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UNIT

THE WRITING PROCESS

TOPIC

The Writing Process Generating Ideas Planning and Organizing

CRITICAL READING

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

REASONING AND ARGUMENT

Reading to Understand Literal Meaning Evaluating Truth and Accuracy in a Text

Developing and Implementing a Research Plan

Evaluating Information and Sources

Developing an Effective Thesis or Claim Using Evidence and Reasoning to Support a Thesis or Claim

Writing a Rough Draft Revising

Proofreading, Formatting, and Producing Texts

Evaluating the Effectiveness and Appropriateness of a Text

Integrating Source Material into a Text

Using Information Ethically and Legally

Using Ethos (Ethics) to Persuade Readers

Using Pathos (Emotion) to Persuade Readers

Using Logos (Logic) to Persuade Readers

MULTILINGUAL WRITERS

Helping Verbs, Gerunds and Infinitives, and Phrasal Verbs

Nouns, Verbs, and Objects

Articles

GRAMMAR AND COMMON SENTENCE PROBLEMS

PUNCTUATION AND MECHANICS

Parts of Speech

Phrases and Clauses

Sentence Types

Fused (Run-on) Sentence

Comma Splices

Sentence Fragments

Pronouns

Commas

Semicolons

Colons

End Punctuation

Apostrophes

Quotation Marks

Dashes

STYLE AND WORD

CHOICE

Wordiness

Eliminating Redundancies

Sentence Variety

Coordination and Subordination

LearnSmart Achieve can be assigned by units and/or topics.

Count and Noncount Nouns

Sentence Structure and Word Order

Subject-Verb Agreement

Participles and Adverb Placement

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun Reference

Subject-Verb Agreement

Verbs and Verbals

Adjectives and Adverbs

Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers

Mixed Constructions

Verb Tense and Voice Shifts

Parentheses

Hyphens

Abbreviations

Capitalization

Italics

Numbers

Spelling

Faulty Comparisons

Word Choice

Clichés, Slang, and Jargon

Parallelism

ABOUT THE AIMS OF ARGUMENT APPROACH

This book is different from other argument texts because it focuses on four aims, or purposes, of argument:

• Arguing to inquire

• Arguing to convince

• Arguing to persuade

• Arguing to mediate

Central Tenets of the Approach

• Argumentation is a mode or means of discourse, not an aim or purpose for writing. Consequently, we need to teach the aims of argument.

• The aims of argument are linked in a learning sequence so that convincing builds on inquiry, persuasion on convincing, and all three contribute to mediation. Consequently, we offer a learning sequence for conceiving a course or courses in argument.

FAQs about the Approach

Here are the questions we are most frequently asked about this approach:

• What is the relative value of the four aims? Because mediation comes last, is it the best or most valued? No aim is “better” than any other aim. Given needs for writing and certain audiences, one aim is more appropriate than another for the task at hand. Mediation comes last because it integrates inquiry, convincing, and persuading.

• Must inquiry be taught as a separate aim? No. It may be taught as a separate aim, but we do not intend this “may” as a “must.” Teaching inquiry as a distinct aim has certain advantages. Students need to learn how to engage in constructive dialogue, which is more disciplined and more focused than most class discussion. Once they see how it is done, students enjoy dialogue with one another and with texts. Dialogue helps students think through their arguments and imagine reader reaction to what they say, both of which are crucial to convincing and persuading. Finally, as with mediation, inquiry offers avenues for assignments other than the standard argumentative essay.

• Should inquiry come first? For a number of reasons, inquiry has priority over the other aims. Most teachers are likely to approach inquiry as prewriting, preparatory to convincing or persuading. And commonly, we return to inquiry when we find something wrong with a case we are trying to construct, so the relationship between inquiry and the other aims is also recursive.

