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How Arguments Work (Remix)

This comprehensive composition textbook is designed to guide students through the full process of reading, analyzing, and writing effective arguments in college-level coursework. The book presents rhetorical concepts in clear, accessible language and includes practical strategies, examples, and exercises that reflect common academic writing assignments. It is organized to support students as they move from understanding arguments in texts to creating their own arguments across contexts.

Humanities

Author: Amanda Hirsch
Publisher: Northern Illinois University
Source: LibreTexts
License: CC BY-NC-ND
Language: EN

Read online Download PDF (open licence)

Contents· 184 sections

01: Introduction
1.01: Why Study Argument
1.02: A Closer Look at Fast and Slow Thinking
02: Reflective Learning
2.01: Reflection
2.02: Reflective Learning
03: Critical Thinking
3.01: What is Critical Thinking
3.1.01: What is Critical Thinking
3.1.02: Thinking Fast and Slow
3.1.03: How Confident Are You in Your Reasoning Skills
3.1.04: Thinking in an Informed Way
3.1.05: A Word About Values
3.1.06: What About Assumptions
3.02: Barriers to Critical Thinking
3.2.01: Barriers to Critical Thinking
3.2.02: Social Conditioning
3.2.03: Labeling
3.2.04: Stereotypes
3.2.05: Fallacies
04: Artificial Intelligence and College Writing
4.01: Template Phrases for Reflecting on AI Feedback
4.02: Template Phrases for Critiquing AI Outputs
4.03: Acknowledging and Citing Generative AI in Academic Work
4.04: AI Copies Patterns It Doesnt Think
4.05: Don't Trust AI to Cite Its Sources
4.06: Student Essay Critiquing a New York Times Article on the Dangers of AI
05: Applying Style in Academic Writing
5.01: What Defines Good Style in Academic Writing
5.02: Style in Academic Writing
5.03: Keeping It Concise
5.04: Making Sentences Clear
5.05: Understanding Convoluted Sentences
5.06: Sentence Variety
06: Reading to Figure out the Argument
6.01: Overview- Reading to Write
6.02: Types of Claims to Look out for
6.03: Making Notes on the Writers Claims
6.04: Deciding Which Is the Main Claim
6.05: Findingthe Reasons
6.06: Finding the Counterarguments
6.07: Finding the Responses to the Counterarguments
6.08: Finding the Limits on the Argument
6.09: Common Argument Phrases
07: Writing a Summary of Another Writers Argument
7.01: What Is a Summary
7.02: Introducing the Argument and the Main Claim
7.03: Describing the Reasoning
7.04: Describing How the Author Treats Counterarguments
7.05: Describing How the Author Limits the Claim
7.06: Putting the Summary Together
7.07: Writing a Short Summary of a Long Argument
7.08: Sample Summaries
7.8.01: Sample Summary- Spread Feminism Not Germs
7.8.02: Sample Summary- Typography and Identity
7.09: Comparing and Contrasting Arguments
7.10: A Sample Compare-and-Contrast Essay
7.10.01: Annotated Compare-and-Contrast Essay
7.11: Common Summary Phrases
08: The Writing Process
8.01: An Overview of the Writing Process
8.02: Annotation
8.03: Brainstorming
8.04: Outlining
8.05: Drafting
8.06: Revision
8.07: Giving and Receiving Feedback
09: Essay Organization
9.01: Developing a Thesis Statement
9.02: Topic Sentences
9.03: Showing How a New Idea Fits in (Transitions)
9.04: Referring Back to Make the Connection (Cohesion)
9.05: Developing Paragraphs
9.06: Quoting and Paraphrasing
9.07: Introductions
9.08: Conclusions
10: Assessing the Strength of an Argument (Logos)
10.01: Use a Summary to Launch an Opinion
10.02: Check If the Meaning Is Clear
10.03: Look for Exceptions
10.04: Decide How Strong the Evidence Is
10.05: Check the Argument's Assumptions
10.06: Check How Well the Argument Addresses Counterarguments
10.07: Reflect on an Arguments Strengths
10.08: Come up with an Overall Assessment
10.09: Fallacies List
10.10: Common Assessment Phrases
10.11: Sample Assessment Essays
10.11.01: Sample Assessment- Spread Feminism Not Germs
