Intersections is a new rhetorical reader designed to help students recognize that the rhetorical patterns of composition go well beyond the English classroom. The text features readings on common academic topics with actual examples of writing that has been done in applied circumstances. This unique combination of readings emphasizes that “individuals will be readers and writers longer than they are students.”

Table of Contents:
Preface. 1. Reading and Writing for College and Beyond. Overview: Writing for Your Life. Understanding the Dynamics of Writing. Using Critical Reading to Increase Your Awareness of Audience Needs. Seeing Critical Reading in Action: An Annotated Example. “The Best Lessons about College that I Never Had.” [annotated reading] Adapting the Subject Matter of a Document to Serve Another Purpose. Mastering the Principles. Writing to Learn. 2. Understanding the Writing Process. Overview: Considering the States that Lead to a Document. Prewriting: Shaping Your Direction. Composing: Giving Your Ideas a Concrete Form. Revising: Turning Something Good into Something Better. Seeing the Process in Practice. Beauford Central College Memo. [annotated reading] Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [reprint of Van Goghs self portrait] 3. Narration. Overview: Narration in the Big Picture. Understanding What Narration Can Do: Talking to the Animals. Choosing an Effective Order of Presentation. Employing Flashbacks and Flashforwards. Selecting an Appropriate Point of View. Employing an Appropriate Mood and Tone. Supplying a Sufficient Number of Examples and Details. Evaluating Narration in a Document: A Checklist. “Ahead of the Curve,” Nathan Cobb. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Narration Gallery. “Dear Mrs. Carlson,” Charles Dawson. “Nickel and Dimed at Wal-Mart,” Barbara Ehrenreich. “The Bed,” Frank McCourt. “Six Flags Great America Disaster,” Carriann D. “I Need to See You,” Betty Littrell. “A Day in the Life,” Jean-Dominique Bauby. Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [photo of street scene with reclining man] Additional Topics for Writing Narration. 4. Description. Overview: Description in the Big Picture. Understanding What Description Can Do: Turning Up the Amplifier. Focusing on Sensory Details. Creating a Developed and Focused Description. Considering Denotation and Annotation. Understanding the Differences between Objective and Subjective Description. Determining an Effective Arrangement. Evaluating Description in a Document: A Checklist. “The Movie of the Year: Lord of the Rings,” Stephanie Zacharek. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Description Gallery. “My House,” Jamaica Kinkaid. “The Nose Knows After All, ” Bernice Kanner. “The Discus Thrower,” Richard Selzer. “A Walk Seriously Interrupted,” Stephen King. “Look Whos Talking,” Deb Magness and Michelle Birkenfeld. “Armenia: Place of a Lifetime,” Atom Egoyan. Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [“Migrant Mother,” Dorothea Lange] Additional Topics for Writing with Description. 5. Example. Overview: Example in the Big Picture. Understanding What Example Can Do: Moving from Words to Picture. Choosing Specific Examples. Using Relevant Examples. Offering Multiple Examples. Including Varied Examples. Providing an Effective Presentation. Enhancing Your Presentation with Visuals. Evaluating Example in a Document: A Checklst. “Horton Heard a Who,” Steven Pinker. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Example Gallery. “Mountain Lions Arent Vermin,” Jane Goodall. “I Fear Snakes, I Hate Computers,” David Sedaris. “Dana Farber Cancer Institute Annual Appeal,” Edward Benz. “Television of Today for a Television Family,” Crystal Martin. “Lesson from Play; Lessons from Life,” Henry Petroski. “How We Protect Your Personal and Financial Privacy,” Fall River Municipal Credit Union. Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [“Generic Man,” Jana Sterbak] Additional Topics for Writing with Example. 6. Process. Overview: Process in the Big Picture. Understanding What Process Can Do: Instruction, Function, and a Little Zen. Providing Clear, Simple, and Logical Steps. Including Illustrative Examples or Analogies. Recognizing Audience Attitudes and Needs. Specifying What to Expect and What to Avoid. Considering the Use of Appropriate Visuals. Choosing an Effective Arrangement. Evaluating Process in a Document: A Checklist. “Irradiation FAQ,” Centers for Disease Control. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Process Gallery. “Please Dont Forward This Column,” Roger Ebert. “Growing a Loyal Customer,” Jill Griffin. “How to Land a Plane,” Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht. “Auditions and Casting,” William Ball. “Using Robotics, Researchers Give Upgrade to Lowly Rats,” Kenneth Chang. Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [Toshiba advertisement] Additional Topics for Writing with Process. 7. Definition. Overview: Definition in the Big Picture. Understanding What Definition Can Do: Why a Dictionary May Not Be Enough. Using Extended Definition to Make Your Meaning Complete, Clear, and Precise. Recognizing and Addressing Audience Needs. Considering Denotation, Connotation, and Eytmology. Defining through Negation. Refining Definition by Consulting Sources. Evaluating Definition in a Document: A Checklist. “Policy on Academic Dishonesty,” San Jose State University. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Definition Gallery. “Homeless,” Anna Quindlen. “Influenza Vaccine: What You Need to Know,” Center for Disease Control. “Dots on the Page,” Susan Messer. “To the Dead: Offerings by the Living,” Yilu Zhao. “Finding Meaning Through Pain: Victor Frankl and Transcendence,” Victor Sousa. “Youve Got to Hand It to Them,” Tony Chamberlain. Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [“Eye,” M.C. Escher] Additional Topics for Writing with Definition. 8. Comparison and Contrast. Overview: Comparison and Contrast in the Big Picture. Understanding What Comparison and Contrast Can Do: Being What Others Are Not. Identifying the Framework for Comparison and Contrast. Establishing a Clear Basis for Comparison and Contrast. Providing a Thorough Examination. Using Analogy to Illustrate and Explain Comparison and Contrast. Creating an Explicit Arrangement. Evaluating Comparison and Contrast in a Document: A Checklist. “MBTI CertificationWhats Right for You?,” Myers-Briggs. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Comparison and Contrast Gallery. “Conversation at Warp Speed,” Deborah Tannen. “Apples Good, But Thats No Reason to Switch,” Hiawatha Bray. “How Should Science Be Viewed?,” Michael Shermer. “English Language Education in Public Schools,” Commonwealth of Massachusetts. “Speaking of Madness,” Kay Redfield Jamison. “Essential Intellectual Traits,” Richard Paul and Linda Elder. Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [“Puppeteer,” Julie Taymor] Additional Topics for Writing with Comparison and Contrast. 9. Cause and Effect. Overview: Cause and Effect in the Big Picture. Understanding What Cause and Effect Can Do: Pondering Blackouts and Babies. Checking for Fallacies in Possible Causal Relationships. Presenting Cause-Effect Relationships in Full Complexity. Determining an Appropriate Cause and Effect Focus. Incorporating Appropriate Qualifying Language. Devising an Effective Arrangement. Evaluating Cause and Effect in a Document: A Checklist. “Still Out there Without ID?,” Road ID, Inc. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Cause and Effect Gallery. “Hitting Pay Dirt,” Annie Dillard. “Why Women Should Quit Smoking,” CVS Pharmacies. “Why We Love Bad News,” Hara Marano. “The Sweet, Fresh Smell of Morning,” Stanley Aronson. “History Suggests Markets Recover,” Charles Schwab & Company. “Passwords,” Sarah Flannery. Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [“9/11,” Joe Raedle] Additional Topics for Writing with Cause and Effect. 10. Division and Classification. Overview: Division and Classification in the Big Picture. Understanding What Division and Classification Can Do: Close(t) Encounters of the Third Kind. Establishing a Logical Rationale. Following a Clear and Consistent Method. Designing Distinct and Complete Segments or Categories. Maintaining a Purposeful Arrangement. Evaluating Division and Classification in a Document: A Cecklist. “What's in Your Toothpaste,” David Bodanis. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Division and Classification Gallery. “The Ways We Listen to Music,” Aaron Copland. “Why Nothing Is `Wrong’ Anymore,” Meg Greenfield. “Stonewall Center,” The Stonewall Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “Ectoparasites,” Arno Karlen. “Kids in College,” Agents & Brokers of America. “What a Hero Wears,” Matthew Lake. Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See. [photo of Internet Café, Chris Hondros] Additional Topics for Writing with Division and Classification. 11. Argument. Overview: Argument in the Big Picture. Understanding the Organization Strategy that Isn't. Recognizing the Challenges of Argument. Considering Three Different Types of Argument. Developing an Effective Persuasive Document. Seeing the Principles in Practice: The Anatomy of an Argument. “Oxfam America Appeal,” Oxfam. [annotated reading] Evaluating Argument in a Document: A Checklist. “Rhode Island Needs a Stronger Higher Education System,” Jack R. Warner and Sarah Dowling. [annotated reading] Reading and Understanding: The Argument Gallery. “Prison Cells Open as School Doors Close,” Duane Shillinger. “The Ashcroft Raid,” David Cole. “Dignity: Allowed and Assisted,” Amy Silva. “Review: Middlesex,” Brad Zellar. “Debunking Myths about Latinos,” Ruben Navarette. “Dear Friend of Freedom,” Nadine Strossen of The American Civil Liberties Union. “Visually Speaking: Writing in Response to What You See,” from Unnamed Man, William van der Weyde. Additional Topics for Writing Argument. 13. Considering Genre and Format: For College and Beyond. Overview: The Different Shapes that Writing Takes. The Essay. “Liberal Arts Is a Legitimate Major,” Caitlin Dorsey. [annotated essay] The Press Release. “The Dream Team's Childrens Charity,” www.dreamchild.org. [annotated reading] The Letter. “Ledoux Custom Carpentry Services,” Louis Ledoux. [annotated reading] The Summary and Abstract. “The Pathology of Imprisonment,” Philip G. Zimbardo. [annotated reading] The Memo. “Flex-time Scheduling,” Lauren Shales. [annotated reading] The Formal E-Mail. “A Moveable Feast,” Jessica Midura. [annotated reading] The Proposal. “Proposal to Return the Closing Time of the Campus Escort Service to 1 a.m.” [annotated reading] The Analytical Report. “Minute by Minute,” Suzanna Trimble. [annotated paper] The Review. Review of Carlos Santanas Shaban. [annotated reading] Appendix: MLA and APA Documentation. Index.