Moreover, inquiry has psychological, moral, and practical claims to priority. When we are unfamiliar with an issue, inquiry comes first psychologically, as a felt need to explore existing opinion. Regardless of what happens in the “real world,” convincing or persuading without an open, honest, and earnest search for the truth is, in our view, immoral. Finally, inquiry goes hand in hand with research, which requires questioning the opinions encountered.

• Isn’t the difference between convincing and persuading more a matter of degree than kind? Convincing and persuading do shade into one another so that the difference is clearest at the extremes. Furthermore, the “purest” appeal to reason—a legal brief, a philosophical or scientific argument—appeals in ways beyond the sheer cogency of the case. Persuasive techniques are submerged but not absent in arguing to convince. Our motivation for separating convincing from persuading is not theoretical but pedagogical. Case-making is complex enough that attention to logical appeal by itself is justified. Making students conscious of the appeals to character, emotion, and style while they are learning to cope with case-making can overburden them to the point of paralysis. Regardless, then, of how sound the traditional distinction between convincing and persuading may be, we think it best to take up convincing first and then persuasion, especially because what students learn in the former can be carried over intact into the latter. And because one cannot make a case without unconscious appeal to character, emotional commitments (such as values), and style, teaching persuasion is a matter of exposing and developing what is already there in arguing to convince.

About the Readings

• We have avoided the “great authors, classic essays” approach. We try instead to find bright, contemporary people arguing well from diverse viewpoints—articles and chapters similar to those that can be found in better journals and trade books, the sort of publications students should read most in doing research.

• We have not presented any issue in simple pro-and-con fashion, as if there were only two sides.

• Included in the range of perspectives are arguments made with both words and images. We include a full chapter examining visual arguments, such as editorial cartoons, advertisements, public sculpture, and photographs.

AIMS OF ARGUMENT: A BRIEF GUIDE

LET CUSTOMIZABLE RESOURCES HELP YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR COURSE’S GOALS

A CREATE edition of The Aims of Argument: A Brief Guide is available. With McGraw-Hill CREATE, you can easily arrange and customize material from a variety of sources, including your own. You can choose your format (print or electronic) and what you want from

• The Aims of Argument’s print text chapters—choose only those chapters that you cover

• Any of the reading selections currently in the text

• A range of additional selections from other McGraw-Hill collections such as The Ideal Reader (800 readings by author, genre, mode, theme, and discipline), Sustainability (readings with an environmental focus), and many more

• Your own resources, such as syllabi, institutional information, study guides, assignments, diagrams, artwork, student writing, art, photos, and more

You can benefit from all of the customization listed above with a ready-made version that contains Parts One and Two plus the Appendixes. TABLE OF

CONTENTS FOR THE BRIEF GUIDE IN CREATE

Our goal in this book is not just to show you how to construct an argument but also to make you more aware of why people argue and what purposes argument serves. Consequently, Part Two of this book introduces four specific aims that people have in mind when they argue: to inquire, to convince, to persuade, and to mediate. Part One precedes the aims of argument and focuses on understanding argumentation in general, reading and analyzing arguments, writing a critique, doing research, and working with such forms of visual persuasion as advertising.

The selections in Parts One and Two offer something to emulate. All writers learn from studying the strategies of other writers. The object is not to imitate what a more experienced writer does but to understand the range of strategies you can use in your own way for your own purposes.

Included are arguments made with words and images. We have examples of editorial cartoons, advertisements, and photographs.

The additional readings in Part Three serve another function. To learn argument, we have to argue; to argue, we must have something to argue about. So we have grouped essays and images around central issues of current public discussion.

People argue with one another because they do not see the world the same way, and they do not see the world the same way because of different backgrounds. Therefore, in dealing with how people differ, a book about argument must deal with what makes people different, with the sources of disagreement itself—including gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and religion. Rather than ignoring or glossing over difference, the readings in this book will help you better understand it.

This book concludes with two appendixes. The first is on editing, the art of polishing and refining prose, and finding common errors. The second deals

with fallacies and critical thinking. Consult these resources often as you work through the text’s assignments.

