Skip to Main Content
  • Instructor Catalog
  • Instructor Community
  • Student Store
  • CACanada Store
Instructor Catalog Instructor Catalog
    • I'M AN INSTRUCTOR

    • I'M A STUDENT
  • help
  • search
  • minicart
    0
    • CACanada Store

Find what you need to succeed.

search icon
  • Our Story

    Our Story

    back
    • Our Mission
    • Our Leadership
    • Learning Science
    • Sustainability
    • Careers
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Accessibility
  • Discipline

    Discipline

    back
    • Astronomy Biochemistry Biology Chemistry College Success Communication Economics Electrical Engineering English Environmental Science Geography Geology History Mathematics Music & Theater Nutrition and Health Philosophy & Religion Physics Psychology Sociology Statistics Value
  • Digital

    Digital

    back
    • Digital Offerings
    • Achieve
    • LaunchPad
    • E-books
    • iOLab
    • iClicker
    • Inclusive Access
    • Lab Solutions
    • LMS Integration
    • Curriculum Solutions
    • Training and Demos
    • First Day of Class
  • Solutions

    Solutions

    back
    • Administrators
    • Affordable Solutions
    • Badging & Certification
    • iClicker and Your Content
    • Lab Solutions
    • Student Store
    • TradeUp
  • News & Media

    News & Media

    back
    • News & Media
  • Contact Us

    Contact Us

    back
    • Contact Us & FAQs
    • Find Your Rep
    • Training and Demos
    • First Day of Class
    • Booksellers
    • Macmillan International Support
    • International Translation Rights
    • Request Permissions
    • Report Piracy
  1. Home
  2. English
  3. Practical Argument
  • About
  • Preview
  • Digital
  • Contents
  • Authors
  • Resources
  • Related Titles
Practical Argument by Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell - Fourth Edition, 2020 from Macmillan Student Store
View Demo
Find Your Rep
VALUE

Practical Argument

A Text and AnthologyFourth Edition| ©2020New Edition Available Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell

More than ever, successful argumentation is a major part of academic success—and has plenty of real-world application. But students don’t benefit when they are bogged down with technical jargon and abstraction. That’s where Practical Argument comes in.

Bestselling authors Laurie

More than ever, successful argumentation is a major part of academic success—and has plenty of real-world application. But students don’t benefit when they are bogged down with technical jargon and abstraction. That’s where Practical Argument comes in.

Bestselling authors Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell make argumentative writing accessible with a scaffolded, step-by-step approach to convey what students need to know about argument, in understandable language. The Fourth Edition includes an even more contemporary and diverse array of readings, as well as new coverage of the kinds of visual arguments students are likely to encounter in their everyday lives.

Read more
Students - Buy or Rent

  • Format
  • Package
Achieve $39.99

ISBN:9781319509620

Access all your course tools in one place!


Retail:$39.99 Wholesale:$32.00

Subscribe until 08/29/2023

Go to Achieve
E-book from $46.99

ISBN:9781319253912

Take notes, add highlights, and download our mobile-friendly e-books.

Retail:$46.99

Subscribe until 09/25/2023

Retail:$80.99


Loose-Leaf $68.99

ISBN:9781319314781

Save money with our hole-punched, loose-leaf textbook.

Retail:$68.99 Wholesale:$55.31


Paperback from $48.99

ISBN:9781319194451

Read and study old-school with our bound texts.

Retail:$48.99

Rent until 06/30/2023

Retail:$53.99

Rent until 08/09/2023

Retail:$59.99

Rent until 09/28/2023

Retail:$80.99

Rent until 03/26/2024

Retail:$118.99 Wholesale:$94.73


E-book + Documenting Sources in MLA Style: 2021 Update $40.99

ISBN:9781319454470

This package includes E-book and E-book.

Retail:$40.99 Wholesale:$33.00
Paperback + Achieve $89.99

ISBN:9781319520397

This package includes Achieve and Paperback.

