Good Reasons: Researching and Writing Effective Arguments / Edition 5

by Lester Faigley, Jack Selzer

Overview

Engaging and accessible to all readers, Good Reasons is a brief, highly readable introduction to argument by two of the country's foremost rhetoricians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780205012640
Publisher:	Longman
Publication date:	01/10/2011
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Lester Faigley holds the Robert Adger Law and Thos. H. Law Professorship in Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin. He was the founding director of the Division (now Department) of Rhetoric and Writing at Texas in 1993, and he later served as Director of the University Writing Center. He was the 1996 Chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication. Faigley has published over 30 books and editions, including Fragments of Rationality (Pittsburgh, 1992), which received the MLA Mina P. Shaughnessy Prize.

Jack Selzer has collaborated with colleagues at Penn State and elsewhere in all kinds of ways. With his long-time friend Lester Faigley, he has written two Pearson books, Good Reasons and Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments, now in their 7th Editions, and he also has edited a number of versions of Conversations: Readings for Writing, currently in its 8th Edition (now edited by Dominic Delli Carpini). A Fellow of the Rhetoric Society of America, once a president of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing, and the creator of Penn State’s innovative Paterno Fellows Program, he has published or edited a number scholarly articles and books, including Rhetorical Bodies (with Sharon Crowley), Kenneth Burke in the 1930s (with Ann George), and Kenneth Burke in Greenwich Village. He enjoys teaching a first-year seminar on the rhetoric of the civil rights movement, and happens to be a charter member of the longest continuously running fantasy sports league on the face of the earth.

Table of Contents

PART 1 Reading and Discovering Arguments

Chapter 1: Making an Effective Argument

What Exactly is an Argument?

Writing Arguments in College

Arguments as Turns in a Conversation

A Case Study: The Microcredit Debate

Think About Your Credibility

Chapter 2: Reading Arguments

Explore Controversies

Read Critically

Recognize Fallacies

Map and Summarize Arguments

Sample Student Summary

Chapter 3: Finding Arguments

Finding Arguments in Everyday Conversations

Find A Topic

Explore Your Topic

Read About Your Topic

Find Good Reasons

Find Evidence to Support Good Reasons

Chapter 4: Drafting and Revising Arguments

State and Evaluate Your Thesis

Think About Your Readers

Organize Your Argument

Write an Engaging Title and Introduction

Write a Strong Conclusion

Evaluate Your Draft

Respond to the Writing of Others

Edit and Proofread Carefully

PART 2 Analyzing Arguments

Chapter 5: Analyzing Written Arguments

What Is Rhetorical Analysis?

Build a Rhetorical Analysis

Analyze the Rhetorical Features

Analyze the Rhetorical Context

Write a Rhetorical Analysis

Steps to Writing a Rhetorical Analysis

Barbara Jordan, Statement on the Articles of Impeachment

Sample Student Rhetorical Analysis

T. Jonathan Jackson, An Argument of Reason and Passion: Barbara Jordan’s “Statement on the Articles of Impeachment”

Chapter 6: Analyzing Visual and Multimedia Arguments

What Is a Visual Argument?

What Is a Multimedia Argument?

Analyze Visual Evidence

Build a Visual Analysis

Write a Visual Analysis

Sample Student Visual Analysis

Chrissy Yao, "Use Only What You Need": The Denver Water Conservation Campaign

PART 3 Writing Arguments

Chapter 7: Putting Good Reasons into Action

Find a Purpose for Writing an Argument

Get Started Writing About Complex Issues

Chapter 8: Definition Arguments

Understand How Definition Arguments Work

Recognize Kinds of Definitions

Build a Definition Argument

Steps To Writing a Definition Argument

Michael Pollan, Eat Food: Food Defined

Sample Student Definition Argument

Patrice Conley, Flagrant Foul: The NCAA's Policy on Compensation for Student Athletes

Chapter 9: Causal Arguments

Understand How Causal Arguments Work

Find Causes

Build a Causal Argument

Steps to Writing a Causal Argument

Emily Raine, Why Should I Be Nice to You? Coffee Shops and the Politics of Good Service

Sample Student Causal Argument

Armadi Tansal, Modern Warfare: Video Games' Link to Real-World Violence

Chapter 10: Evaluation Arguments

Understand How Evaluation Arguments Work

Recognize Kinds of Evaluations

Build an Evaluation Argument

Steps To Writing an Evaluation Argument

P.J. O'Rourke, The End of the Affair

Sample Student Evaluation Argument

Rashaun Giddens, Stop Loss or “Loss of Trust?”

Chapter 11: Narrative Arguments

Understand How Narrative Arguments Work

Recognize Kinds of Narrative Arguments

Build a Narrative Argument

Steps To Writing a Narrative Argument

Leslie Marmon Silko, The Border Patrol State

Chapter 12: Rebuttal Arguments

Understand How Rebuttal Arguments Work

Recognize Kinds of Rebuttal Arguments

Build a Rebuttal Argument

Steps To Writing a Rebuttal Argument

Dan Stein, Crossing the Line

Gregory Rodriguez, Illegal Immigrants—They’re Money

Sample Student Rebuttal Argument

Marta Ramos, Oversimplifying the Locavore Ethic

Chapter 13: Proposal Arguments

Understand How Proposal Arguments Work

Recognize Components of Proposal Arguments

Build a Proposal Argument

Steps to Writing a Proposal Argument

Glenn Loury, A Nation of Jailers

Sample Student Proposal Argument

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

PART 4 Designing and Presenting Arguments

Chapter 14: Designing Multimedia Arguments

Think About Which Media Will Reach Your Audience

Know When to Use Visual Evidence

Design Arguments for Print

Design Multimedia Arguments

Chapter 15: Presenting Arguments

Plan a Presentation

Design Visuals for a Presentation

Deliver an Effective Presentation

PART 5 Researching Arguments

Chapter 16: Planning Research

Analyze the Research Task

Find a Subject

Ask a Research Question

Gather Information About the Subject

Draft a Working Thesis

Chapter 17: Finding Sources

Develop Strategies for Finding Sources

Find Sources in Databases

Find Sources on the Web

Find Multimedia Sources

Find Print Sources

Chapter 18: Evaluating and Recording Sources

Determine the Relevance of Sources

Determine the Quality of Sources

Evaluate Database and Print Sources

Evaluate Web Sources

Keep Track of Sources

Chapter 19: Writing the Research Project

Review Your Goals and Plan Your Organization

Avoid Plagiarism

Avoid Plagiarism When Quoting Sources

Avoid Plagiarism When Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Decide When to Quote and When to Paraphrase

Write a Draft

Chapter 20: Documenting Sources in MLA Style

Elements of MLA Documentation

MLA In-Text Citations

MLA Works-Cited List: Books

MLA Works-Cited List: Periodicals

MLA Works-Cited List: Library Database Sources

MLA Works-Cited List: Online Sources

MLA Works-Cited List: Other Sources

Sample MLA Paper

Brian Witkowski, Need a Cure for Tribe Fever? How About a Dip in the Lake?

Chapter 21: Documenting Sources in APA Style

Elements of APA Documentation

APA In-Text Citations

APA References List: Books

APA References List: Periodicals

APA References List: Library Database Sources

APA References List: Online Sources

APA References List: Other Sources

Glossary

Index