Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments, MLA Update Edition, 5th edition

For courses in Argument.

This version ofEnvision: Writing and Researching Arguments has been updated to reflect the 8th Edition of the MLA Handbook (April 2016)*

Explores writing, rhetoric, and research by considering the different modes of argument in contemporary culture

A concise and practical guide, Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments, Fifth Edition is ideal for composition courses focusing on argumentation and research-based writing. Each chapter uses interactive and engaging lessons, and focuses both on analyzing and producing words (print materials, articles, blog posts, and even tweets) as well as on writing about images and other contemporary media (cartoons, ads, photographs, films, video games, websites, and more). In this way, it teaches critical literacy about all kinds of texts.

Additionally, numerous student writing examples and professional, published readings–both with annotations–are provided to reinforce the writing lessons in each chapter and to demonstrate how students might successfully implement such strategies in their own texts. Students using Envision will learn how to analyze and compose arguments, design and conduct research projects, and produce persuasive visual and oral presentations.

* 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.

About the book:

• NEW! New and updated annotated articles and student writing show readers exactly how to move from invention to argument, whether they are analyzing a written text, a visual text, or developing a research-based argument.
• REVISED! The refreshed section in Chapter 3 on classical argumentation, Toulmin logic, and Rogerian argument offers students guidance in exploring different strategies of arrangement to construct effective arguments.
• REVISED! In addition to the focus on rhetorical appeals and the canons of rhetoric found in prior editions, the Fifth Edition features expanded coverage of ethos and logos, as well as more detailed examination of persona and rhetorical stance.
• REVISED! Expanded sections on invention in Chapters 3, 4, and 6, complete with additional student samples, encourage students to find modes of prewriting that best suit their learning style, writing habits, and the parameters of their writing tasks.
• REVISED! Student writing in the chapters showcase ways to analyze a variety of types of argument, from written to visual arguments. In addition to guided instruction in the body of each chapter, the “Spotlighted Analysis” feature offers students the opportunity to apply strategies of rhetorical analysis to a diverse range of texts, from traditional written arguments, to political cartoons, advertisements, photographs, posters, websites, and even film trailers.
• REVISED! A refreshed section on search methodologies includes discussion of adapting search methodology to different search engines (i.e., Google vs. academic databases) and how to effectively conduct Boolean searches. 
• In addition, the streamlined discussion of evaluating sources is designed to provide students with a useful process for assessing materials for their own research once they find them.
• Lastly, discussion of Joseph Bizzup’s BEAM approach to research encourages students to move beyond categorizing sources in terms of primary and secondary materials to considering how to use those sources to produce effective research-based arguments.

• Time-honored concepts from classical rhetoric (audience, purpose, appeals, and fallacies) help students understand how to analyze, create arguments, conduct research, and present their ideas. 
• Visual texts (ads, political cartoons, photographs, and more) are used alongside written arguments to model key rhetorical concepts (ethos, pathos, and logos, for example), so students learn to analyze how arguments work in any media or genre.
• Authors who are in the classroom, teaching argument every semester, bring both experience and unique authenticity to this text. A wealth of student papers and projects reflects their first-year composition classrooms.
• A flexible three-part organization lets instructors build a course that works for them. Part I focuses on argument and rhetorical analysis; Part II offers more intensive work in research and source-based writing; and Part III emphasizes design and delivery--together providing a toolkit of practical strategies that can be applied to written, visual, and oral arguments.
• Major writing assignments are linked to specific learning goals and WPA outcomes, including detailed instruction and prompts covering all of the major writing projects typically assigned in second-semester comp courses: rhetorical analysis essays, analyses of rhetorical appeals and fallacies, position papers, argument essays, research proposals, annotated bibliographies, and research argument papers. In addition, Part III offers assignments for research posters, photo-essays, oral presentations with and without visuals, op-ads,

About the book

In the Fifth Edition, students are encouraged to:

• Learn from model writing - New and updated annotated articles and student writing show readers exactly how to move from invention to argument, whether they are analyzing a written text, a visual text, or developing a research-based argument.
• Experiment with different modes of argumentation - The refreshed section in Chapter 3 on classical argumentation, Toulmin logic, and Rogerian argument offers students guidance in exploring different strategies of arrangement to construct effective arguments.
• Explore contemporary issues - New readings and examples have been integrated into Envision, focusing on relevant and timely cultural issues: the BlackLivesMatter movement, the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the “cult” of Apple products, fast food marketing, the influence of online social networks, photo manipulation in teen fashion magazines, women in computer science, the addictive properties of sugar, vegetarianism, and texting and driving. 
• Understand advanced concepts in rhetoric - In addition to the focus on rhetorical appeals and the canons of rhetoric found in prior editions, this new edition features expanded coverage of ethos and logos, as well as more detailed examination of persona and rhetorical stance.
• Focus on the writing process - Expanded sections on invention in Chapters 3, 4, and 6, complete with additional student samples, encourage students to find modes of prewriting that best suit their learning style, writing habits, and the parameters of their writing tasks.
• Develop strategies for analyzing arguments in diverse media - Student writing in the chapters showcases ways to analyse a variety of types of argument, from written to visual arguments. In addition to guided instruction in the body of each chapter, the “Spotlighted Analysis” feature offers students the opportunity to apply strategies of rhetorical analysis to a diverse range of texts, from traditional written arguments, to political cartoons, advertisements, photographs, posters, websites, and even film trailers.
• Engage deeply with the research process - A refreshed section on search methodologies includes discussion of adapting search methodology to different search engines (i.e., Google vs. academic databases) and how to effectively conduct Boolean searches. 
• In addition, the streamlined discussion of evaluating sources is designed to provide students with a useful process for assessing materials for their own research once they find them.
• Lastly, discussion of Joseph Bizzup’s BEAM approach to research encourages students to move beyond categorizing sources in terms of primary and secondary materials to considering how to use those sources to produce effective research-based arguments.