The Norton Field Guide to Writing with readings and handbook, 5E
Title Page
Copyright
Preface
How to Use This Book
Contents
Thematic Guide to the Readings
Part 1. Academic Literacies
1. Writing in Academic Contexts
What’s expected of academic writing
What’s expected of college writers: The WPA outcomes
2. Reading in Academic Contexts
Taking stock of your reading
Reading strategically
Thinking about what you want to learn
Previewing the text
Adjusting your reading speed to different texts
Looking for organizational cues
Thinking about your initial response
Dealing with difficult texts
Annotating
Coding
Summarizing
Reading critically
Believing and doubting
Thinking about how the text works: what it says, what it does
Identifying patterns
Reading rhetorically
Considering the rhetorical situation
Analyzing the argument
Considering the larger context
Reading visual texts
Reading onscreen
3. Summarizing and Responding: Where Reading Meets Writing
Summarizing
Responding
Writing a summary / response essay
Jacob MacLeod, Guns and Cars Are Different
KEY FEATURES
Clearly identified author and title / Concise summary / Explicit response / Support
4. Developing Academic Habits of Mind
Engage
Be curious
Be open to new ideas
Be flexible
Be creative
Persist
Reflect
Take responsibility
Part 2. Rhetorical Situations
5. Purpose
Identifying your purpose
Thinking about purpose
6. Audience
Identifying your audience
Thinking about audience
7. Genre
Choosing the appropriate genre
Dealing with ambiguous assignments
Thinking about genre
8. Stance
Identifying your stance
Thinking about stance
9. Media / Design
Identifying your media and design needs
Thinking about media
Thinking about design
Part 3. Genres
10. Writing a Literacy Narrative
Emily Vallowe, Write or Wrong Identity
Daniel Felsenfeld, Rebel Music
Ana-Jamileh Kassfy, Automotive Literacy
KEY FEATURES
A well-told story / Vivid detail / Clear significance
A GUIDE TO WRITING
Choosing a topic
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Writing out a draft
Considering matters of design
Getting response and revising
Editing and proofreading
Taking stock of your work
11. Analyzing Texts
Hannah Berry, The Fashion Industry: Free to Be an Individual
Danielle Allen, Our Declaration
Roy Peter Clark, Why It Worked: A Rhetorical Analysis of Obama’s Speech on Race
KEY FEATURES
A summary of the text / Attention to the context / A clear interpretation / Support for your conclusions
A GUIDE TO WRITING
Choosing a text to analyze
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Coming up with a thesis
Organizing
Writing out a draft
Considering matters of design
Getting response and revising
Editing and proofreading
Taking stock of your work
12. Reporting Information
Michaela Cullington, Does Texting Affect Writing?
Frankie Schembri, Edible Magic
Jon Marcus, The Reason College Costs More than You Think
KEY FEATURES
A tightly focused topic / Well-researched information / Synthesis of ideas / Various writing strategies / Clear definitions / Appropriate design
A GUIDE TO WRITING
Choosing a topic
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Writing out a draft
Considering matters of design
Getting response and revising
Editing and proofreading
Taking stock of your work
13. Arguing a Position
Joanna MacKay, Organ Sales Will Save Lives
Nicholas Kristof, Our Blind Spot about Guns
Molly Worthen, U Can’t Talk to Ur Professor Like This
KEY FEATURES
A clear and arguable position / Background information / Good reasons / Convincing evidence / Appeals to readers / A trustworthy tone / Consideration of other positions
A GUIDE TO WRITING
Choosing a topic
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Writing out a draft
Considering matters of design
Getting response and revising
Editing and proofreading
Taking stock of your work
14. Abstracts
INFORMATIVE ABSTRACTS
PROPOSAL ABSTRACTS
KEY FEATURES
A summary of basic information / Objective description / Brevity
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
15. Annotated Bibliographies and Reviews of Scholarly Literature
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Michael Benton, Mark Dolan, Rebecca Zisch, Teen Film$
Kelly Green, Researching Hunger and Poverty
KEY FEATURES OF ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
A clear scope / Complete bibliographic information / A concise description of the work / Relevant commentary / Consistent presentation
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
REVIEWS OF SCHOLARLY LITERATURE
Cameron Carroll, Zombie Film Scholarship: A Review of the Literature
KEY FEATURES OF REVIEWS OF SCHOLARLY LITERATURE
Thorough research / Objective summaries of the literature / Critical evaluation / Synthesis / A clear focus