Arguing well is difficult for anyone. We have tried to write a text no more complicated than it has to be. We welcome your comments to improve future editions. Write us at

The English Department

Dallas Hall Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas 75275 or e-mail your comments to cchannel@mail.smu.edu tcrusius@mail.smu.edu

Timothy W. Crusius is professor of English at Southern Methodist University, where he teaches beginning and advanced composition. He’s the author of books on discourse theory, philosophical hermeneutics, and Kenneth Burke.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Acknowledgments

Carolyn E. Channell taught high school and community college students before coming to Southern Methodist University, where she is now a senior lecturer and specialist in first-year writing courses.

The authors are grateful for the comments of professors and students who have used this book over the years. Reviewers of the current edition include the following: Joanna Brooks, San Diego State University; Xiongya Gao, Southern University at New Orleans; Jennifer G. Herbert, University of Akron; Matthew Hollrah, University of Central Oklahoma; Anne Marie Reid, Colorado State University, Fort Collins; Eileen B. Seifert, DePaul University; Catherine Vieira, University of Wisconsin, Madison; and Lawrence White, Tacoma Community College.

PART ONE

RESOURCES FOR READING AND WRITING ARGUMENTS 1

1 Understanding Argument 3

2 Reading Arguments 17

3 Analyzing Arguments: The Toulmin Method 39 4 Critiquing an Argument 51

5 Analyzing and Using Visual Arguments 73 6 Writing Research-Based Arguments 91

7 Ethical Writing and Plagiarism 163

PART TWO THE AIMS OF ARGUMENT 173

8 Joining the Conversation: Arguing to Inquire 175 9 Making Your Case: Arguing to Convince 201

10 Motivating Action: Arguing to Persuade 235

11 Resolving Conflict: Arguing to Mediate 265

PART THREE READINGS: ISSUES AND ARGUMENTS 301

12 Consumer Society: Achieving Balance 303 13 Global Warming: What Should Be Done? 343

14 The Millennials: Issues Facing Young Adults 381

15 Immigration Revisited: A New Look at a Permanent Issue 415

16 Declining Civility: Is Rudeness on the Rise? 453

17 Enhancing Humans: How Far Is Too Far? 485

PART ONE

RESOURCES FOR READING AND WRITING ARGUMENTS 1

CHAPTER 1

Understanding Argument 3

What Is Argument? 3

What Is Rhetoric? 4

An Example of Argument 6

Steven Johnson, From Everything Bad Is Good for You 6

Arguing Responsibly 7

Four Criteria of Responsible Reasoning 8

Responsible Reasoning Is Well Informed 9

Responsible Reasoning Is Open to Constructive Criticism from Others 9

Responsible Reasoning Considers the Audience 9

Responsible Reasoning Understands an Argument’s Contexts 10

Reading 10

Kelby Carlson, “Fighting Words: Why Our Public Discourse Must Change” 10

What Are the Aims of Argument? 13

Arguing to Inquire 13

Arguing to Convince 13

Arguing to Persuade 14

Arguing to Mediate 14

CHAPTER 2

