From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader with 2021 MLA Update
Fifth EditionStuart Greene; April Lidinsky
©2021ISBN:9781319456986
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Demystifies academic reading and writing, step by step
This ebook has been updated to provide you with the latest guidance on documenting sources in MLA style and follows the guidelines set forth in the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (April 2021).
See academic culture more clearly as you hone your reading, thinking, and writing skills with the step-by-step approach of From Inquiry to Academic Writing. This book’s coverage of academic practices, along with interesting readings from across the curriculum, will help you succeed in college and in writing situations outside of your academic career.
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Learn MoreTable of Contents
Preface for Instructors
Brief Contents
How This Book Supports WPA Outcomes for First-Year Composition
1 Starting with Inquiry: Habits of Mind of Academic Writers
What Is Academic Writing?
What Are the Habits of Mind of Academic Writers?
Academic Writers Make Inquiries
Steps to Inquiry
A Practice Sequence: Inquiry Activities
Academic Writers Seek and Value Complexity
*Moves to Model in Academic Writing
Steps to Seeking and Valuing Complexity
A Practice Sequence: Seeking and Valuing Complexity
Academic Writers See Writing as a Conversation
*Moves to Model in Academic Conversations
Steps to Joining an Academic Conversation
A Practice Sequence: Joining an Academic Conversation
Academic Writers Understand That Writing Is a Process
Collect Information and Material
Steps to Collecting Information and Material
Draft, and Draft Again
Steps to Drafting
Revise Significantly
Steps to Revising
Academic Writers Reflect
Steps to Reflection
A Practice Sequence: Reflection Activities
Becoming Academic: Three Narratives
Ta-Nehisi Coates, from Between the World and Me
Richard Rodriguez, Scholarship Boy
*Tara Westover, from Educated
A Practice Sequence: Composing a Literacy Narrative
2 From Reading as a Writer to Writing as a Reader
Reading as an Act of Composing: Annotating
Reading as a Writer: Analyzing a Text Rhetorically
E. D. Hirsch Jr., Preface to Cultural Literacy
Identify the Situation
Identify the Writer’s Purpose
Identify the Writer’s Claims
*Moves to Model for Making a Claim
*Identify the Writer’s Appeals: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Identify the Writer’s Audience
Steps to Analyzing a Text Rhetorically
A Practice Sequence: Analyzing a Text Rhetorically
*Nick Hanauer, Education Isn’t Enough
Writing as a Reader: Composing a Rhetorical Analysis
David Tyack, Whither History Textbooks?
An Annotated Student Rhetorical Analysis
Quentin Collie, A Rhetorical Analysis of “Whither History Textbooks?” (Student Writing)
Writing a Rhetorical Analysis
Sherry Turkle, The Flight from Conversation
A Practice Sequence: Writing a Rhetorical Analysis
3 From Writing Summaries and Paraphrases to Writing Yourself into Academic Conversations
Summaries, Paraphrases, and Quotations
Writing a Paraphrase
Steps to Writing a Paraphrase
A Practice Sequence: Writing a Paraphrase
Writing a Summary
Clive Thompson, On the New Literacy
Describe the Key Claims of the Text
Select Examples to Illustrate the Author’s Argument
Present the Gist of the Author’s Argument
Contextualize What You Summarize
Steps to Writing a Summary
*Moves to Model for Summarizing
A Practice Sequence: Writing a Summary
Writing Yourself into Academic Conversations
Steps to Writing Yourself into an Academic Conversation
A Practice Sequence: Writing Yourself into an Academic Conversation
Tom Standage, History Retweets Itself
4 From Identifying Claims to Analyzing Arguments
Identifying Types of Claims
Dana Radcliffe, Dashed Hopes: Why Aren’t Social Media Delivering Democracy?
Identify Claims of Fact
Identify Claims of Value
Identify Claims of Policy
Steps to Identifying Claims
A Practice Sequence: Identifying Claims
Analyzing Arguments
Analyze the Reasons Used to Support a Claim
Identify Concessions
Identify Counterarguments
*Moves to Model for Analyzing Arguments
An Annotated Student Argument
Marques Camp, The End of The World May Be Nigh, and It’s the Kindle’s Fault (Student Writing)
Steps to Analyzing an Argument
A Practice Sequence: Analyzing an Argument
Susan D. Blum, The United States of (Non)Reading: The End of Civilization or a New Era?