Retail:$89.99 Wholesale:$72.00
Loose-Leaf + Achieve $64.99

ISBN:9781319520366

This package includes Achieve and Loose-Leaf.

Retail:$64.99 Wholesale:$52.00
Loose-Leaf + Documenting Sources in APA Style: 2020 Update $68.99

ISBN:9781319353162

This package includes Loose-Leaf and Paperback.

Retail:$68.99 Wholesale:$55.31
Paperback + Documenting Sources in MLA Style: 2021 Update $118.99

ISBN:9781319454791

This package includes Paperback and Paperback.

Retail:$118.99 Wholesale:$94.73
Paperback + Documenting Sources in APA Style: 2020 Update $118.99

ISBN:9781319353131

This package includes Paperback and Paperback.

Retail:$118.99 Wholesale:$94.73
Home Features New to This Edition Reviews
Practical Argument by Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell - Fourth Edition, 2020 from Macmillan Student Store

Real-world arguments made accessible for students.

More than ever, successful argumentation is a major part of academic success—and has plenty of real-world application. But students don’t benefit when they are bogged down with technical jargon and abstraction. That’s where Practical Argument comes in.

Bestselling authors Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell make argumentative writing accessible with a scaffolded, step-by-step approach to convey what students need to know about argument, in understandable language. The Fourth Edition includes an even more contemporary and diverse array of readings, as well as new coverage of the kinds of visual arguments students are likely to encounter in their everyday lives.

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

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 initiates students into argumentative writing through a well-crafted scaffolding process. It lays out the foundation of argumentative writing by first introducing the rhetorical triangle and the four pillars of argument, and includes templates and outlines to help students craft their essays."
--Andrea Green, Motlow State Community College

"Practical Argument is a comprehensive introduction to the elements and craft of argument written in an accessible style with effective organization and useful coverage of visual arguments."
--Jason DePolo, North Carolina A&T State University

"Practical Argument is a coherent, comprehensive book on argumentative and persuasive writing with current issues, templates, casebooks, and a wide variety of student support features."
--David Seelow, The College of Saint Rose

Practical Argument by Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell - Fourth Edition, 2020 from Macmillan Student Store

Practical Argument

Fourth Edition| ©2020

Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell

Digital Options

ACHIEVE icon

Achieve

Achieve is a comprehensive set of interconnected teaching and assessment tools that incorporate the most effective elements from Macmillan Learning's market leading solutions in a single, easy-to-use platform.

Schedule Achieve Demo Go to Achieve


EPUB3_EBOOK icon

E-book

Read online (or offline) with all the highlighting and notetaking tools you need to be successful in this course.

Learn About E-book

Practical Argument by Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell - Fourth Edition, 2020 from Macmillan Student Store

Practical Argument

Fourth Edition| 2020

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

     *Jerome Sieger, 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?    

     **Olivia Nicholas, **What Are You Going to Do with That Major?*

                     **Olga Khazan, **The More Gender Equality, the Fewer Women in STEM*

     *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

Part 5— Strategies for Argument

12—Definition Arguments

AT ISSUE: How Do We Distinguish Between Real News and Misinformation?

What Is a Definition Argument?

Developing Definitions

     Dictionary Definitions (Formal Definitions)

     Extended Definitions

     Operational Definitions

Structuring a Definition Argument

     Adam Kennedy, Why I Am a Nontraditional Student [student essay]

     GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT: Avoiding "Is Where" and "Is When"

      *Ej Garr, Athlete vs. Role Model

     Firefighters at Ground Zero [photograph]; The Tuskegee Airmen [photograph]

READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: How Do We Distinguish Between Real News and Misinformation?

   *Joanna Burkhardt, History of Fake News

   *Jimmy Wales, What Can We Do to Combat Fake News?