Reading Arguments 17

Strategies for Critical Reading: Once Through Is Not Enough 18

First Encounters: Skimming for Context, Reading for Content 18

Strategy: Before Reading, Skim (and Surf) for Context 18

Strategy: Skim to Preview the Whole Argument 19

Strategy: Annotate as You Read 19

Sally Jenkins, “A Major Gain for College Sports” 21

Second Encounters: Reading to Detect the Case 23

Strategy: Outlining the Case 24

Third Encounters: Responding to an Argument 25

Strategy: Paraphrasing 26

Strategy: Summarizing 27

Strategy: Joining the Conversation 29

Mariah Burton Nelson, Response to “A Major Gain for College Sports” 33

Reading Alternative Forms of Argument 33

Keith A. Williams, “A Technological Cloud Hangs over Higher Education” 35

CHAPTER 3

Analyzing Arguments: The Toulmin Method 39

An Overview of the Toulmin Method 39

Art Carden, “Let’s Be Blunt: It’s Time to End the Drug War” 42

A Step-by-Step Demonstration of the Toulmin Method 44

Analyzing the Claim 44

Identify the Claim 44

Look for Qualifiers and Exceptions 44

Analyzing the Reasons and Evidence 45

State the Reasons 45

Find the Evidence 45

Examine the Evidence 46

Examining the Warrants 46

Noting Rebuttals 47

Summarizing Your Analysis 47

A Final Note about Logical Analysis 48

CHAPTER 4

Critiquing an Argument 51

What Is a Critique? 51

Why Critique an Argument? 52

How a Critique Differs from a Reaction 52

Strategies for Critiquing Arguments 53

Tom Stafford, “Why Sherry Turkle Is So Wrong” 54

The Assignment 58

Topic and Focus 58

Audience 58

Voice and Ethos 58

Writing Assignment Suggestions 58

Choosing an Argument 59

Exploring Your Topic 59

David Fryman, “Open Your Ears to Biased Professors” 59

Forming a First Impression 61

Stepping Back: Analyzing the Argument 61

Doing Research 64

The Reality Test for Arguments 64

Preparing to Write 65

Formulating Your Stance 65

Consider Your Reader, Purpose, and Tone 66

Drafting Your Paper 66

Organization 67

Introduction 67

Body 67

Conclusion 67

Development 67

Introduction 67

Body 67

Conclusion 68

Revising Your Draft 68

Excerpts from a Sample Discovery Draft 68

Excerpt 1: Introduction 68

Excerpt 2: A Counterargument 68

Example Assessment: Sizing Up D. D. Solomon’s First Draft 70

Develop a Revision Strategy 70

Revised Draft: D. D. Solomon’s Evaluation of Fryman’s Argument 70

D. D. Solomon, “How Professors Should Deal with Their Biases” 70

Responding to the Revised Student Draft 71

Edit Your Paper 72

Chapter Summary 72

CHAPTER 5

Analyzing and Using Visual Arguments 73

Understanding Visual Arguments 74

“Reading” Images 74

Analysis: Five Common Types of Visual Argument 75

Advertisements 75

Editorial Cartoons 76

Public Sculpture 77

News Photographs 81

Graphics 83

Writing Assignment: Analyzing an Advertisement or Editorial

Cartoon 85

STUDENT SAMPLE—Analysis of Visual Rhetoric: Ryan Herrscher, “The Image of Happiness: An Analysis of Coca-Cola’s ‘Open Happiness’ Campaign” 86