Taking stock of your work
16. Evaluations
William Thorne, Movie Review: The Circle
KEY FEATURES
A concise description of the subject / Clearly defined criteria / A knowledgeable discussion / A balanced and fair assessment / Well-supported reasons
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Choosing something to evaluate
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
17. Literary Analyses
Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
Matthew Miller, Frost’s Broken Roads
KEY FEATURES
An arguable thesis / Careful attention to the language of the text / Attention to patterns or themes / A clear interpretation / MLA style
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
18. Memoirs
Rick Bragg, All Over but the Shoutin'
KEY FEATURES
A good story / Vivid details / Clear significance
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Choosing an event to write about
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
19. Profiles
Ernie Smith, A Brief History of the Modern-Day Straw, the World’s Most Wasteful Commodity
KEY FEATURES
An interesting subject / Background information / An interesting angle / A firsthand account / Engaging details
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Choosing a suitable subject
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
20. Proposals
Michael Granof, Course Requirement: Extortion
KEY FEATURES
A well-defined problem / A recommended solution / A convincing argument for your solution / Possible questions / A call to action / An appropriate tone
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Deciding on a topic
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
TOPIC PROPOSALS
Catherine Thoms, Social Media and Data Privacy
KEY FEATURES
A concise discussion of the subject / A statement of your intended focus / A rationale for the topic / Mention of resources
21. Reflections
Edan Lepucki, Our Mothers as We Never Saw Them
KEY FEATURES
A topic that intrigues you / Some kind of structure / Specific details / A questioning, speculative tone
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Deciding on a topic
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
22. Résumés and Job Letters
Understanding your audiences
Social media and job hunting
RÉSUMÉS
KEY FEATURES
Structure that suits your goals and experience / Succinct / A design that highlights key information
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING RÉSUMÉS
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
APPLICATION AND THANK-YOU LETTERS
KEY FEATURES
A succinct indication of your qualifications / A reasonable and pleasing tone / A conventional, businesslike format
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING JOB LETTERS
Generating ideas and text
Organizing
Taking stock of your work
23. Mixing Genres
Anna Quindlen, Write for Your Life
KEY FEATURES
One primary genre / A clear focus / Careful organization / Clear transitions
Some typical ways of mixing genres
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Considering the rhetorical situation
Generating ideas and text
Multigenre projects
Taking stock of your work
Part 4. Fields
24. Fields of Study
Academic fields and general education
Studying, reading, and writing in academic fields
Thinking about reading and writing in the fields
25. Reading across Fields of Study
Considering the rhetorical situation
Advice for reading across fields of study
Tips for reading in various fields of study
Humanities / Social sciences / Sciences / A note on career-focused fields
26. Writing in Academic Fields of Study
Considering the rhetorical situation
Writing in academic fields of study
Arts and humanities / Science and mathematics / Social sciences / Business / Education / Engineering and technology / Health sciences and nursing
Part 5. Processes
27. Writing as Inquiry
Starting with questions
Keeping a journal
Keeping a blog
28. Collaborating
Some ground rules for face-to-face group work
Online collaboration
Writing conferences
Group writing projects
29. Generating Ideas and Text
Freewriting
Looping
Listing
Clustering or mapping ideas
Cubing
Questioning
Using genre features
Outlining
Letter writing
Keeping a journal
Discovery drafting
30. Drafting
Establishing a schedule with deadlines
Getting comfortable
Starting to write
Dealing with writer’s block
31. Assessing Your Own Writing
Considering the rhetorical situation
Examining the text itself
For focus / Argument / Organization / Clarity Thinking about your process
Thinking about your process
Assessing a body of your work
32. Getting Response and Revising
Giving and getting peer response
Getting effective response
Revising
Rewriting
33. Editing and Proofreading
Editing
Proofreading
