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Practical Argument: Short Edition with 2020 APA and 2021 MLA Updates
Fourth Edition| ©2021New Edition Available Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell
The ebook has been updated to give your students the latest guidance on documenting sources in MLA style and follows the guidelines set forth in the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (April 2021).
More than ever, successful argumentation is a major part of academic success—and has plenty...
The ebook has been updated to give your students the latest guidance on documenting sources in MLA style and follows the guidelines set forth in the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (April 2021).
More than ever, successful argumentation is a major part of academic success—and has plenty of real-world application in our sometimes contentious sociopolitical landscape. But some argument books get bogged down in technical jargon and abstraction—and that’s where Practical Argument comes in.
Bestselling authors Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell make argumentative writing accessible with an exercise-driven, step-by-step approach to convey what students need to understand about argument, in understandable language. The short fourth edition includes a more contemporary and diverse array of readings than ever, as well as expanded coverage of visual arguments.

The ebook has been updated to give your students the latest guidance on documenting sources in MLA style and follows the guidelines set forth in the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (April 2021).
More than ever, successful argumentation is a major part of academic success—and has plenty of real-world application in our sometimes contentious sociopolitical landscape. But some argument books get bogged down in technical jargon and abstraction—and that’s where Practical Argument comes in.
Bestselling authors Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell make argumentative writing accessible with an exercise-driven, step-by-step approach to convey what students need to understand about argument, in understandable language. The short fourth edition includes a more contemporary and diverse array of readings than ever, as well as expanded coverage of visual arguments.
Features
An accessible, relatable approach. Practical Argument covers everything students need to know about argument without overwhelming them. It limits technical vocabulary to what students and instructors actually need to understand in order to discuss key concepts in argument and argumentative writing. In short, Practical Argument is argument made accessible.
Engaging and diverse readings that focus on relevant contemporary issues. Practical Argument includes more than 110 accessible and thought-provoking professional readings on issues that students will want to read about and debate, plus new visual argument selections and a wealth of sample student essays illustrating the book’s scaffolded writing process. The mix of professional and student essays, visual pieces, debates, and casebooks cover high-interest issues like campus speech, privacy in technology, immigration, women in STEM, paying college athletes, student debt, self-driving cars, and more.
Unique step-by-step pedagogy based on students’ needs. Kirszner and Mandell’s approach features more than a dozen argument templates; exercises and assignments to guide students toward formal writing; checklists, grammar-in-context, and summary boxes; and source and gloss notes to provide additional context and support.
New to This Edition
The ebook has been updated to give your students the latest guidance on documenting sources in MLA style and follows the guidelines set forth in the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (April 2021).
New high-interest essays engage students and serve as models for their writing. The fourth edition includes more than seventy new essays—a majority of the readings—covering such timely topics as campus environmental programs, the effects of social media, gun safety initiatives, and healthcare. These essays have been carefully selected for their high-interest subject matter as well as for their effectiveness as sources and as teaching models for student writing. New selections include:
- "The Flight from Conversation" by Sherry Turkle
- "How Data and Information Literacy Could End Fake News" by Lee Leetaru
- "Facebook: Privacy Problems and PR Nightmare" by Daniel Lyons
- "Do Schools’ Active Shooter Drills Prepare or Frighten?" by Evie Blad
New debate and casebook topics. Based on instructor feedback, we’ve retained some of the most popular debate and casebook topics while adding three new debates and two new casebooks to provide students with a variety of viewpoints on some of today’s most compelling issues. New topics include:
- How Should We Solve the Opioid Problem?
- Should the United States Have Open Borders?
- Should We Establish a Universal Basic Income?
Expanded coverage of argumentation. Practical Argument continues to cover essential topics in argumentation, and the fourth edition has new coverage of stasis theory, refutation, and reading visual arguments, all designed to help students become versatile readers and writers of argument in all of its forms.
New visual arguments add further perspectives. Every chapter in Part 5: Strategies for Argument, as well as each casebook, now includes a visual argument, accompanied by questions designed to focus students’ attention on how to "read" a visual and understand its persuasive elements. Additional images, including photos, advertisements, public-service announcements, cartoons, and more throughout the book add an additional perspective to the process of analyzing arguments.