Alternative Assignment 1 88

Alternative Assignment 2 89

Alternative Assignment 3 89

CHAPTER

6

Writing Research-Based Arguments 91

Finding an Issue 92

Understand the Difference between a Topic and an Issue 92

Find Issues in the News 93

The Internet 93

Library Online Databases and Resources 93

Magazines and Newspapers 93

Lectures, Panel Discussions, Class Discussions, Conversations 94

Personal Observations 94

Finding an Issue on the Topic of Global Warming: A Student Example 94

Finding Sources 95

Field Research 96

Observations 96

Questionnaires and Surveys 96

Interviews 97

Library and Internet Research 98

Kinds of Sources 98

Books 98

Periodicals 99

Audiovisual Materials 100

Websites 100

Blogs, Listservs, Usenet Groups, Message Boards 101

Choosing Precise Search Terms 101

Use Keyword Searching 102

Use Phrase Searching 102

Use Boolean Searching 102

Use Subject Words 102

Searching Your Library 103

Your Library’s Online Catalog 104

Your Library’s Online Resources 106

Internet Research 108

Domains 108

Commercial (.com) 109

Nonprofit Organizations (.org) 109

Educational Institutions (.edu) 109

Government Agencies (.gov) 109

Advanced Features for Searching the Web 109

Advanced Searches 109

Google Specialized Searches 110

Google Scholar 110

Subject Directories to the Web 110

Blogs, Listservs, Message Boards, and Chat Groups 111

Evaluating Sources 111

Eliminate Inappropriate Sources 111

Carefully Record Complete Bibliographic Information 111

Read the Source Critically 111

Who Is the Writer, and What Is His or Her Bias? 112

How Reliable Is the Source? 112

When Was This Source Written? 113

Where Did This Source Appear? 113

What Is the Author’s Aim? 114

How Is the Source Organized? 114

Special Help with Evaluating Websites 114

Using Sources 117

Richard Moe, “Battling Teardowns, Saving Neighborhoods” 117

Writing Informally to Gain Mastery over Your Sources 121

1. Annotate the Source 121

2. Respond to the Source in Your Notebook 121

3. Paraphrase Important Ideas from the Source 122

Examples of Adequate and Inadequate Paraphrasing 123

4. Write Summaries of Portions of a Source 124

5. Write Capsule Summaries of Entire Sources 126

6. Dialogue about Sources 127

Incorporating and Documenting Source Material 128

Different Styles of Documentation 128

MLA Style 128

APA Style 129

Direct Quotations 129

MLA Style 129

APA Style 129

Altering Direct Quotations with Ellipses and Square Brackets 130

Using Block Quotations 131

Indirect Quotations 131

MLA Style 131

APA Style 132

In-Text References to Electronic Sources 133

Creating Works Cited and Reference Lists 133

MLA Style for Entries in the Works Cited List 133

Books 134

Articles in Periodicals 138

Other Genres as Sources 139

Sources on the Internet 139

Student Sample of a Research Paper in MLA Style 143

Using APA Documentation Style 143

In-text Citations 143

Reference List Examples 146

Books 146

Articles in Periodicals 148

Sources on the Internet 150

Other Genres as Sources 151

Sample of a Research Paper in APA Style 151

STUDENT SAMPLE—A Research Paper (MLA Style): Julie Ross, “Why Residential

Construction Needs to Get a Conscience” 152

CHAPTER

7

Ethical Writing and Plagiarism 163

Why Ethics Matter 163 What Plagiarism Is 164

The Ethics of Using Sources 164

Purchasing a Paper 164

Using a Paper Found Online 165

Using Passages from Online Sources without Citing the Source 165

Inadequate Paraphrasing 167

Paraphrasing Ideas or Information without Naming the Source 168 When Opinions Coincide 170

The Ethics of Giving and Receiving Help with Writing 170

Ethical Writing and Good Study Habits 172

PART TWO

THE AIMS OF ARGUMENT 173

CHAPTER 8

Joining the Conversation: Arguing to Inquire 175

What Is Comparing Perspectives? 176 Why Write to Compare Perspectives? 176

How Does Comparing Perspectives Work? 177

What to Ask When Comparing Perspectives 177

The Writer as Inquirer 177

Andy Rudd, “Which Character Should Sports Develop?” 177

Readings 180

John F. Schumaker, “The Paradox of Narcissism” 181

Jean M. Twenge, “Changes in Narcissism” 185

Duncan Greenberg, “Generation Y and the New Myth of Narcissus” 187

The Assignment 189

Topic and Focus 189

Audience 189

Voice and Style 189

Writing Assignment Suggestions 189

Choosing a Topic 190

Exploring Your Topic 190

Paraphrase or Summarize the Main Points 191

Turn Main Points into Questions 192

Paraphrase and Comment 192

Keep Track of Connections across Perspectives 193

Maintain an Exploratory Stance 194

Drafting Your Paper 194

Planning the Draft 194

The Art of Questioning: Planning the Body 194

Development and Organization 195

Revising Your Draft 195

REVISED STUDENT EXAMPLE—Ian Fagerstrom, “Comparison of Perspectives on Narcissism” 197