Recognizing Logical Fallacies
Analyzing and Comparing Arguments
Stuart Rojstaczer, Grade Inflation Gone Wild
Phil Primack, Doesn’t Anybody Get a C Anymore?
A Practice Sequence: Analyzing and Comparing Arguments
5 From Identifying Issues to Forming Questions
Identifying Issues
Draw on Your Personal Experience
Identify What Is Open to Dispute
Resist Binary Thinking
Build on and Extend the Ideas of Others
Read to Discover a Writer’s Frame
Consider the Constraints of the Situation
Steps to Identifying Issues
Identifying Issues in an Essay
Anna Quindlen, Doing Nothing Is Something
A Practice Sequence: Identifying Issues
Formulating Issue-Based Questions
Refine Your Topic
Explain Your Interest in the Topic
Identify an Issue
*Moves to Model for Identifying an Issue
Formulate Your Topic as a Question
Acknowledge Your Audience
Steps to Formulating an Issue-Based Question
A Practice Sequence: Formulating an Issue-Based Question
Academic Writing for Analysis
*Ronald E. Purser, Mindful Schools
6 From Formulating to Developing a Thesis
Working versus Definitive Theses
Developing a Working Thesis: Four Models
The Correcting-Misinterpretations Model
The Filling-the-Gap Model
The Modifying-What-Others-Have-Said Model
The Hypothesis-Testing Model
A Practice Sequence: Identifying Types of Theses
Establishing a Context for a Thesis
An Annotated Student Introduction: Providing a Context for a Thesis
Colin O’Neill, Money Matters: Framing the College Access Debate (Student Writing)
Establish That the Issue Is Current and Relevant
Briefly Present What Others Have Said
Explain What You See as the Problem
State Your Thesis
*Moves to Model for Formulating a Thesis
Steps to Establishing a Context for a Thesis
Analyze the Context of a Thesis
Kris Gutiérrez, from Teaching Toward Possibility: Building Cultural Supports for Robust Learning
*Moves to Model for Developing a Working Thesis
A Practice Sequence: Building a Thesis
An Annotated Student Essay: Stating and Supporting a Thesis
Veronica Stafford, Texting and Literacy (Student Writing)
7 From Finding to Evaluating Sources
Identifying Sources
Consult Experts Who Can Guide Your Research
Develop a Working Knowledge of Standard Sources
Distinguish between Primary and Secondary Sources
Distinguish between Popular and Scholarly Sources
Steps to Identifying Sources
A Practice Sequence: Identifying Sources
Searching for Sources
Perform a Keyword Search
Try Browsing
Steps to Searching for Sources
A Practice Sequence: Searching for Sources
Evaluating Library Sources
Examine the Table of Contents and Index
Read the Introductory Sections
Skim for the Argument
Check the Notes and Bibliographic References
Steps to Evaluating Library Sources
A Practice Sequence: Evaluating Library Sources
*Evaluating Internet and Social Media Sources
Evaluate the Author of the Content
Evaluate the Organization That Supports the Content
Evaluate the Purpose of the Content
Evaluate the Information
Steps to Evaluating Internet and Social Media Sources
A Practice Sequence: Evaluating Internet and Social Media Sources
Writing an Annotated Bibliography
Steps to Writing an Annotated Bibliography
A Practice Sequence: Writing an Annotated Bibliography
8 From Synthesis to Researched Argument
Writing a Synthesis
Paul Rogat Loeb, Making Our Lives Count
Anne Colby and Thomas Ehrlich, with Elizabeth Beaumont and Jason Stephens, Undergraduate Education and the Development of Moral and Civic Responsibility
Laurie Ouellette, Citizen Brand: ABC and the Do Good Turn in US Television
Make Connections among Different Texts
Decide What Those Connections Mean
Formulate the Gist of What You’ve Read
Steps to Writing a Synthesis
*Moves to Model for Writing a Synthesis
A Practice Sequence: Writing a Synthesis
*Maryanne Wolf, Skim Reading Is the New Normal
*Maria Gilje Torheim, Do We Read Differently On Paper Than On a Screen?
*Naomi Baron, Do Students Lose Depth in Digital Reading?