   *Adrian Chen, The Fake News Fallacy

   *Katie Langin, Fake News Spreads Faster than True News

*Lee Leetaru, How Data and Information Literacy Could End Fake News

Template for Writing a Definition Argument

Writing Assignments: Definition Arguments

13—Cause-and-Effect Arguments

AT ISSUE:  Does Our Reliance on Social Media Bring Us Together or Drive Us Apart?

What Is a Cause-and-Effect Argument?

     Bumper Stickers [photograph]

Understanding Cause-and-Effect Relationships

     Main and Contributory Causes

     Immediate and Remote Causes

     Causal Chains

     Key Words for Cause-and-Effect Arguments [box]

     Post Hoc Reasoning

Structuring a Cause-and-Effect Argument

     Kristina Mialki, Texting: A Boon, Not a Threat, to Language [student essay]

     GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT: Avoiding "The reason is because"

     Peggy Orenstein, Should the World of Toys Be Gender-Free?

READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: Does Our Reliance on Social Media Bring Us Together or Drive Us Apart?

*Laura Bogart, I Don’t Own a Smartphone – and I Don’t Want One

*Dimitiry Kozlov, Social Media: Bringing People Together, Virtually and Physically

*Robert Weiss, Closer Together or Further Apart? Digital Devices and the New Generation Gap

*David Ludden, Does Using Social Media Make You Lonely?

*Wendy Leung, I Quit Facebook and I Miss It

*Sherry Turkle, The Flight from Conversation

Template for Writing a Cause-and-Effect Argument

Writing Assignments: Cause-and-Effect Arguments

14—Evaluation Arguments

AT ISSUE: Do the Benefits of Fossil Fuels Outweigh the Environmental Risks?

What Is an Evaluation Argument?

     Making Evaluations [box]

  Identifying Bias [box]

     Criteria for Evaluation

Structuring an Evaluation Argument

     Kevin Murphy, Evaluation of a Website: RateMyProfessors.com [student essay]  

     GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT: Comparatives and Superlatives

     *Eric Klinenberg, To Restore Civil Society, Start with the Library

READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: Do the Benefits of Fracking Outweigh the Environmental Risks?

    *Joseph Bast and Peter Ferrara The Social Benefits of Fossil Fuels Far Outweigh the Costs

    *Juan Ramos, Fossil Fuels Pros and Cons

    *Bernard McNamee, This Earth Day, Let’s Accept the Critical Role That Fossil Fuels Play in Energy Needs

    Sean Lennon, Destroying Precious Land for Gas

    *Bruno Comby, The Benefits of Nuclear Energy

    *Barbara Hurd, Fracking: A Fable

Template for Writing an Evaluation Argument

Writing Assignments: Evaluation Arguments

15—Ethical Arguments

AT ISSUE: How Far Should Schools Go to Keep Students Safe?

What is an Ethical Argument?

Stating an Ethical Principle

Ethics versus Law

Understanding Ethical Dilemmas

     Treadlighly.org, Ride Hard, Tread Lightly [advertisement]  

     *PETA, Adopt, Don’t Buy [advertisement]   

     Linda Pastan, Ethics [poem]  

Structuring an Ethical Argument

     Chris Muñoz, Are Colleges Doing Enough for Nontraditional Students? [student essay]  

     GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT: Subordination and Coordination

     *Shubhankar Chokra, The Ethical Case for Eating Animals

READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: How Far Should Schools Go to Keep Students Safe?

     *Evie Blad, Do Schools’ "Active Shooter" Drills Prepare or Frighten?

     Timothy Wheeler There’s a Reason They Choose Schools

     *Sasha Arbramsky, The Fear Industry Goes Back to Work

      *Michael Goldberg, I’m a School Psychologist—and I Think Teachers Should Be Armed

      *Vann Newkirk, Arming Educators Violates the Spirit of the Second Amendment

     Isothermal Community College, Warning Signs: How You Can Help Prevent Campus Violence

Template for Writing an Ethical Argument

Writing Assignments: Ethical Arguments


16—Proposal Arguments

AT ISSUE: Should the Government Do More to Relieve the Student Loan Burden?