Chapter Summary 200

CHAPTER

9

Making Your Case: Arguing to Convince 201

What Is a Case? 202

Why Make a Case? 202

How Do You Make a Case? 203

Examining Your Audience’s Beliefs 205

Readings 205

Olivia Judson, “Optimism in Evolution” 205

Strategies Used in Case-Making: Structure and Readership 207

Putting Your Voice into Your Argument 208

Wilbert Rideau, “Why Prisons Don’t Work” 209

Strategies Used in Case-Making: Problem-Solution, Cause-and-Effect

Reasoning 211

T. Boone Pickens, “A Plan for Reducing American Dependence on Foreign Oil” 212

Strategies Used in Case-Making: Lines of Reasoning 216

The Assignment 218

Topic and Focus 218

Audience 218

Voice and Style 219

Writing Assignment Suggestions 219

Choosing a Topic 219

Exploring Your Topic 220

Find the Issues 220

Order the Issues (Stasis) 220

Do More Research 222

Analyze Your Sources: Information versus Interpretation 222

Start Your Working Bibliography 223

A Key Question before Drafting: Is My Opinion Defensible? 223

Assessing Your Opinion from Research Results 224

Preparing to Write 224

State Your Opinion as a Thesis 224

Writing Defensible Claims 225

Unpack Your Thesis 226

Examine Possible Reasons 226

Arrange Your Evidence under Each Reason 227

Examine Possible Evidence 227

STUDENT EXAMPLE: Noelle Alberto’s Draft Case Outline 227

Drafting Your Paper 229

Development and Organization 229

STUDENT EXAMPLE: Excerpts from Alberto’s Draft 230

Revising Your Draft 231

Formulate a Plan to Guide Your Revision 231

REVISED STUDENT EXAMPLE: Noelle Alberto, “Multitasking: A Poor Study Habit” 231

Chapter Summary 233

CHAPTER 10

Motivating Action: Arguing to Persuade 235

What Is Persuasion? 235

Why Write to Persuade? 236

How Does Persuasion Work? 236

The Art of Questioning: What Really Persuades Us? 237

Readings 238

Subaru Advertisement 238

Tom Beaudoin, “Consuming Faith” 239

Strategies for Appealing for Action 242

Katharine Weber, “The Factories of Lost Children” 243

Strategies for Appealing for Action 245

Using Your Voice in Appealing for Action 246

The Assignment 247

Topic and Focus 247

Audience 247

Voice and Ethos 247

Writing Assignment Suggestions 247

Choosing a Topic 248

Exploring Your Topic 248

Focus, Audience, and Need 248

Establishing Need 249

Doing Research 250

Preparing to Write: Thinking about Persuasive Appeals 250

The Appeal through Logos: Deciding on a Claim and Reasons 251

Developing Reasons for Your Claim 252

Making a Brief of Your Case 252

STUDENT EXAMPLE: Natsumi Hazama’s Brief 252

The Appeal through Ethos: Presenting Good Character 254

Establishing Ethos with Your Readers 254

The Appeal through Pathos: Using Emotional Appeals 254

Drafting Your Paper 255

Development and Organization 255

Revising Your Draft 256

Getting Feedback from Others 256

Practicing Revision 257

Revising to Bring Out the Structure of the Argument 258

Revising to Improve Incorporation of Quoted Material 259

REVISED STUDENT EXAMPLE: Natsumi Hazama, “Is Too Much Pressure Healthy?” 260

Chapter Summary 263

CHAPTER 11

Resolving Conflict: Arguing to Mediate 265

Mediation and the Other Aims of Argument 266

The Process of Mediation 267

Mediation and Rogerian Argument 267

A Conflict to Mediate 268

Understanding the Positions 268

Roger Kimball, “Institutionalizing Our Demise: America vs. Multiculturalism” 268

Elizabeth Martínez, “Reinventing ‘America’: Call for a New National Identity” 275