10.11.02: Sample Assessment- Typography and Identity
11: Responding to an Argument
11.01: The Beauty of Response Writing
11.02: Maybe. We need to know - Call for More Information
11.03: Yes if- Suggest a way to limit the argument
11.04: Yes and- Suggest a way to add to the argument
11.05: Instead I would argue - Suggest a change to the argument
11.06: Common Response Phrases
11.07: Sample Response Essays
11.7.01: Annotated Sample Response Essay- Spread Feminism Not Germs
11.7.02: Annotated Sample Response Essay- Typography and Identity
11.08: Brainstorming Tool for Response Writing
12: How Arguments Appeal to Emotion (Pathos)
12.01: The Place of Emotion in Argument
12.02: Word Choice and Connotation
12.03: Powerful Examples
12.04: Tone
12.05: Varying the Emotions
12.06: Fitting the Emotions to the Audience
12.07: Legitimate and Illegitimate Emotional Appeals
13: How Arguments Establish Trust and Connection (Ethos)
13.01: An Argument Implies a Relationship
13.02: Authority
13.03: Distance and Intimacy
13.04: Shared Sense of Identity
13.05: Respect and Goodwill
13.06: Moral Character
13.07: Combining Different Approaches to Trust and Connection
13.08: Reaching a Hostile Audience (Rogerian Argument)
13.09: Faulty Appeals to Trust
14: The Research Process
14.01: The Ultimate Tool for Thinking and Sharing Our Thoughts
14.02: Whats Different about Academic Research
14.03: Approaching a Research Paper Assignment
14.04: Choosing a Focused Topic
14.05: Find the Conversation That Interests You
14.06: Types of Sources
14.07: Sources that are Both Scholarly and Non-Scholarly
14.08: Getting Familiar with Academic Journal Articles
14.09: Searching Databases of Academic Journal Articles
14.10: Strategies for Each Phase of the Research Process
14.11: Evaluating the Quality and Credibility of Your Research
14.12: Disinformation
14.12.01: Information Disorder Truth and Trust
14.12.02: Web Evaluation Skills- A Bleak Track Record
14.12.03: Information Cynicism
14.12.04: College Students and Cynicism
14.12.05: Information Hygiene and Info-Environmentalism
14.12.06: Conclusion
14.13: Fact-Checking
14.13.01: Why Fact-Checking
14.13.02: The SIFT Method
14.13.03: Using Wikipedia Effectively
14.13.04: Fact-Checking Images and Memes
14.13.05: Conclusion
14.14: Quoting Paraphrasing and Avoiding Plagiarism
14.14.01: How to Summarize- An Overview
14.14.02: How to Quote and Paraphrase- An Overview
14.14.03: When to Quote When to Paraphrase
14.14.04: How to Avoid Plagiarism in the Research Process
14.14.05: Plagiarism and the Internet
14.15: Creating an Annotated Bibliography
14.16: MLA Essay Format
14.17: MLA In-Text Citations
14.18: MLA Works Cited Pages
15: Forming a Research-Based Argument
15.01: Deciding the Purpose of a Research-Based Argument
15.02: Determining Audience
15.2.01: Audience
15.03: Tailoring an Argument to an Audience
15.04: Definition Arguments
15.4.01: Annotated Sample Definition Argument
15.4.02: Sample Definition Outline
15.05: Evaluation Arguments
15.5.01: Sample Evaluation Argument Prompt and Outline
15.5.02: Annotated Sample Evaluation Argument
15.06: Causal Arguments
15.6.01: Annotated Sample Causal Argument
15.07: Proposal Arguments
15.7.01: Annotated Sample Proposal Argument
15.08: Visual Arguments
15.8.01: Photos and Illustrations
15.8.02: Video- Visualizing Data
15.8.03: Visual Elements- Play Use and Design
16: Writing Argument Analysis
16.01: How Argument Analysis Essays are Structured
16.02: Analyzing an Argument's Situation (Kairos or the Rhetorical Situation)
16.03: Generating Ideas for an Argument Analysis Paper
16.04: Reviewing an Argument Analysis Essay
16.05: A Brief Sample Argument Analysis
16.5.01: Annotated Brief Sample Argument Analysis
16.06: A Longer Sample Argument Analysis
16.6.01: Annotated Longer Sample Argument Analysis
16.07: A Sample Visual Argument Analysis
16.7.01: Annotated Sample Visual Argument Analysis