What Is a Proposal Argument?

     PETA, Let Vegetarianism Grow on You [advertisement]

       Problem Solving Strategies [box]

Stating the Problem

Proposing a Solution    

Demonstrating That Your Solution Will Work

       Sunshineweek.org, Let the Sunshine In [advertisement]  

Establishing Feasibility

Discussing Benefits

Refuting Opposing Arguments

     Nyc.gov, It’s Your City. It’s Your Earth. [advertisement]

     Bernie Sanders, Medicare for All Is Good for Business

Structuring a Proposal Argument

     Melissa Burrell, Colleges Need Honor Codes [student essay]

     GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT: Will versus Would

    *Michelle Wu, The Road to Fear-Free Driving in Boston

READING AND WRITING ABOUT THE ISSUE: Should the Government Do More to Relieve the Student-Loan Burden?

     *Rana Foroohar, The US College Debt Bubble Is Becoming Dangerous

     Richard Vedder, Forgive Student Loans?

     *Ben Miller, Student Debt: It’s Worse Than We Imagined

   Sam Adolphsen, Don’t Blame the Government   

Astra Taylor, A Strike against Student Debt

Template for Writing a Proposal Argument

Writing Assignments: Proposal Arguments

Part 5 Review: Combining Argumentative Strategies

     *Robert M. Franklin, RFK’s Still a Leadership Role Model for Youth

     Kevin Carey, Fulfill George Washington’s Last Wish — a National University


Part 6—Debates, Casebooks, and Classic Arguments

DEBATES

17— Should We Embrace Self-Driving Cars?

     *Don Aucoin, Why We Have the Ethics of Self-Driving Cars All Wrong

     *Olivia Goldhill, Should Driverless Cars Kill Their Own Passengers to Save a Pedestrian?

18—Should College Athletes Be Paid?

     *Randy Bertolas, Jayme Krejci, and Alex Stanley Are Colleges and Universities Obligated to Provide Student Athletes with Additional Compensation? (Point)

    * Randy Bertolas, Jayme Krejci, and Alex Stanley Are Colleges and Universities Obligated to Provide Student Athletes with Additional Compensation? (Counterpoint)

19—Under What Circumstances Do Bystanders Have an Ethical Obligation to Intervene?

     Lenore Skenazy, How Kitty Genovese Destroyed Childhood

     Joe Nocera, It’s Hard to Be a Hero

20—Should the United States Establish a Universal Basic Income?

           *Christian Bot, The Conservative Case for Universal Basic Income

      *Geroge Zarkadakas, The Case Against Universal Basic Income

    

CASEBOOKS

21—Should Every American Go to College?

    Eric Hoover, College’s Value Goes Deeper Than the Degree

    *Andrew Perry, Stop Saying College Isn’t for Everyone

*G. Vance, The College Trap: Our Higher Education System Hurts the Poor

     Charles Murray, What's Wrong with Vocational School?

     

22—How Should We Solve the Opioid Problem?

     *Ericka Anderson, The Opioid Epidemic Is a Cultural Problem, It Requires Cultural Solutions

     *Stanton Peele, The Solution to the Opioid Crisis

    *Peter Moore, The Other Opioid Crisis

    *Sally Satel, The Myth of What’s Driving the Opioid Crisis

    

23—Should the United States Have Open Borders?

 *Richard Lamm, The Liberal Case for Reducing Immigration

*Nick Srineck, $100 Trillion Case for Open Borders

*John Lee, Secure the U.S.-Mexico Border: Open It

*Adam Ozemik, Why I Don’t Support Open Borders

    

24—Does It Pay to Study the Humanities?  