Practical Argument: Short Edition with 2020 APA and 2021 MLA Updates
Fourth Edition| ©2021
Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell
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Practical Argument: Short Edition with 2020 APA and 2021 MLA Updates
Fourth Edition| 2021
Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell
Table of Contents
Part 1—Understanding Argument
An Introduction to Argument
Recognizing Arguments
Why Instructors Assign Argument [box]
Defining Argument
What Kinds of Statements Are Not Debatable? [box]
Arguments in Real Life
Winning and Losing Arguments
The Rhetorical Situation
Considering the Writer
Considering the Purpose
Considering the Audience
Considering the Question
Considering the Context
Logos, Pathos, and Ethos
The Appeal to Reason (logos)
Logos in Action
The Appeal to the Emotions (pathos)
Pathos in Action
The Appeal to Authority (ethos)
Ethos in Action
The Rhetorical Triangle
1—The Four Pillars of Argument
AT ISSUE: Is a College Education Worth the Money?
The Elements of Argument
Thesis Statement
Evidence
Refutation
Concluding Statement
Checklist: Does Your Argument Stand Up?
Nia Tuckson, Why Foreign-Language Study Should Be Required [student essay]
*Andy Kessler, Learn a Language, But Not a Human One
READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: Is a College Education Worth the Money?
*Derek Tharp, Is College Worth It? The Answer Isn’t as Simple as You Think
Marty Nemko, We Send Too Many Students to College
Jennie Le, What Does It Mean to Be a College Grad?
*Bryan Caplan, What’s College Good For?
Mary C. Daly and Leila Bengali, Is It Still Worth Going to College?
*University of the People, Does College Still Matter in 2018?
Part 2—Reading and Responding to Arguments
2—Thinking and Reading Critically
AT ISSUE: Does Recycling Really Accomplish Anything?
Using Critical-Thinking Skills [box]
Reading Critically
Guidelines for Reading Critically [box]
Becoming an Active Reader
Previewing
Close Reading
Comprehension Clues [box]
*John Tierney, The Reign of Recycling
Highlighting
Suggestions for Highlighting [box]
Annotating
Checklist: Questions for Annotating
*Los Angeles Times, It’s Time to Phase Out All Single-Use Plastic
*Bob Holmes, Waste Not…
*Jenny Luna, We Are So Forked
Writing a Critical Response
Checklist: Questions for Critical Reading
*Neena Thomason, Response to "It’s Time To Phase Out All Single-Use Plastic" [student response]
Template for Writing a Critical Response
3—Reading and Responding to Visual Arguments
AT ISSUE: Does Recycling Really Accomplish Anything? [continued]
Thinking Critically about Visual Arguments
Visuals versus Visual Arguments [box]
Using Active Reading Strategies with Visual Arguments
Comprehension Clues [box]
Appeals: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos [box]
National Geographic Cover [visual]
Recycling Bar Graph [graphs]
Bird Trapped in Plastic [photo]
Recycling cartoon [cartoon]
Waste Pie Chart [chart]
Straws Suck! [infographic]
What Goes in the Ocean Goes in You [advertisement]
Last Earth Day [advertisement]
Responding Critically to Visual Arguments
Checklist: Questions for Responding to Visual Arguments
What Goes in the Ocean Goes in You [student response]
Template for Responding to Visual Arguments
4—Writing a Rhetorical Analysis
AT ISSUE: Is It Ethical to Buy Counterfeit Designer Merchandise?
What Is a Rhetorical Analysis?
Overview: "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. [box]
Considering the Rhetorical Situation
Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation [box]
The Writer
Analyzing the Writer [box]
The Writer’s Purpose
Analyzing the Writer’s Purpose [box]
The Writer’s Audience
Analyzing the Writer’s Audience [box]
The Question
Analyzing the Question [box]
The Context
Analyzing the Context [box]
Considering the Means of Persuasion: Logos, Pathos, Ethos
The Appeal to Reason (logos)
The Appeal to the Emotions (pathos)
The Appeal to Authority (ethos)
Considering the Writer’s Rhetorical Strategies
Thesis
Organization
Evidence
Stylistic Techniques
Assessing the Argument
Checklist: Preparing to Write a Rhetorical Analysis
Sample Rhetorical Analysis
Dana Thomas, Terror's Purse Strings
Deniz Bilgutay, A Powerful Call to Action [student essay]
Rajeev Ravisankar, Sweatshop Oppression
Template for Writing a Rhetorical Analysis
*Bobby Zitzmann, Sweatshops Are Good
5—Understanding Logic and Recognizing Logical Fallacies
AT ISSUE: How Free Should Free Speech Be?
What Is Deductive Reasoning?
Constructing Sound Syllogisms
Syllogism with an Illogical Middle Term
Syllogism with a Key Term Whose Meaning Shifts
Syllogisms with Negative Premise
Recognizing Enthymemes
Bumper-Sticker Thinking [box]
Writing Deductive Arguments
Crystal Sanchez, College Should Be for Everyone [student essay]
What Is Inductive Reasoning?
