Backpack Writing, MLA Update edition

Description

NOTE: This edition features the same content as the traditional text in a convenient, three-hole-punched, loose-leaf version. Books a la Carte also offer a great value; this format costs significantly less than a new textbook. Before purchasing, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson’s MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a Course ID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson’s MyLab & Mastering products.

For college courses in Composition and Rhetoric.

This version of Backpack Writing has been updated to reflect the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook (April 2016). The 8th edition introduces sweeping changes to the philosophy and details of MLA works cited entries. Responding to the “increasing mobility of texts,” MLA now encourages writers to focus on the process of crafting the citation, beginning with the same questions for any source. These changes, then, align with current best practices in the teaching of writing which privilege inquiry and critical thinking over rote recall and rule-following.

Backpack Writing, Fourth Edition presents writing, reading, and research processes dynamically, using a variety of visuals to illustrate how readers interact with texts and how writers compose. One of the first textbook authors to focus on multimedia composing, Lester Faigley employs his own advice to engage students in every step of the writing process – for both college composition and everyday life – and pulls back the curtain on how writers work.

Aligned with the learning goals for a first-year college writing course identified in the 2014 Outcomes Statement from the Council of Writing Program Administrators, Backpack Writing gives students the support they need to succeed in first-year composition, in their other courses, and in their careers. In the Fourth Edition, students can also practice and explore what they’ve learned chapter-by-chapter with interactive MyWritingLab tools, assignments, and projects.  

A focus on academic writing

• NEW! More attention to academic writing. Part 1, “The Academic Writer,” includes new content on academic reading and writing. Chapter 1, “Thinking as an Academic Writer,” invites students to think about medium, genre, audience, and purpose at the outset; and Chapter 2, “Reading as an Academic Writer,” instructs students on how to read academic writing. The remaining chapters prepare students for planning, drafting, and revising academic writing.
• NEW! More examples of academic writing. Each chapter in Part 2, “The Persuasive Writer,” includes an extended example of a written, research-based academic project.
• NEW! More support for research. The emphasis on academic writing in Part 1 now includes new sections on writing a summary, writing a paraphrase, starting an annotated bibliography, and synthesizing readings and visuals. Coverage of research in Part 4, “The Writer as Researcher,” has been updated to include the latest MLA guidelines for citing e-books and postings on Facebook®, Twitter™, and other social media.

Instruction for writing in multimedia

• NEW! Expanded instruction in multimedia composing. Few students understand how to compose in multimedia. Backpack Writing: A Guide for College and Beyond explains that a great deal of thought must be done before a multimedia project is initiated and that resources must be gathered and organized before composing begins. This coverage is spread throughout the book and is concentrated in Part 3: “The Multimedia Writer.”
• NEW! More multimedia assignments and examples.
• All seven chapters in Part 2 include a new “Writing in Multimedia” assignment.
• Chapter 8 has a new example of the “Writer at Work” feature which shows how a student developed an analysis of Russell Lee’s Pie Town, New Mexico photographs.
• The new Chapter 13, “Composing in Multimedia,” includes instruction on the process of multimedia composing and creating audio and video texts along with a new example of a photo essay.
• Chapter 14, “Designing for Print and Digital Readers,” offers practical advice on designing and evaluating print and digital texts.

New engaging readings

• NEW! This edition includes provocative new readings on topics such as
• the pluses and minuses of dual credit courses in high school,
• why police departments ignore bicycle theft,
• why traffic congestion is made worse by what we think is common sense, and more.

Visual tools to engage students and help them get organized

• Unique “process maps” let students see, at a glance, what is expected of them for each of the major writing assignments (Chapters 6-12). These process maps give students an overview of the whole writing process and help them stay oriented as they discover ideas, draft, and revise their own papers.
• “Writer at work” sections show examples of student writers working throughout the whole messy, creative process, from invention through revision to a final paper (Chapters 6-12).
• “Write Now” boxes give brief writing assignments that are designed to help student discover ideas and explore where they lead. Writing “Projects” that conclude Chapters 6-12 offer a variety of assignments, ranging from informative essays to position arguments.  
• The visuals, many of them photographs taken by the author, not only make every page of the text lively and engaging, but also serve to support the main points made in each chapter.  
• Most reading selections are designed to look like original publications (an editorial looks like a page from a newsp

A focus on academic writing

• More attention to academic writing. Part 1, “The Academic Writer,” includes new content on academic reading and writing. Chapter 1, “Thinking as an Academic Writer,” invites students to think about medium, genre, audience, and purpose at the outset; and Chapter 2, “Reading as an Academic Writer,” instructs students on how to read academic writing. The remaining chapters prepare students for planning, drafting, and revising academic writing.
• More examples of academic writing. Each chapter in Part 2, “The Persuasive Writer,” includes an extended example of a written, research-based academic project.
• More support for research. The emphasis on academic writing in Part 1 now includes new sections on writing a summary, writing a paraphrase, starting an annotated bibliography, and synthesizing readings and visuals. Coverage of research in Part 4, “The Writer as Researcher,” has been updated to include the latest MLA guidelines for citing e-books and postings on Facebook®, Twitter™, and other social media.