Avoiding Plagiarism
Steps to Avoiding Plagiarism
*Integrating Sources into Your Writing
*Identify the Source
*Take an Active Stance
*Using Quotations
*Use Signal Phrases to Introduce Quotations
*Indicate Changes and Omissions in Quotations
*Set Off Long Quotations as Block Quotations
*Moves to Model for Integrating Quotations
Steps to Integrating Sources into Your Writing
A Practice Sequence: Integrating Quotations
An Annotated Student Researched Argument: Synthesizing Sources
Nancy Paul, A Greener Approach to Groceries: Community-Based Agriculture in LaSalle Square (Student Writing)
A Practice Sequence: Thinking about Copyright
9 From Ethos and Pathos to Logos: Appealing to Your Readers
Connecting with Readers: A Sample Argument
James W. Loewen, The Land of Opportunity
Appealing to Ethos
Establish That You Have Good Judgment
Convey to Readers That You Are Knowledgeable
Show That You Understand the Complexity of a Given Issue
Steps to Appealing to Ethos
Appealing to Pathos
Show That You Know What Your Readers Value
Use Illustrations and Examples That Appeal to Readers’ Emotions
Consider How Your Tone May Affect Your Audience
Steps to Appealing to Pathos
A Practice Sequence: Appealing to Ethos and Pathos
Appealing to Logos: Using Reason and Evidence to Fit the Situation
State the Premises of Your Argument
Use Credible Evidence
Demonstrate That the Conclusion Follows from the Premises
Steps to Appealing to Logos
*Moves to Model for Appealing to Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Analyzing the Appeals in a Researched Argument
*Lisa V. Blitz, Denise Yull, and Matthew Clauhs, Bringing Sanctuary to School
A Practice Sequence: Analyzing the Appeals in a Researched Argument
10 From Analyzing Visuals to Using Them in Writing
Analyzing Visual Advertisements
Notice Where the Ad Appears
Identify and Reflect on What Draws Your Attention
Consider the Ethos of the Ad
Analyze the Pathos in the Ad
Understand the Logos of the Ad
A Practice Sequence: Analyzing the Rhetoric of an Advertisement
*Analyzing Infographics
*Consider the Images and Text That Draw Your Attention
*Identify the Organization, Its Ethos, and Framing Concepts
*Determine the Credibility of the Data
*Analyze How an Infographic Appeals to Logos
*Analyze How an Infographic Appeals to Pathos
Steps to Visual Analysis
*A Practice Sequence: Analyzing an Infographic
Using Visual Rhetoric: Photographs, Maps, Tables, and Graphs
Using Photographs to Provide Context or Stir Emotions
Using Maps to Make a Point
*Richard Florida, How the One Percent Is Pulling America’s Cities and Regions Apart
Using Tables to Present Findings
*Amina Chaudhri and William H. Teale, Stories of Multiracial Experiences in Literature for Children, Ages 9–14
Using Graphs to Visualize Data
Steps to Using Visuals in Writing an Argument
A Practice Sequence: Using Visuals to Enhance an Argument
Nathan Jindra, Neighbors Need LaSalle Branch (Student Writing)
11 From Introductions to Conclusions: Drafting an Essay
Drafting Introductions
The Inverted-Triangle Introduction
The Narrative Introduction
The Interrogative Introduction
The Paradoxical Introduction
The Minding-the-Gap Introduction
*The Reframing Introduction
Steps to Drafting Introductions: Six Strategies
A Practice Sequence: Drafting an Introduction
Developing Paragraphs
Elizabeth Martínez, from Reinventing “America”: Call for a New National Identity
Use Topic Sentences to Focus Your Paragraphs
Create Unity in Your Paragraphs
*Moves to Model for Changing the Conversation
Use Critical Strategies to Develop Your Paragraphs
Steps to Developing Paragraphs
A Practice Sequence: Working with Paragraphs
Drafting Conclusions
Echo the Introduction
Challenge the Reader
Look to the Future
Pose Questions
Conclude with a Quotation
Steps to Drafting Conclusions: Five Strategies
A Practice Sequence: Drafting a Conclusion
Analyzing Strategies for Writing: From Introductions to Conclusions
Barbara Ehrenreich, Cultural Baggage
12 From Revising to Editing: Working with Peer Groups
Revising versus Editing
The Peer Editing Process
Steps in the Peer Editing Process
Peer Groups in Action: A Sample Session
An Annotated Student Draft
Rebecca Jegier, Student-Centered Learning: Catering to Students’ Impatience (Student Writing) Working with Early Drafts
Understand the Writer’s Responsibilities
Understand the Reader’s Responsibilities
Analyze an Early Draft
Tasha Taylor, Memory through Photography (early draft)
Working with Later Drafts
Understand the Writer’s Responsibilities
Understand the Reader’s Responsibilities
Analyze a Later Draft
Tasha Taylor, Memory through Photography (later draft)
Working with Final Drafts
Understand the Writer’s Responsibilities
Understand the Reader’s Responsibilities
Analyze a Near-Final Draft
Tasha Taylor, Memory through Photography (near-final draft)
Further Suggestions for Peer Editing Groups
13 Other Methods of Inquiry: Interviews and Focus Groups
Why Do Original Research?