Reaching Inductive Conclusions [box]
Making Inferences
Constructing Strong Inductive Arguments
Generalization Too Broad
Insufficient Evidence
Irrelevant Evidence
Exceptions to the Rule
Writing Inductive Arguments
William Saletan, Please Do Not Feed the Humans
Recognizing Logical Fallacies
Begging the Question
Circular Reasoning
Weak Analogy
Ad Hominem Fallacy (Personal Attack)
Creating a Straw Man
Hasty or Sweeping Generalization (Jumping to a Conclusion)
Either/Or Fallacy (False Dilemma)
Equivocation
Red Herring
Slippery Slope
You Also (Tu Quoque)
Appeal to Doubtful Authority
Misuse of Statistics
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (After This, Therefore Because of This)
Non Sequitur (It Does Not Follow)
Bandwagon Fallacy
Patrick J. Buchanan, Immigration Time-Out
READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: How Free Should Free Speech Be?
*Thane Rosenbaum, Should Neo-Nazis Be Allowed Free Speech?
*Sol Stern, The Unfree Speech Movement
*American Association of University Professors, On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes
*Wendy Kaminer, Progressive Ideas Have Killed Free Speech on Campus
*Judith Shulevitz, In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
*Eric Posner, Universities Are Right to Crack Down on Speech and Behavior
Template for Writing a Deductive Argument
Template for Writing an Inductive Argument
6—Rogerian Argument, Toulmin Logic, and Oral Arguments
AT ISSUE: Why Are So Few Women in STEM Fields?
Understanding Rogerian Argument
Structuring Rogerian Arguments
Writing Rogerian Arguments
Zoya Kahn, Why Cell Phones Do Not Belong in the Classroom [student essay]
Understanding Toulmin Logic
Constructing Toulmin Arguments
Writing Toulmin Arguments
Jen Davis, Competitive Cheerleaders Are Athletes [student essay]
Understanding Oral Arguments
Planning an Oral Argument
Checklist: Designing and Displaying Visuals
Delivering Oral Arguments
Dealing with Nervousness [box]
Composing an Oral Argument
Chantee Steele, An Argument in Support of the "Gap Year" [student speech]
READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: Why Are So Few Women in STEM Fields?
*Joan Williams, The Five Biases Pushing Women out of STEM
*Adam Mastroianni and Dakota McKoy, Countries with Less Gender Equality Have More Women in Stem- Huh?
*Stuart Reges, Why Women Don’t Code
*Rosalind C. Barnett and Caryl Rivers, The Science Doesn’t Support the Google Memo
*Barbara Oakley, Why Do Women Shun STEM? It’s Complicated
Template for Writing a Rogerian Argument
Template for Writing a Toulmin Argument
Part 3—Writing an Argumentative Essay
7—Planning, Drafting, and Revising an Argumentative Essay
AT ISSUE: Should College Campuses Go Green?
Choosing a Topic
Topics to Avoid [box]
Thinking about Your Topic
Freewriting
Brainstorming
Clustering
Informal Outline
Drafting a Thesis Statement
Understanding Your Purpose and Audience
Gathering Evidence
Evaluating the Evidence in Your Sources
Detecting Bias in Your Sources
Using Analogies as Evidence [box]
Refuting Opposing Arguments
Strategies for Refuting Opposing Arguments
Revising Your Thesis Statement
Structuring Your Essay
Supplying Background Information [box]
Using Induction and Deduction
Identifying a Strategy for Your Argument
Constructing a Formal Outline
Establishing Credibility
Being Well-Informed
Being Reasonable
Being Fair
Maintaining Your Credibility [box]
Drafting Your Essay
Suggested Transitions for Argument [box]
GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT: Using Parallelism
Revising Your Essay
Asking Questions
Checklist: Questions about Your Essay’s Purpose and Audience
Checklist: Questions about Your Essay’s Structure and Style
Checklist: Questions about Your Essay’s Supporting Evidence
Using Outlines and Templates
Getting Feedback
Guidelines for Peer Review
Polishing Your Essay
Editing and Proofreading
GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT: Contractions vs. Possessive Pronouns
Choosing a Title
Checking Format
Shawn Holton, Going Green [student essay]
Part 4—Using Sources to Support Your Argument
8—Finding and Evaluating Sources
AT ISSUE: Is Technology a Serious Threat to Our Privacy?