34. Compiling a Portfolio
Considering the rhetorical situation
A WRITING PORTFOLIO
What to include
Organizing
Paper portfolios / Electronic portfolios
Assessing your portfolio
A LITERACY PORTFOLIO
What to include
Organizing
Reflecting on your portfolio
Part 6. Strategies
35. Beginning and Ending
Beginning
Ending
Considering the rhetorical situation
36. Guiding Your Reader
Titles
Thesis statements
Topic sentences
Transitions
37. Analyzing Causes and Effects
Determining plausible causes and effects
Arguing for causes or effects
Organizing
Considering the rhetorical situation
38. Arguing
Reasons for arguing
Arguing logically
Claims / Reasons / Evidence
Arguing with a hostile audience
Convincing readers you’re trustworthy
Appealing to readers’ emotions
Checking for fallacies
Considering the rhetorical situation
39. Classifying and Dividing
Classifying
Dividing
Creating clear and distinct categories
Considering the rhetorical situation
40. Comparing and Contrasting
Two ways of comparing and contrasting
The block method / The point-by-point method
Using graphs and images
Using figurative language
Considering the rhetorical situation
41. Defining
Formal definitions
Extended definitions
Stipulative definitions
Considering the rhetorical situation
42. Describing
Detail
Objectivity and subjectivity
Vantage point
Dominant impression
Organizing
Considering the rhetorical situation
43. Dialogue
Why add dialogue?
Integrating dialogue into your writing
Interviews
Considering the rhetorical situation
44. Explaining Processes
Explaining clearly
Explaining how something is done
Explaining how to do something
Explaining visually
Considering the rhetorical situation
45. Narrating
Sequencing
Including pertinent detail
Opening and closing with narratives
Considering the rhetorical situation
46. Taking Essay Exams
Considering the rhetorical situation
Analyzing essay questions
Some guidelines for taking essay exams
Part 7. Doing Research
47. Getting a Start on Research
Establishing a schedule and getting started
Considering the rhetorical situation
Coming up with a topic
Consulting with librarians and doing preliminary research
Coming up with a research question
Drafting a tentative thesis
Creating a rough outline
Keeping a working bibliography
Keeping track of your sources
48. Finding Sources
Kinds of sources
Searching in academic libraries
Searching effectively using keywords
Reference works
Books / searching the library catalog
Ebooks / finding books online
Periodicals / searching indexes and databases
Images, sound, and more
Searching the web
Doing field research
Interviews / Observation / Questionnaires and surveys
49. Evaluating Sources
Considering whether a source might be useful
Reading sources with a critical eye
Comparing sources
A note of caution: false news
50. Synthesizing Ideas
Reading for patterns and connections
Synthesizing ideas using notes
Synthesizing information to support your own ideas
Entering the conversation
51. Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
Taking notes
Deciding whether to quote, paraphrase, or summarize
Quoting
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Introducing source materials using signal phrases
52. Acknowledging Sources, Avoiding Plagiarism
Acknowledging sources
Avoiding plagiarism
53. Documentation
Understanding documentation styles
MLA style
APA style
54. MLA Style
A DIRECTORY TO MLA STYLE
MLA in-text documentation
Notes
MLA list of works cited
Documentation Maps
Article in a print journal
Article in an online magazine
Article accessed through a database
Print book
Work on a website
Formatting a research paper
Sample research paper, MLA style
55. APA Style
A DIRECTORY TO APA STYLE
APA in-text documentation
Notes
APA reference list
Documentation Maps
Print book
Work from a website
Article in a journal with DOI
Article accessed through a database with DOI
Formatting a paper
Sample research paper, APA style
Part 8. Media / Design
56. Choosing Media
Print
Digital
Spoken
Multimedia
Considering the rhetorical situation
57. Designing Text
Considering the rhetorical situation
Some basic principles of design
Consistency / Simplicity / Balance / Color and contrast / Templates
Some elements of design
Font / Layout / Headings / White space
Evaluating a design
58. Using Visuals, Incorporating Sound
Considering the rhetorical situation
Using visuals
Incorporating sound
Adding links
Editing carefully — and ethically
59. Writing Online
Online genres
Email / Texts / Social media / Websites / Blogs / Wikis
Managing online course work
Finding basic course information
Using learning management systems
60. Giving Presentations
Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
Judy Davis, Ours Was a Dad . . .