Christina H. Paxson, The Economic Case for Saving the Humanities

Anthony P. Carnevale and Michelle Melton, Major Differences: Why Undergraduate Majors Matter

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

Thomas Frank, Course Corrections

25—CLASSIC ARGUMENTS

     Plato, The Allegory of the Cave

     Andrew Marvell, To His Coy Mistress

     Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal

     Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

     Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address

     Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions  

     George Orwell, Politics and the English Language  

     Rachel Carson, The Obligation to Endure  

     Betty Friedan, The Importance of Work

     James Baldwin, If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

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 by Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell - Fourth Edition, 2020 from Macmillan Student Store

Practical Argument

Fourth Edition| 2020

Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell

View Demo
Find Your Rep

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 by Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell - Fourth Edition, 2020 from Macmillan Student Store

Practical Argument

Fourth Edition| 2020

Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell

View Demo
Find Your Rep

Instructor Resources

Need instructor resources for your course?

Unlock Your Resources

Instructor Resources

Download Resources

You need to sign in to unlock your resources.

request locked icon

Instructor's Manual for Practical Argument 4e

request locked icon

Transition Guide - Practical Argument Third Edition to Fourth Edition

request locked icon

WPA Outcomes Guide for Practical Argument, Fourth Edition

Confirm Request
We're sorry! The server encountered an internal error and cannot complete your request. Please try again later.

You've selected:

Click the E-mail Download Link button and we'll send you an e-mail at with links to download your instructor resources. Please note there may be a delay in delivering your e-mail depending on the size of the files.

Warning! These materials are owned by Macmillan Learning or its licensors and are protected by copyright laws in the United States and other jurisdictions. Such materials may include a digital watermark that is linked to your name and email address in your Macmillan Learning account to identify the source of any materials used in an unauthorised way and prevent online piracy. These materials are being provided solely for instructional use by instructors who have adopted Macmillan Learning’s accompanying textbooks or online products for use by students in their courses. These materials may not be copied, distributed, sold, shared, posted online, or used, in print or electronic format, except in the limited circumstances set forth in the Macmillan Learning Terms of Use and any other reproduction or distribution is illegal. These materials may not be made publicly available under any circumstances. All other rights reserved. For more information about the use of your personal data including for the purposes of anti-piracy enforcement, please refer to Macmillan Learning's.Privacy Notice

Request Status

Thank you!

Your download request has been received and your download link will be sent to .

Please note you could wait up to 30 to 60 minutes to receive your download e-mail depending on the number and size of the files. We appreciate your patience while we process your request.

Check your inbox, trash, and spam folders for an e-mail from InstructorResources@macmillan.com.

If you do not receive your e-mail, please visit macmillanlearning.com/support.

We're sorry! The server encountered an internal error and cannot complete your request. Please try again later.
Practical Argument by Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell - Fourth Edition, 2020 from Macmillan Student Store

Practical Argument

Fourth Edition| 2020

Laurie G. Kirszner; Stephen R. Mandell

Related Titles


Practical Argument with 2020 APA and 2021 MLA Updates by Laurie Kirszner; Stephen Mandell - Fourth Edition, 2021 from Macmillan Student Store

Practical Argument with 2020 APA and 2021 MLA Updates

Laurie Kirszner; Stephen Mandell | Fourth Edition | 2021 | ISBN:9781319456108

Learn More

Available Demos

Select a demo to view:

Tour Achieve for English
Achieve icon Sample Achieve

We are happy to offer free Achieve access in addition to the
physical sample you have selected. Sample this version now as
opposed to waiting for the physical edition.

We are happy to offer free Achieve access in
addition to the physical sample you have
selected. Sample this version now as opposed to
waiting for the physical edition.

Learn more about Achieve
  • Privacy Notice
  • //
  • Ads & Cookies
  • //
  • Terms of Use
  • //
  • Piracy
  • //
  • Accessibility
  • //
  • Code of Conduct
  • //
  • Site Map
  • //
  • Customer Support
  • Macmillan Learning Facebook icon
  • Macmillan Learning Twitter icon
  • Macmillan Learning Youtube icon
  • Macmillan Learning Linkedin icon
  • Macmillan Learning Instagram icon
We are processing your request. Please wait...