Getting Started: Writing an Idea Sheet
A Student’s Annotated Idea Sheet
Dan Grace, Idea Sheet for Parent/Child Autism Study (Student Writing)
Writing a Proposal
Describe Your Purpose
Review Relevant Research
Define Your Method
Discuss Your Implications
Include Additional Materials That Support Your Research
Establish a Timeline
Steps to Writing a Proposal
An Annotated Student Proposal
Laura Hartigan, Proposal for Research: The Affordances of Multimodal, Creative, and Academic Writing (Student Writing)
Interviewing
Plan the Interview
Prepare Your Script
*Moves to Model for Interviewing
Conduct the Interview
Make Sense of the Interview
Turn Your Interview into an Essay
Steps to Interviewing
Using Focus Groups
Select Participants for the Focus Group
Plan the Focus Group
Prepare Your Script
Conduct the Focus Group
Interpret the Data from the Focus Group
Important Ethical Considerations
Steps for Conducting a Focus Group
Entering the Conversation of Ideas
14 Education
Mark Edmundson, Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here? A Word to the Incoming Class
Laura Pappano, How Big-Time Sports Ate College Life
*Alfie Kohn, Why Can’t Everyone Get A’s?
*Alia Wong, History Class and the Fictions about Race in America
*Tressie McMillan Cottom, Epilogue from Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy
Nikole Hannah-Jones, School Segregation, the Continuing Tragedy of Ferguson
15 Sociology
*Robin DiAngelo, The Perception of Race
*Ibram X. Kendi, Definitions
C. J. Pascoe, “Dude, You’re a Fag”: Adolescent Masculinity and the Fag Discourse
Robert B. Reich, The Rise of the Working Poor
Barbara Ehrenreich, How I Discovered the Truth about Poverty
*Aliya Saperstein, Gender Identification
bell hooks, Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor
16 Media Studies
Sherry Turkle, Growing Up Tethered
Melissa Avdeeff, Beyoncé and Social Media: Authenticity and the Presentation of Self
Mark Hain, “We Are Here for You”: The It Gets Better Project, Queering Rural Space, and Cultivating Queer Media Literacy
*Ronald E. Purser, What Mindfulness Revolution?
*Shira Chess, Nathaniel J. Evans, and Joyya JaDawn Baines, What Does a Gamer Look Like? Video Games, Advertising, and Diversity
*Jia Tolentino, The I in the Internet
17 Psychology and Biology
Carol Dweck, from Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
*David Epstein, The Outsider Advantage
*Robert Gifford, The Dragons of Inaction: Psychological Barriers That Limit Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
*Cassidy R. Sugimoto, Vincent Larivière, Chaoqun Ni, Yves Gingra, and Blaise Cronin, Global Gender Disparities in Science
Agustín Fuentes, from The Myth of Race
18 Sustainability and Environmental Studies
Andrew J. Hoffman, The Full Scope
Anna Lappé, The Climate Crisis at the End of Our Fork
Michael Pollan, Why Bother?
*Leda Cooks, Food Savers or Food Saviors? Food Waste, Food Recovery Networks, and Food Justice
*Dahr Jamail, The Fate of the Forests
Appendix: Citing and Documenting Sources
Index of Authors, Titles, and Key Terms