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Backpack Writing uses written instruction and visual tools to teach how to read, write, and research effectively for different purposes in this concise version of the bestselling text.
Lester Faigley’s clear and inviting teaching style and Dorling Kindersley’s accessible and striking design combine to give writers a textbook that shows them what readers and writers actually do. Unique, dynamic presentations of reading, writing, and research processes in the text bring writing alive and speaks to writers with many learning styles. Throughout the book, writers are engaged and learning, with such notable features as “process maps” to guide writers through the major writing assignments, extensive examples of student “Writers at work,” and diverse, distinctive reading selections.
Table of Contents:
PART 1: The Writer as Explorer
1. Thinking as a Writer
Explore through writing
Understand the process of writing
Understand the rhetorical situation
Analyze your assignment
Think about your genre and medium
Think about your topic
Think about your audience
Think about your credibility
2. Readingto Explore
Become a critical reader
Look with a critical eye
Read actively
Recognize fallacies
Respond as a reader
Move from reading to invention
3. Planning
Move from a general topic to a writing plan
Narrow your topic
Write a thesis
Make a plan
4. Drafting
Draft with strategies in mind
Write a zero draft
Draft from a working outline
Start fast with an engaging title and opening paragraph
Develop paragraphs
Conclude with strength
Link within and across paragraphs
5. Revising
Revising and editing
Evaluate your draft
Respond to others
Pay attention to details last
Revise using your instructor’s comments
6. Thinking Visually
Communicate with visuals and words
Know when to use images and graphics
Take pictures that aren’t boring
Compose images
Create tables, charts, and graphs
7. Writing for Online Courses
Keep track of online coursework
Participate in online discussions
Manage online writing
PART 2: The Writer as Guide
Writing to Reflect
8. Reflections
Writing reflections
What makes a good reflection
How to read reflections
Sue Kunitomi Embrey, Some Lines for a Younger Brother . . .
* Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, My Hips, My Caceras
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
How to write a reflection
Student example
Janine Carter, The Miracle Quilt
Projects
Writing to Inform
9. Informative Essays
Reporting information
What makes good informative writing
How to read informative writing
Chip Walter, Affairs of the Lips: Why We Kiss
* Robin Dunbar, Gossip Is Good for You
* World Wildlife Fund, Measuring Human Demand
How to write to inform
Student example
Lakshmi Kotra, The Life Cycle of Stars
Projects
Writing to Analyze
10. Rhetorical and Visual Analyses
Writing an analysis
Writing a rhetorical analysis
Writing a visual analysis
How to read analyses
Tim Collins, Straight from the Heart
David T. Z. Mindich, The Collapse of Big Media: The Young and the Restless
Example for analysis: Volkswagen Beetle
How to write an analysis
Student example
Kelsey Turner, Biting the Hands That Feed America
Writing Arguments
11. Causal Arguments
Writing a causal argument
What makes a good causal argument
How to read causal arguments
* Laura Fraser, The French Paradox
Emily Raine, Why Should I Be Nice To You? Coffee Shops and the Politics of Good Service
* Eduardo Porter, The Price of Crossing Borders
How to write a causal argument
Student example
* Armandi Tansel, Modern Warfare: Video Games’ Link to Real-World Violence
Projects
12. Evaluation Arguments
Writing an evaluation argument
What makes a good evaluation argument
How to read evaluation arguments
* P. J. O'Rourke, The End of the Affair
* Bill McKibben, The Only Way to Have a Cow
Stephanie Rosenbloom, The Nitpicking Nation
How to write an evaluation
Student example
* Jenna Picchi, Organic Foods Should Come Clean
Projects
13. Position Arguments
Writing a position argument
What makes a good position argument
How to read position arguments
Ted Koppel, Take My Privacy, Please!
Mark Winne, When Handouts Keep Coming, the Food Line Never Ends
* Michael Pollan, Eat Food, Food Defined
How to write a position argument
Student example
* Patrice Conley, Flagrant Foul: The NCAA’s Definition of Student Athletes as Amateurs
Projects
14. Proposal Arguments
Writing a proposal argument
What makes a good proposal argument
How to read proposal arguments
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
* San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Connecting the City
* Glenn Loury, A Nation of Jailers
How to write a proposal argument
Student example
Kim Lee, Let’s Make It a Real Melting Pot with Presidential Hopes for All
PART 3: The Writer as Researcher
Guide to Research
15. Planning Research
Analyze the research task
Ask a question
Determine what you need
Draft a working thesis
16. Finding Sources
Identify the kinds of sources that you need
Search using keywords
Find sources in databases
Find sources on the Web
Find multimedia sources
Find print sources
Create a working bibliography
17. Evaluating Sources
Determine the relevance and quality of sources
Determine the kind of source
Determine if a source is trustworthy
Create an annotated bibliography
18. Writing the Research Project
Write a draft
Avoid plagiarism
Quote sources without plagiarizing
Summarize and paraphrase sources without plagiarizing
Incorporate quotations
Incorporate visuals
Review your research project
19. MLA Documentation
Elements of MLA documentation
Entries in the works-cited list
In-text citations in MLA style
Books in MLA-style works cited
Web sources in MLA-style works cited
Other sources in MLA-style works cited
Visual sources in MLA-style works cited
Sample MLA paper
Sarah Picchi, It’s Time to Shut Down the Identity Theft Racket
Index
