The Practical Argument

THE PURPOSEFUL ARGUMENT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE, BRIEF 1st Edition, encourages students to recognize where argument fits into their lives and how it can be a practical response to the issues in a variety of communities--School, Workplace, Family, Neighborhood, Social-Cultural, Consumer, and Concerned Citizen. When students are encouraged to honor and respond to issues that matter to them, their investment becomes evident and their writing purposeful. Students learn how argument can become an essential negotiating skill in their lives--both in school and beyond. With a focus on accessibility, THE PURPOSEFUL ARGUMENT relies on clear explanations, explicit examples, and practical step-by-step exercises that guide students through the process of building an argument.

About the Author :
Harry Phillips earned a Ph.D. in English from Washington State University (WSU) in 1994 and an M.A. in English with a minor in Education from North Carolina Central University in 1988. From 1994 to 2009, he was Instructor of English at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he regularly taught Argument-Based Research and a range of American literature courses. He began teaching argument in 1993 at WSU and recommended that this course be a part of the North Carolina Community College Common Course Library, a recommendation that led to the course being adopted across the N.C. Community College system. He continues to view argument as an essential set of skills both for two- and four-year college students, as well as for everyday people intent on crafting effective argument. Dr. Phillips was curator of native plants at the North Carolina Botanical Garden and the principal author of GROWING AND PROPAGATING WILD FLOWERS (University of North Carolina Press, 1985). Since retiring from CPCC, he spends his time as a mediator, climate change activist, and avid gardener. Patricia Kennedy Bostian is the author of over 90 scholarly works for presses such as Greenwood and Facts on File. She is the editor of a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, TEACHING AMERICAN LITERATURE: A JOURNAL OF THEORY AND PRACTICE (http: //cpcc.edu/taltp). She completed her doctoral coursework in composition/rhetoric at the University of South Carolina. For 23 years she has taught literature, composition, and humanities courses for several two- and four-year institutions, including Central Piedmont Community College, the University of South Carolina, and Johnson C. Smith University. She is completing her M.A. in Humanities from California State University.

Review :
-I had a very favorable reaction to the examples of argument in the book, which seemed fresh and new. In the text I currently use, the readings seem to be slightly standard and even overused.- -I like that the emphasis is on citizenship in a very active, specific way. The preface implies that the text will help students actively and effectively engage in the many communities that they are party of, not only participating but influencing and helping to make decisions.- -The clear desire of the writers/publishers is to construct a book grounded in the practical of the everyday. The biggest complaint from most students, especially at the two-year college, is a lack of connection to their real lives and how argument applies.- -This book is very appealing to me. It gives me an impression that its author has freshmen writers in his/her heart and has tried every means to create a textbook that best fits the needs of both writing instructors and their students, particularly those at community colleges.- -We live in such a complex world, and often students feel they can do nothing to change it. However, with the focus on local change, students are more likely to feel empowered if they are taught to respond to concerns which affect them personally.- "I had a very favorable reaction to the examples of argument in the book, which seemed fresh and new. In the text I currently use, the readings seem to be slightly standard and even overused." "I like that the emphasis is on citizenship in a very active, specific way. The preface implies that the text will help students actively and effectively engage in the many communities that they are party of, not only participating but influencing and helping to make decisions." "The clear desire of the writers/publishers is to construct a book grounded in the practical of the everyday. The biggest complaint from most students, especially at the two-year college, is a lack of connection to their real lives and how argument applies." "This book is very appealing to me. It gives me an impression that its author has freshmen writers in his/her heart and has tried every means to create a textbook that best fits the needs of both writing instructors and their students, particularly those at community colleges." "We live in such a complex world, and often students feel they can do nothing to change it. However, with the focus on local change, students are more likely to feel empowered if they are taught to respond to concerns which affect them personally."