Instruction for writing in multimedia

• Expanded instruction in multimedia composing. Few students understand how to compose in multimedia. Backpack Writing: A Guide for College and Beyond explains that a great deal of thought must be done before a multimedia project is initiated and that resources must be gathered and organized before composing begins. This coverage is spread throughout the book and is concentrated in Part 3: “The Multimedia Writer.”
• More multimedia assignments and examples.
• All seven chapters in Part 2 include a new “Writing in Multimedia” assignment.
• Chapter 8 has a new example of the “Writer at Work” feature which shows how a student developed an analysis of Russell Lee’s Pie Town, New Mexico photographs.
• The new Chapter 13, “Composing in Multimedia,” includes instruction on the process of multimedia composing and creating audio and video texts along with a new example of a photo essay.
• Chapter 14, “Designing for Print and Digital Readers,” offers practical advice on designing and evaluating print and digital texts.

New engaging readings

• This edition includes provocative new readings on topics such as
• the pluses and minuses of dual credit courses in high school,
• why police departments ignore bicycle theft,
• why traffic congestion is made worse by what we think is common sense, and more.

PART 1: THE ACADEMIC WRITER

1. Thinking as an Academic Writer
Explore Through Writing                    
Understand the Process of Writing
Understand the Rhetorical Situation
Analyze Your Assignment
Think About Your Genre
Think About Your Medium
Think About Your Topic
Think About What Your Readers Expect
Think About Your Credibility

2. Reading as an Academic Writer
Become a Critical Reader                    
Become a Critical Viewer
Annotate Academic Readings
Recognize Fallacies
Write a Summary
Write a Paraphrase
Move from Reading to Invention
Start an Annotated Bibliography
Synthesize Readings and Visuals

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

PART 2: THE PERSUASIVE WRITER

Writing to Reflect
6. Reflections    
Writing a Reflection                    
What Makes a Good Reflection?
Reflections About Visuals
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 (MLA Style)

Janine Carter, The Miracle Quilt

Projects

Writing to Inform
7. Informative Essays and Visuals    
Reporting Information                    
What Makes Good Informative Writing?
Informative Visuals
INFORMATIVE ESSAYS AND VISUALS

Katherine Mangan, Is Faster Always Better?
Shane D. Johnson, Aiden Sitebottom, and Adam Thorpe, Bicycle Theft 

How to Write to Inform
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Lakshmi Kotra, The Life Cycle of Stars

Projects

Writing to Analyze    
8. Rhetorical and Visual Analyses
Writing an Analysis                        
Writing a Rhetorical Analysis
Writing a Visual Analysis
RHETORICAL AND VISUAL ANALYSES

Tim Collins, Straight from the Heart  
Frank Gehry, The Ray and Maria Stata Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

How to Write an Analysis
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Chris Gonzalez, Russell Lee’s Pie Town Photographs

Writing Arguments        
9. Causal Arguments     
Writing a Causal Argument                        
What Makes a Good Causal Argument?
Visual Causal Arguments
CAUSAL ARGUMENTS

Laura Fraser, The French Paradox  
Tom Vanderbilt, Why I Became a Late Merger (and Why You Should Too)

How to Write a Causal Argument
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Armandi Tansel, Modern Warfare: Video Games’ Link to Real-World Violence

Projects

10. Evaluation Arguments    
Writing an Evaluation Argument                        
What Makes a Good Evaluation Argument?
Visual Evaluations
EVALUATION ARGUMENTS

Bill McKibben, The Only Way to Have a Cow  
Rachel Laudan, In Praise of Fast Food

How to Write an Evaluation
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Jenna Picchi, Organic Foods Should Come Clean

Projects

11. Position Arguments    
Writing a Position Argument                         
What Makes a Good Position Argument?
Visual Position Arguments
POSITION ARGUMENTS

Ted Koppel, Take My Privacy, Please!
Michael Pollan, Eat Food, Food Defined 

How to Write a Position Argument
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Patrice Conley, Flagrant Foul: The NCAA’s Definition of Student Athletes as Amateurs

Projects

12. Proposal Arguments     
Writing a Proposal Argument        
What Makes a Good Proposal Argument?
Visual Proposals
PROPOSAL ARGUMENTS

Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence  
Glenn Loury, A Nation of Jailers 

How to Write a Proposal Argument
STUDENT EXAMPLE (MLA Style)

Kim Lee, Let’s Make It a Real Melting Pot with Presidential Hopes for All

PART 3: THE MULTIMEDIA WRITER

13. Composing in Multimedia                 
Understand the Process of Composing in Multimedia
Take Pictures That Aren’t Boring
Create Graphics
Create Audio
Create Video
Create a Photo Essay

14. Designing for Print and Digital Readers                     
Start With Your Readers
Use Headings and Subheadings Effectively
Design Pages
Understand Typography
Evaluate Your Design

PART 4: THE WRITER AS RESEARCHER
   
     Guide to Research
15. Planning Research                                     
Analyze the Research Task
Ask a Question
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

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
George Abukar
It’s Time to Shut Down the Identity Theft Racket

Additional information

Dimensions	0.60 × 7.30 × 9.10 in
Imprint	Pearson
Format	gen
ISBN-13	09780134581729
ISBN-10	0134581725
Author	Lester Faigley
Subjects	english, composition, higher education, Language Arts / Literacy, Rhetorics