Questioning Literary and Rhetorical Analysis

With classical, rhetorical underpinnings and well-chosen essays, the author uses questioning techniques to move from critical reading and the rhetorical triangle to research and documentation. The author hopes by offering selections that challenge our beliefs and raise our social conscience that he can foster a deeper commitment on the part of the student to self-examination and introspection. These reflect the expectations of Dr. Peter Elbow who advocates, “you should expect reading and writing assignments that help you to make sense of your ‘lives and feelings.’”

Intended Market:
Meant for use in a second semester course in composition or a first semester course with an emphasis on persuasion and argument. The book uses professional and student essays to establish lines of argument that culminate in a research paper and a reflective essay.

Unique Features:

• Questioning techniques are used throughout the text to reinforce the power of analysis as a useful tool to help students discover their own, quoting from Questioning, “‘stasis’, or places to ‘stand’ relative to those with opposing views”.
• Students are encouraged to keep those answers, the responses to their writing from the instructor and their assigned peer group in an electronic or written journal. Journaling becomes an essential invention, analysis and assessment strategy in Questioning.
• Archived journal entries are the documents used at the end of the semester to help students create a portfolio and to help them evaluate through a reflective essay their growth as a writer.
• Assignments are chosen and grouped by theme to help students find a reason to care about their writing, and, when persuasion is not possible or not the goal, new methods for mediation are discussed.
• Classical rhetorical organization provides a framework for developing the techniques and strategies essential to learning how to write in a composition course.
• An emphasis on literary analysis and the subtext of inherent meaning engenders an understanding of the elements of literature in a variety of genres including a play and a separate chapter on writing about poetry

Writing in the Margins A Field Guide to Academic Writing

Writing in the Margins is a stream-lined, practical guide designed to help first- year students meet with a high degree of success in academic writing—not only in the first-year composition sequence, but across disciplines throughout their academic careers.

Writing in the Margins models effective rhetorical strategies for every phase of the academic writing process whether writing for in-depth analysis or surface correctness. This text covers everything from invention and research to arrangement and editing, and finally to writing effective introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs.

It also takes the unique approach of dividing the academic writing process into a series of teachable “moments,” each associated with the discourse of persuasion.

Every chapter offers useful writing-to-learn sequences that continuously reinforce instruction and provide the student ample hands-on practice.

Searchers A Quick Guide to Researching, Evaluating, and Documenting Electronic Sources

Carol Lea Clark, a leading author in the use of electronic tools for academic endeavors, has just updated the ideal pocket guide for students who are conducting research. Searchers covers the basics of how to start a research project, how to find and evaluate electronic sources, and how to properly document sources.

It concentrates on using the power of the Web while still covering more traditional tools such as library databases. And, in the tradition of all Fountainhead Press products, it is concise and inexpensive.

Languaging Force X

is a role play game created and designed to be used exclusively for the first-year composition course. The text provides a rationale for gaming as a genre for studying composition: examples of how the game is played; suggestions for creating identities; and adventures that the students work through to gain experience to help them become better thinkers and writers.

Stratagems
Arguing Issues for Writers, 2/e

This multi-genre reader for freshman composition examines all aspects of the rhetorical argument. From persuasive ads, cartoons, screen plays, debates, interviews, professional and student essays, lyrics and graphic novels, every output is discussed by the authors to establish a foundation for seeing arguments, reading and annotating arguments and writing arguments. The building of more sophisticated stratagems and more modern approaches to rhetorical situations, including conspiracy and gaming theories, becomes essential if students wish to understand the impact of their arguments and the arguments of others and to participate in discussing the issues of today in a global community.

Intended Market:
Meant for use in a second semester course in composition or a first semester course with an emphasis on argument and global issues. This reader/rhetoric uses a multi-genre, visual, aural approach to writing to reach an audience that is more media orientated.

Unique Features

• The mission of the book is to foster literacy awareness by uncovering, analyzing and researching the deeper meanings of the argumentative messages in a variety of genres.
• A multi-genre, multi-modal approach provides a beginning writer with more options for addressing the audience and finding a suitable voice for different rhetorical situations.
• Aural and visual components of the text offer other dimensions for rhetorical exploration of argument and audience by providing examples of court cases, speeches, screenplays, lyrics, graphics, ads, comics and debates.
• A wide variety of cross-media formats, rhetorical strategies and approaches, and stimulating issues allow for maximum instructional flexibility.

Praxis
A Brief Rhetoric

Praxis takes the rich history of rhetoric and applies it to everyday writing situations students encounter in the university, work, home, and beyond.  It informs students of the language of historical rhetoric, including terms such as kairos, ethos, pathos, and logos.  Then, it applies this useful vocabulary to modern day issues such as airline travelers being stranded on runways, the rights of smokers and non-smokers, and global warming.

Praxis is written for instructors who have essentially the same practical goals as Aristotle and other Rhetors who taught in ancient Greece—to help their students improve their composition skills and by doing so, increase confidence in their ability to handle any occasion for writing.

Praxis moves the student from theory to practical reason to action!

Features

• Flexible!  Praxis is designed to be used as either a stand-alone text or in conjunction with Instructor chosen projects and readings.
• Inexpensive and brief.    Less than $35 to the student!
• Customizable!  You can choose to use individual chapters from the text.
• Hot Topics including Global Warming, Traveler’s Rights, and President Obama.

Praxis – to specify practical reasoning, for which the goal is action.