Analysis of the Writers’ Positions 280

Kimball’s Position 280

Martínez’s Position 281

Locating the Areas of Agreement and Disagreement 282

Differences over Facts 282

Differences over Interests, Values, and Interpretations 282

Finding Creative Solutions: Exploring Common Ground 285

Exploring Common Ground in the Debate over National Identity 286

The Mediatory Essay 287

Bharati Mukherjee, “Beyond Multiculturalism: A Two-Way Transformation” 287

Analyzing Mukherjee’s Essay 293

Ethos: Earning the Respect of Both Sides 293

Pathos: Using Emotion to Appeal to Both Sides 293

Logos: Integrating Values of Both Sides 294

The Assignment 295

Prewriting 295

Drafting 296

Revising 296

STUDENT EXAMPLE—Arguing to Mediate: Angi Grellhesl, “Mediating the Speech Code Controversy” 297

Chapter Summary 299

PART THREE

READINGS: ISSUES AND ARGUMENTS 301

CHAPTER 12

Consumer Society: Achieving Balance 303

Consumerism: Ten Quotations 305

Virginia Postrel, “The Aesthetic Imperative” 306

Erik Kain, “In Defense of Consumerism” 310

David Brooks, “The Grill-Buying Guy” 312

Alex Kotlowitz, “False Connections” 315

Three Cartoons about the Consumer Society 320

Caroline Heldman, “Out-of-Body Image” 322

Alissa Quart, “X-Large Boys” 327

Don Peck and Ross Douthat, “Does Money Buy Happiness?” 331

John F. Schumaker, “The Happiness Conspiracy: What Does It Mean to Be Happy in a Modern Consumer Society?” 336

For Further Reading 340

CHAPTER 13

Global Warming: What Should Be Done? 343

Text of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment 344

National Geographic, “Global Warming: An Overview” 347

Scientific American, “15 Ways to Make a Wedge” 352

Bill Blakemore, “Who’s ‘Most to Blame’ for Global Warming?” 353

Gregg Easterbrook, “Some Convenient Truths” 358

Tim Appenzeller, “The Coal Paradox” 362

Al Gore, “Existing Technologies for Reducing CO2 Emissions” 367

Michelle Nijhuis, “Selling the Wind” 368

Union of Concerned Scientists, “Ten Personal Solutions” 372

William F. Ruddiman, “Consuming Earth’s Gifts” 375

For Further Reading 378

CHAPTER 14

The Millennials: Issues Facing Young Adults 381

Pew Research Center, “Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change” 383

Kit Yarrow and Jayne O’Donnell, “Gen Y Is from Mercury” 391

Kim Brooks, “Is It Time to Kill the Liberal Arts Degree?” 395

Stuart Rabinowitz, “A Liberal Arts Education Is Still Relevant” 399

Dale Archer, “College Debt: Necessary Evil or Ponzi Scheme?” 402

Richard Vedder, “Forgive Student Loans?” 405

Anya Kamenetz, “Waking Up and Taking Charge” 408

For Further Reading 413

CHAPTER 15

Immigration Revisited: A New Look at a Permanent Issue 415

Historical Images: Our Contradictory Attitudes toward Immigration 417

Tamar Jacoby, “The New Immigrants and the Issue of Assimilation” 418

Samuel Huntington, “One Nation, Out of Many: Why ‘Americanization’ of Newcomers Is Still Important” 425

Jeff Koterba, Cartoon: “Playing POLITICS with the Border” 429

Ross Douthat and Jenny Woodson, “The Border” 430

Linda Chavez, “The Realities of Immigration” 434

Chris Farrell, “Obama’s Next Act: Immigration Reform” 441

Dava Castillo, “Comprehensive Immigration Reform—Past, Present, and Future” 444

Leslie Marmon Silko, “The Border Patrol State” 447

For Further Reading 451

CHAPTER 16

Declining Civility: Is Rudeness on the Rise? 453

P. M. Forni, “What Is Civility?” 455

Sara Rimer, “Play with Your Food, Just Don’t Text” 459

Elizabeth Bernstein, “Why We Are So Rude Online” 462

Leonard Pitts, Jr., “Going beyond Edgy—and Falling off the Cliff” 465

Tufts Now, “Left Is Mean But Right Is Meaner, Says New Study of Political Discourse” 467

