planning, and Composing

Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Constructive Critical Reading

          Reading a Draft Critically

Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

          Troubleshooting Your Draft

Reflecting on What You Have Learned: Evaluations

CHAPTER 7  POSITION PAPER

Position Papers: The Rhetorical Situation

          Composing Position Papers: Thinking about the Rhetorical Situation

A Guide to Reading Position Papers

Brian Greene, Put a Little Science in Your Life

Karen Stabiner, Boys Here, Girls There: Sure, If Equality’s the Goal

*Sherry Turkle, The Flight from Conversation

*Daniel J. Solove, Why Privacy Matters Even If You Have "Nothing to Hide"

Jessica Statsky, Children Need to Play, Not Compete (Student Essay)

U.S. Department of Transportation/Ad Council, The "It’s Only Another Beer" Black and Tan (PSA)

          Reviewing What Makes Position Papers Effective

A Guide to Writing Position Papers

The Writing Assignment

Writing a Draft: Invention, Planning, and Composing

Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Constructive Critical Reading

          Reading a Draft Critically

Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

          Troubleshooting Your Draft

Reflecting on What You Have Learned: Position Papers

CHAPTER 8 SPECULATING ABOUT CAUSES OR EFFECTS (ALISON)

Speculations about Causes or Effects: The Rhetorical Situation

          Composing Speculations about Causes or Effects: Thinking about the Rhetorical Situation

A Guide to Reading Speculations about Causes or Effects

Stephen King, Why We Crave Horror Movies

Claudia Wallis, The Multitasking Generation

*Shankar Vedantam, The Telescope Effect

Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Sheila McClain, Fitness Culture: A Growing Trend in America (Student Essay)

[e-pages]  Michelle Cox, The Truth about Lying (Student Essay)

[e-pages] On the Media, Reel Sounds of Violence (audio podcast/interview)

          Reviewing What Makes Speculations about Causes or Effects Effective

A Guide to Writing Speculations about Causes or Effects

          The Writing Assignment

Writing a Draft: Invention, Planning, and Composing

Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Constructive Critical Reading

          Reading a Draft Critically

Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

          Troubleshooting Your Draft

Reflecting on What You Have Learned: Speculations about Causes or Effects

CHAPTER 9  PROPOSAL TO SOLVE A PROBLEM

Proposals to Solve a Problem: The Rhetorical Situation

          Composing Proposals to Solve a Problem: Thinking about the Rhetorical Situation

A Guide to Reading Proposals to Solve a Problem

*David Bornstein, Fighting Bullying with Babies (from SMG 10e)

William F. Shughart II, Why Not a Football Degree?

*Kelly D. Brownell and Thomas R. Frieden, Ounces of Prevention—The Public Policy Case for Taxes on Sugared Beverages

Karen Kornbluh, Win-Win Flexibility

Luigi Zingales, College Graduate as Collateral

Patrick O’Malley, More Testing, More Learning (Student Essay)

[e-pages] Molly Coleman, Missing the Fun (Student Essay)

 [e-pages] Phoebe Sweet and Zach Wise, The Problem with Lawns: The Transforming Landscape of Las Vegas (video)

          Reviewing What Makes Proposals to Solve a Problem Effective

A Guide to Writing Proposals to Solve a Problem

The Writing Assignment

Writing a Draft: Invention, Planning, and Composing

Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Constructive Critical Reading

          Reading a Draft Critically

Improving the Draft: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

          Troubleshooting Your Draft

Reflecting on What You Have Learned: Proposals to Solve Problems

CHAPTER 10  A CATALOG OF CRITICAL READING STRATEGIES

Annotating

Martin Luther King Jr., An Annotated Sample from "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Previewing

Outlining

Summarizing

Paraphrasing

Synthesizing

Questioning to Understand and Remember

Contextualizing

Reflecting on Challenges to Your Beliefs and Values

Exploring the Significance of Figurative Language

Looking for Patterns of Opposition

Evaluating the Logic of an Argument

Using a Toulmin Analysis

Recognizing Logical Fallacies

Judging a Writer’s Credibility

Comparing and Contrasting Related Readings

Lewis H. Van Dusen Jr., Legitimate Pressures and Illegitimate Results

Public Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen

CHAPTER 11 STRATEGIES FOR RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION

Planning a Research Project

     Analyzing Your Rhetorical Situation and Setting a Schedule

     Choosing a Topic and Getting an Overview

     Narrowing Your Topic and Drafting Research Questions

     Establishing a Research Log

     Creating a Working Bibliography

     Annotating Your Working Bibliography

     Taking Notes on Your Sources

Finding Sources

     Searching Library Catalogs

     Searching Databases

     Finding Government Documents and Statistical Information

     Finding Web Sites and Interactive Sources

Conducting Field Research

     Conducting Observational Studies

     Conducting Interviews

    Conducting Surveys

Evaluating Sources

     Choosing Relevant Sources

     Choosing Reliable Sources

Using Sources to Support Your Ideas

     Synthesizing Sources

     Acknowledging Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism

     Using Information from Sources to Support Your Claims

Citing and Documenting Sources in MLA Style

Christina Dinh, Educating Kids at Home (Student Essay)

Citing and Documenting Sources in APA Style

Patrick O’Malley, More Testing, More Learning (Student References List)

CHAPTER 12  STRATEGIES FOR ANALYZING VISUALS

Criteria for Analyzing Visuals

A Sample Analysis

Paul Taylor, The Rising (Student Essay)