KEY FEATURES
A clear structure / Signpost language / A suitable tone / Repetition and parallel structure / Slides and other media
Considering the rhetorical situation
A BRIEF GUIDE TO WRITING
Delivering a presentation
Part 9. Readings
61. Literacy Narratives
Matt de la Peña, Sometimes the “Tough Teen” Is Quietly Writing Stories
Tanya Maria Barrientos, Se Habla Español
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
Nicole Miles, Formation of a Caribbean Illustrator
62. Textual Analyses
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History
Diana George, Changing the Face of Poverty
Isabelle Gill, Representation of Disney Princesses in the Media
William Safire, A Spirit Reborn
63. Reports
Jason Hasler, An Ancient Remedy Reexamined
Eleanor J. Bader, Homeless on Campus
Jonathan Kozol, Fremont High School
Alina Tugend, Multitasking Can Make You Lose . . . Um . . . Focus
64. Arguments
Alex Weiss, Should Gamers Be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing?
Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Eva Derzic, In Defense of Writing Letters
Sarah Dzubay, An Outbreak of the Irrational
65. Evaluations
Danah Boyd, Wikipedia as a Site of Knowledge Production
Adrienne Green, The Boldness of Roxane Gay’s Hunger
Natalie Standiford, The Tenacity of Hope
Ashley Foster, Polyvore.com: An Evaluation of How Fashion Is Consumed Online
66. Literary Analyses
Bailey Basinger, Tension, Contradiction, and Ambiguity: Gender Roles in “A Rose for Emily"
Liz Moore, Abuse of an Unnamed Wife: Is She Familiar?
An Album of Literature
William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily
Rita Dove, The First Book
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper
Langston Hughes, Theme for English B
Emily Dickinson, A word is dead
67. Memoirs
David Sedaris, Us and Them
Andre Dubus III, My Father Was a Writer
Malala Yousafzai, Who Is Malala?
Judith Ortiz Cofer, The Myth of the Latin Woman
68. Profiles
James Hamblin, Living Simply in a Dumpster
Ana Pacheco, Street Vendors: Harvest of Dreams
Steven Kurutz, Can a $300 Cooler Unite America?
Tatiana Schlossberg, At This Academy, the Curriculum Is Garbage
69. Proposals
Michael Chabon, Kids’ Stuff
Dennis Baron, Don’t Make English Official — Ban It Instead
Johnna S. Keller, The Politics of Stairs
Andreas Ghabrial, Alana hardy, and Playground Committee, Proposal for Ogden Playground Project
70. Reflections
Dave Barry, Guys vs. Men
Geeta Kothari, If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?
Vann R. Newkirk II, When Picture-Day Combs Don’t Actually Comb
Beth Nguyen, American Stories Are Refugee Stories
71. Texts That Mix Genres
Lynda Barry, Lost and Found
Anu Partanen, Finland’s School Success: What Americans Keep Ignoring
Jeremy Dowsett, What My Bike Has Taught Me about White Privilege
Sneha Saha, The Wedding Carriage
Part 10. Handbook
Sentences
S-1 Elements of a Sentence
S-2 Sentence Fragments
S-3 Comma Splices, Fused Sentences
S-4 Verbs
S-5 Subject-Verb Agreement
S-6 Pronouns
S-7 Parallelism
S-8 Coordination, Subordination
S-9 Shifts
Language
L-1 Appropriate Words
L-2 Precise Words
L-3 Idioms
L-4 Words Often Confused
L-5 Prepositions
L-6 Unnecessary Words
L-7 Adjectives and Adverbs
L-8 Articles
L-9 Words for Building Common Ground
L-10 Englishes
Punctuation / Mechanics
P-1 Commas
P-2 Semicolons
P-3 End Punctuation
P-4 Quotation Marks
P-5 Apostrophes
P-6 Other Punctuation
P-7 Hyphens
P-8 Capitalization
P-9 Italics
P-10 Abbreviations
P-11 Numbers
Acknowledgments
Glossary / Index
Revision Symbols
Directory to MLA Style
Directory to APA Style
Menu of Readings
Handbook Menu