Brian McGee, “Can Political Rhetoric Be Too Civil?” 470

Frank D. Adams and Gloria J. Lawrence, “Bullying Victims: The Effects Last into College” 472

Emily Bazelon, “Don’t Be a Bystander” 479

For Further Reading 482

CHAPTER 17

Enhancing Humans: How Far Is Too Far? 485

Carl Elliott, “The Tyranny of Happiness” 487

Benedict Carey, “Brain Enhancement Is Wrong, Right?” 492

Barbara Sahakian and Nora Volkow, “Professor’s Little Helper?” 495

Gregory Stock, “Choosing Our Genes” 501

John Naish, “Genetically Modified Athletes” 506

Arthur L. Caplan, “A Shot in the Rear: Why Are We Really against Steroids?” 509

Ed Smith, “Lance Armstrong and the Cult of Positive Thinking” 514

Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis, Cartoon: “Gene-Splicing as Big Business” 517

C. Ben Mitchell, “On Human Bioenhancements” 519

For Further Reading 521

APPENDIXES

A A Brief Guide to Editing and Proofreading 523 B Fallacies—and Critical Thinking 541

Glossary 557

Credits 562

Index 565

BOXES BY TYPE

CONCEPT CLOSE-UP BOXES

Defining Rhetoric 5

Defining Responsible Reasoning 6

Four Criteria of Responsible Reasoning 8

Comparing the Aims of Argument 15

Defining Critical Reading 18

Understanding Case Structure 25

Model Toulmin Diagram for Analyzing Arguments 48

Context and Critique 52

Sample Entry in an Annotated Bibliography 127

Plagiarism: The Presentation or Submission of Another’s

Work as Your Own 165

Understanding the Ethics of Plagiarism 166

What Is Synthesis? 176

From Inquiry to Convincing 202

Understanding the Functions of Case Structure 203

Key Questions for Case-Making 204

When Should You Persuade? 236

The Four Forms of Appeal 237

Audience Analysis 249

Characteristics of Mediation 266

BEST PRACTICES BOXES

Questions for Determining Rhetorical Context 19

Annotating as You Read 20

Guidelines for Paraphrasing 27

Questions for Responding to an Argument 31

Toulmin Analysis 49

Concepts and Questions for Analyzing an Argument 62

Critique Revision Checklist 69

Guidelines for Using Visuals 90

Additional Guidelines for Evaluating Internet Sources 114

Guidelines for Summarizing 125

Guidelines for Writing with Sources 126

Leading into Direct Quotations 132

Strategies for Comparing Perspectives 190

Organizing around Questions 195

Revision Checklist for Comparing Perspectives 196

Doing Team Research 221

Drafting a Case Outline 228

Drafting Your Case 229

Revision Checklist for Arguing a Case 230

Key Questions for Preparing to Write 251

Places to Find Audience-Based Reasons 253

Revision Checklist for Appealing to Action 257 Questions for Understanding Difference 283

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Understanding Argument

For some people, the word argument suggests conflict and heated debate; however, it has a much broader and more positive meaning, as the following pages will explain. College writing classes include argument as a key feature of critical thinking because most academic writing, by professors and students, takes the form of argument.

The perception of argument as verbal combat should not overshadow the positive role of reasoned argument in conducting human affairs. Through arguments based on good reasons and evidence, scientists advance our understanding of the world, citizens improve their communities, business leaders make decisions, and families work out compromises when interests conflict.

WHAT IS ARGUMENT?

The Aims of Argument is based on two related concepts: argument and rhetoric. We will define argument very simply, as reasoned thinking. The essence of an argument is a claim, which is also called a thesis because it is what an argument attempts to prove, and a reason that supports the claim. A reason is a sentence telling why the claim should be accepted as true. An example of the minimal

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