Backpack Writing uses written instruction and visual tools to teach how to read, write, and research effectively for different purposes in a brief travel-friendly format.
Table of Contents:
PART 1: THE WRITER AS EXPLORER
1.Making Discoveries
Look with new eyes
Find a territory
Use guides
2.Readingto Explore
Become a critical reader
Look with a critical eye
Read actively
Recognize fallacies
Respond as a reader
3.Planning a Journey
Determine your direction
Write a thesis
4.Returning and Revising
Evaluate your draft
Respond to others
Pay attention to details last
5.Communicating Visually
Communicate with visuals and words
Know when to use images and graphics
Create tables, charts, and graphs
Understand typography
PART 2: THE WRITER AS GUIDE
6.Writing Effectively in College
Understand the demands of writing in college
Think about your aim
Think about your genre
Think about your audience
Think about your credibility
Think about building on the work of others
Write to Reflect
7.Reflections
Writing reflections
An effective reflection
Sue Kunitomi Embrey, Some Lines for a Younger Brother . . .
How to read reflections
Lee Conell, My Dropout Boyfriend Kept Dropping In
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
How to write a reflection
Student example
Janine Carter, The Miracle Quilt
Projects
8.Informative Essays
Reporting information
Effective informative writing
Samuel Wilson, The Emperor’s Giraffe
How to read informative writing
Lori Gottlieb, How Do I Love Thee?
Chip Walter, Affairs of the Lips, Why We Kiss
How to write to inform
Student example
Lakshmi Kotra, The Life Cycle of Stars
Projects
Write to Analyze
9.Rhetorical Analyses
Writing to analyze
Writing a rhetorical analysis
Writing a visual analysis
An effective analysis
Tim Collins, Straight from the Heart
How to read analyses
David T.Z. Mindich, “The Collapse of Big Media: The Young and the Restless”
Volkswagen Beetle
How to write an analysis
Student example
Kelsey Turner, Biting the Hands That Feed America
Projects
10.Causal Analysis
Writing to analyze causes
An effective causal analysis
Stentor Danielson, Pesticides, Parasite May Cause Frog Deformities
How to read causal analyses
Stephanie Coontz, The Future of Marriage
Emily Raine, Why Should I Be Nice To You? Coffee Shops and the Politics of Good Service
How to write a causal analysis
Student example
Sean Booker, Borrowing Bling: The Appeal of Hip-hop to Young White Men
Projects
Write Arguments
11.Evaluations
Writing to evaluate
An effective evaluation
Lefteris Pavlides, The Aesthetics of Wind Power
How to read evaluations
Danah Boyd, Web 2.0 Forum: Knowledge Access as a Public Good
Stephanie Rosenbloom, The Nitpicking Nation
How to write an evaluation
Student example
Rashaun Giddens, Stop Loss or “Loss of Trust”
Projects
12.Arguments for a Position
Writing a position argument
An effective position argument
Ted Koppel, Take My Privacy, Please!
How to read position arguments
Frederick Douglass, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?
Mark Winne, When Handouts Keep Coming, the Food Line Never Ends
How to write a position argument
Student example
Chris Nguyen, Speech Doesn’t Have to Be Pretty to Be Protected
Projects
13.Proposal Arguments
Making a proposal argument
An effective proposal argument
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
How to read proposal arguments
Richard Nixon, Building the Interstate Highway System
Michael Pollan, Why Bother?
How to write a proposal argument
Student example
Kim Lee, Let’s Make It a Real Melting Pot with Presidential Hopes for All
Projects
PART 3: The Writer as Researcher
14.Planning Research
Analyze the research task
Ask a question
Determine what you need
Draft a working thesis
15.Finding and Evaluating Sources
Find information in databases
Construct effective searches
Locate elements of a citation
Find information on the Web
Evaluate Web sources
Find visual sources online
Find books
Find journal articles
Evaluate print sources
16.Writing the Research Paper
Plan your organization
Avoid plagiarism
Quote sources without plagiarizing
Summarize and paraphrase sources without plagiarizing
Incorporate quotations
Incorporate visuals
17. MLA Documentation
Elements of MLA documentation
Entries in the works-cited list
In-text citations in MLA style
Books in MLA-style works cited
Periodicals in MLA-style works cited
Web sources in MLA-style works cited
Other sources in MLA-style works cited
Sample MLA paper
George Abukar, It’s Time to Shut Down the Identity Theft Racket
Credits
Index
