The Essentials of Writing: Ten Core Concepts (w/ MLA9E Update),
3rd Edition

Chapter 1: Why We Write
Chapter 2: Ten Core Concepts for Effective Writing
Chapter 3: The Ten Core Concepts in Action
Chapter 4: A Student Writer Applies the Ten Core Concepts
Chapter 5: Understanding Analytical Writing
Chapter 6: Understanding Argument
Chapter 7: Reading for Understanding and Engagement
Chapter 8: Composing With Style
Chapter 9: Designing Documents
Chapter 10: Finding Source Material
Chapter 11: Evaluating Sources
Chapter 12: Using Source Material
Chapter 13: Citing Sources Using MLA Style

• Robert P. Yagelski

  Robert P. Yagelski is associate vice provost and director of the Program in Writing and Critical Inquiry and professor of English education in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. He teaches courses in writing, composition theory and pedagogy, critical pedagogy and qualitative research methods in addition to helping prepare secondary school teachers. Considered a leading voice in composition theory, Dr. Yagelski is widely published in the major journals in the field. He is former director of the Capital District Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project, and former director of the SUNY-Albany Writing Center. He earned his Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition from The Ohio State University.

• NEW READINGS HIGHLIGHT ANALYSIS AND ARGUMENT: Updated chapters on "Understanding Analytical Writing" (Ch. 5) and "Understanding Argument" (Ch. 6) introduce students to the key features that define these two important forms of academic writing. These chapters also include new annotated professional readings on timely and engaging subjects. Effective Writing Project assignments provide ideas for students' own compositions.

• EXPANDED COVERAGE PRESENTS CRITICAL READING STRATEGIES FOR BOTH POPULAR AND ACADEMIC TEXTS: New content within Chapter 7 examines critical reading strategies for digesting popular texts, which supplements this book's successful reading strategies for academic texts. Much like the book's powerful, step-by-step approach to composing arguments, new content offers seven distinct steps or strategies for reading sophisticated academic texts. A separate three-step guide leads readers through evaluating popular texts, especially those on controversial subjects.

• REVISIONS GUIDE STUDENTS IN FINDING AND EFFECTIVELY USING SOURCES: Updates throughout this edition provide today's most up-to-date direction for locating, evaluating and incorporating relevant and reliable source materials into research projects. Revised discussions help students navigate the rapidly changing nature of digital technologies. Students learn how digital resources can improve availability of source material as well as complicate the process of locating and evaluating that material.

• This edition features enhanced MindTap® annotations that identify opportunities for integrating digital resources into your class.

• UNIQUE FOCUS ON TEN CORE CONCEPTS PRESENTS FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING WRITING: This brief writing guide is built around the ten most important moves and habits of effective writers. These core concepts function as a set of principles and processes that students can apply to any writing project. They provide a practical, step-by-step guide for negotiating the demands of today's college writing assignments.

• VISUAL, INTERACTIVE GUIDE (CH. 3) LEADS STUDENTS THROUGH APPLYING CORE CONCEPTS: The proven, interactive resources in Chapter 3 demonstrate how to apply the core concepts to any piece of writing. Probing questions and helpful flow charts in this chapter guide students through critical thinking and making the decisions necessary to create an effective writing project.

• DETAILED CASE STUDY (CH. 4) FOLLOWS A FIRST-YEAR STUDENT WRITER APPLYING THE CONCEPTS: For students who like to see a model in action, this chapter demonstrates Chloe Charles's process of discovery and learning. Students see the evolution of her guiding thesis statement and observe how her rough draft improves through peer and instructor comments into a powerful final draft.

• FUNDAMENTALS OF ACADEMIC WRITING (CH. 7) TEACH HOW TO WORK WITH IDEAS AND INFORMATION: Using proven instruction and memorable examples, this chapter guides students through the key principles of academic inquiry. Students learn how to write like a scholar. They master the principles behind writing well-developed, coherent and cohesive paragraphs as they learn how to summarize, paraphrase, and synthesize ideas. They also study how to frame an argument, introduce a writing project and guide readers by using effective transitions.

• FOUR CHAPTERS (CHS. 9-12) EMPHASIZE HOW TO USE AND DOCUMENT SOURCES: These key chapters provide all of the up-to-date research information students need to find, evaluate, integrate and document sources using the most recent MLA style guidelines. The importance of rhetorical context is emphasized throughout to help students make meaningful source choices that will resonate with their readers.

• CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS THE RHETORICAL USEFULNESS AND PRINCIPLES OF DOCUMENT DESIGN (CH. 7): This chapter discusses three design projects that use different media. Students work with print documents, Prezi presentations and website design. The chapter includes insights and advice about working with important visual elements, such as tables, charts, graphs and images.

• Ten Core Concepts: The ten core concepts represent the ten most important moves and habits of effective writers, and as presented in this writing guide, they function as a set of principles and processes that students can apply to any writing project. The core concepts serve as a framework for understanding writing and as a practical, step-by-step guide for negotiating the demands of academic writing assignments. The text relies on the repetition of the ten core concepts to give students the practice they need to make the concepts part of their repertoire as writers.

• Six-Part Organization: The book is organized into six main parts, including an introduction to the core concepts; guidance in the three main categories of writing (analytical, persuasive, and narrative); practical advice about critical reading and research skills; and guidance about document design and writing style as well as the conventions of writing. Throughout, the core concepts serve as a step-by-step guide to negotiating the demands of academic writing tasks.

• Visual, Interactive Guide: Chapter 3 presents a visual, interactive guide that students can use to apply the core concepts to any piece of writing. Students who use the questions and flow charts in this chapter can be assured that they will do the critical thinking and make the decisions necessary for creating an effective writing project.

• Detailed Case Study: Chapter 4 presents a detailed case study of a first-year student writer as she applies the concepts. For students who like to see a model in action, this chapter demonstrates Chloe Charles's process of discovery and learning. Students see the evolution of her guiding thesis statement, draft with peer and instructor comments, and final draft.

• Showcase for Effective Student Writing: This edition features 11 new student essays reflecting every genre included in the book. These student essays, many of which have been recognized for their excellence by their universities, are presented alongside published professional essays to showcase effective student writing on important subjects, including mental health challenges, race relations, disability, gender, and immigration. Students using this textbook now have a wide variety of superb models of effective writing by their peers.

• Emphasis on Analytical Writing: Chapters 5–10 help students become competent in the most common forms of analytical writing in college. Following an introductory chapter on understanding analytical writing, each of the subsequent five chapters explores the purposes and features of a different form of analytical writing. Using the ten core concepts, the chapters guide students through analytical writing projects.

• Emphasis on Argumentative Writing: Chapters 11–14 cover the principles of effective persuasive writing. Students use the ten core concepts to explore the nature and purpose of argument in academic and popular contexts and for different rhetorical purposes.

• Emphasis on Narrative and Informative Writing: Chapters 15–18 help students learn how to write narratives for different rhetorical purposes and to appreciate the uses of narrative in academic contexts. A new chapter on writing literacy narratives gives students insight into this increasingly important genre and careful guidelines for developing their own literacy narratives.

• Document Design: The rhetorical usefulness and the principles of document design are covered in Chapter 27. The chapter also discusses three design projects in different media: print documents, Prezi presentations, and website design. Advice about working with visual elements such as tables, charts, graphs, and images is also included.

• Grammar, Punctuation, and Mechanics: Common problems of grammar and usage are addressed in Chapter 30. The chapter begins with strategies students can use to avoid making errors and then covers five major categories of the conventions of written English.

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

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