Finding Sources
Finding Information in the Library
Finding Information on the Internet
Evaluating Sources
*Zeynep Tufekci, The Privacy Debacle
*David N. Cicilline and Terrell McSweeny, Competition is at the Heart of Facebook’s Privacy Problem
*Daniel Lyons, Facebook: Privacy Problems and PR Nightmare
Evaluating Websites
Using a Site’s URL to Assess Its Objectivity [box]
Avoiding Confirmation Bias [box]
*The Chronicle of Higher Education, Home Page [website]
*Glamour Magazine, Home Page [website]
*The Chronicle of Higher Education, About The Chronicle [website]
*Glamour Magazine, About Glamour [website]
*Bart Lazar, Why We Need a Privacy Label on the Internet
*Douglas Rushkoff, You Are Not Facebook’s Customer
*Igor Kuksov, All Ears: The Dangers of Voice Assistants
Sam Laird, Should Athletes Have Social Media Privacy? One Bill Says Yes
9—Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Quoting, and Synthesizing Sources
AT ISSUE: Is Technology a Serious Threat to Our Privacy? (continued)
Summarizing Sources
When to Summarize [box]
Summarizing Sources [box]
Paraphrasing Sources
When to Paraphrase [box]
Paraphrasing Sources [box]
Quoting Sources
When to Quote [box]
Quoting Sources [box]
Shelley Fralic, Don’t Fall for the Myths about Online Privacy
Working Source Material into Your Argument
Using Identifying Tags
Template for Using Identifying Tags [box]
Working Quotations into Your Sentences
Distorting Quotations [box]
Synthesizing Sources
10—Documenting Sources: MLA
Using Parenthetical References
Preparing the Works-Cited List
Periodicals
Books
Audiovisual Sources
Internet Sources
Legal Case
Government Document
MLA Paper Guidelines [box]
Erin Blaine, Should Data Posted on Social Networking Sites Be "Fair Game" for Employers? [Model MLA Paper]
11—Using Sources Responsibly
AT ISSUE: Where Should We Draw the Line with Plagiarism?
Understanding Plagiarism
Two Definitions of Plagiarism [box]
Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism
Internet Sources and Plagiarism [box]
Intentional Plagiarism [box]
Knowing What to Document
Loos Diallo, Plagiarism Policy [image]
*Erika Ramirez, When Beyonce’s Inspiration Turns Into Imitation
Revising to Eliminate Plagiarism
READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: Where Should We Draw the Line with Plagiarism?
Trip Gabriel, Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age
*Jennifer Mott-Smith, Bad Idea about Writing: Plagiarism Deserves to be Punished
Richard A. Posner, The Truth about Plagiarism
*Helen Rubinstein, When Plagiarism is a Plea for Help
Dan Ariely, Essay Mills: A Coarse Lesson in Cheating
Term Papers for Sale Advertisement [Web page]
Template for Writing an Argument about Plagiarism
Writing Assignments: Using Sources Responsibly
Appendix A—Writing Literary Arguments
What Is a Literary Argument?
Stating an Argumentative Thesis
Choosing Evidence
Writing a Literary Argument
Megan McGovern, Confessions of a Misunderstood Poem: An Analysis of "The Road Not Taken" [student essay]
Loren Martinez, Not Just a "Girl"[student essay]
Appendix B—Documenting Sources: APA

Practical Argument: Short Edition with 2020 APA and 2021 MLA Updates
Fourth Edition| 2021
Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell
Authors

Laurie G. Kirszner
During their long collaboration, Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell have written a number of best-selling college texts for Bedford/St. Martin's, including Patterns for College Writing, Foundations First, Writing First, Focus on Writing, and, most recently, Practical Argument. Laurie Kirszner is a Professor of English, Emerita at St. Joseph University, where she has taught composition, literature, creative writing, and scientific writing, and served as coordinator of the first-year writing program. Stephen Mandell is a Professor of English, Emeritus at Drexel University, where he founded and directed the basic writing program and has taught composition, literature, speech, and technical and business writing.

Stephen R. Mandell
During their long collaboration, Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell have written a number of best-selling college texts for Bedford/St. Martin's, including Patterns for College Writing, Foundations First, Writing First, Focus on Writing, and, most recently, Practical Argument. Laurie Kirszner is a Professor of English, Emerita at St. Joseph University, where she has taught composition, literature, creative writing, and scientific writing, and served as coordinator of the first-year writing program. Stephen Mandell is a Professor of English, Emeritus at Drexel University, where he founded and directed the basic writing program and has taught composition, literature, speech, and technical and business writing.

Practical Argument: Short Edition with 2020 APA and 2021 MLA Updates
Fourth Edition| 2021
Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell
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