Nexus presents the traditional rhetorical modes as different ways of thinking about our contemporary world, no matter the medium. It builds on students’ multimedia communication skills by using a mix of readings in contemporary and traditional genres to improve students’ college writing skills.    Nexus starts where students’ interests lie—with engaging essays, interviews, blog conversations, Web sites, and YouTube videos.  These “readings” are presented in a lively, highly visual format that draws on the daily environment in which students are immersed, including electronic and visual sources that are stimulating, energizing, and directly related to topics they are studying. While the format of Nexus is contemporary and stimulating, the content is substantive and pedagogically sound.  Students are asked continually throughout this text to pull ideas from multiple media and respond to them first with critical thinking and writing and then by creating a project through a written, oral, visual, or electronic medium of their own choice.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Reading in Our Multimedia World Rhetorical Modes as Patterns of Thought The Reading Process Prereading Reading Rereading Reading Different Forms of Media Reading Verbal Selections Reading Visuals Selections Responding to the Readings   Chapter 2 Writing in Our Multimedia World The Writing Process Prewriting Brainstorming Freewriting Clustering Deciding on Subject, Purpose, and Audience Writing a Tentative Thesis Statement Writing Developing Body Paragraphs Organizing Your Ideas Writing the Introduction, Conclusion, and Title Sample Student First Draft Rewriting Revising Editing Writing in Different Forms of Media   Chapter 3 Working with Sources Finding Sources Library Sources Evaluating Sources Using Sources in Your Writing Types of Sources Avoiding Plagiarism Using Direct Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries Introducing Your Sources Citing and Documenting Sources MLA Citation Examples Sample Student Research Paper   Chapter 4 Description Introducing Description Discovering How Description Works Reading Description Writing Description Choosing a Subject Generating Details Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Description Essay: “Raging Bulls,” Timothy Lavin Cartoon: “The Ungooglable Man,” Roz Chast Essay: “Plumbing the Depths,” Robert MacFarlane Essay: “Magpies,” Amy Tan Student Essay: “She,” Matthew Brooks Treacy Vignette: “Hey, Look,” Simon Rich Essay: “You Say God Is Dead? There’s an App for That,” Paul Vitello Chapter Writing Assignments   Chapter 5 Narration Introducing Narration Discovering How Narration Works Reading Narration Writing Narration Choosing a Subject Generating Details Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Narration Essay: “Rumspringa: Amish Teens Venture into Modern Vices,” Shachtman Photograph: “Gas Station on Route 66,” Joseph Sohm Essay: “I Will Never Know Why,” Susan Klebold Essay: “We Found Our Son in the Subway,” Peter Mercurio Essay: “After a Fall,” Garrison Keillor Cartoon: “Academia,” David Sipress Essay: “Only Daughter,” Sandra Cisneros Chapter Writing Assignments   Chapter 6 Illustration Introducing Illustration Discovering How Illustration Works Reading Illustration Writing Illustration Choosing a Subject and Audience Generating Illustrations Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Illustration Essay: “Body Piercing,” Raquel Kirsch YouTube Video: “A Vision of Students Today,” Michael Wesch Essay: “When Foster Teens Find a Home,” Anita Hamilton Essay: “When the Car Is the Driver,” Steve Henn Essay: “Women in Science,” Cara Santa Maria Blog: “How Twitter Is Hurting Students Today,” Geneva Reid Essay: “The Multitasking Generation,” Claudia Wallis Chapter Writing Assignments   Chapter 7 Process Analysis Introducing Process Analysis Discovering How Process Analysis Works Reading Process Analysis Writing Process Analysis Choosing a Subject Generating Details Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Process Analysis Essay: “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words,” Paul Roberts Web Site: eHow.com Essay: “Boyfriend Rentals Boom during Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day,” Kaijing Xiao Essay: “How to Read a Painting,” Dustin Wax Essay: “What Makes a Successful Business Person?” Murray Raphael YouTube Video: “The Most Advanced High Speed Robot Used for Video Ever” Essay: “How Target Figured Out a Teen Girl Was Pregnant before Her Father Did,” Kashmir Hill Chapter Writing Assignments   Chapter 8 Division and Classification Introducing Division and Classification Discovering How Division and Classification Work Reading Division and Classification Writing Division and Classification Choosing a Subject Generating Details Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Division and Classification Essay: “No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch,” Ann Hodgman Web Site: “World Clock,” Poodwaddle.com Essay: “The 10 People You’ll Find in Any Gym,” Chris Sparling Essay: “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Mediocre People,” James Altucher Essay: “The Truth about Lying,” Judith Viorst Graph: “The Real Threat to Americans,” St. Pete for Peace Organization Essay: “A Peek into the Future,” David Colker Chapter Writing Assignments   Chapter 9 Comparison and Contrast Introducing Comparison and Contrast Discovering How Comparison and Contrast Work Reading Comparison and Contrast Writing Comparison and Contrast Choosing a Subject Generating Details Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Comparison and Contrast Essay: “Grandma,” Erma Bombeck Cartoon: “Social Networking,” Mike Keefe Essay: “Indecent Exposure,” Carla Power Essay: “The Flight from Conversation,” Sherry Turkle Essay: “Sex, Lies, and Conversation,” Deborah Tannen Advertisement: “Smoking Ads,” Lucky Strike and New York Department of Health Essay: “How the E-Book Will Change the Way We Read and Write,” Steven Johnson Chapter Writing Assignments   Chapter 10 Definition Introducing Definition Discovering How Definition Works Reading Definitions Writing Definitions Choosing a Subject Generating Details Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Definition Essay: “When Is It Rape?” Nancy Gibbs Video: “Augmented Reality (AR): Will It Change Your Life?,” Luke McKinney Essay: “The Millennials,” Pew Research Center Essay: “Spanglish Moves into Mainstream,” Daniel Hernandez Essay: “The Art of the Handshake,” Tom Chiarella Photo Essay: “What Is a Sport?” Kim Flachmann and Michael Flachmann Essay: “You Wanna Take This Online?” Jeff Chu Chapter Writing Assignments   Chapter 11 Cause and Effect Introducing Cause and Effect Remote and Immediate Causes Causal Chains Immediate and Ultimate Effects Discovering How Cause and Effect Works Reading Cause and Effect Writing Cause and Effect Choosing a Subject Generating Details Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Cause and Effect Analysis Essay: “What Evolutionary Psychology Says about Social Networking,” Michael Rogers Cartoon: “Read at Your Own Risk,” Roz Chast Essay: “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples Essay: “Why I Want Women to Lean In,” Sheryl Sandberg Essay: “Does Thinking Make It So?” Erin O’Donnell Interview: “On Reality TV, Less Sleep Means More Drama,” Joel Rose Essay: “Skin Deep: Seeking Self-Esteem through Surgery,” Camille Sweeney Chapter Writing Assignments   Chapter 12 Argument Introducing Argument Logical Appeals Emotional Appeals Ethical Appeals Differing Viewpoints and Common Ground The Appeals at Work Discovering How Argument Works Reading Arguments Writing Arguments Choosing a Subject Generating Details Drafting a Thesis Statement Producing a Draft Revising and Editing Revising Editing Sample Student Essay Reviewing Argument Essay: “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr Photograph: “Watering Little Sprout,” Kristy-Anne Glubish Essay: “Now You Take ‘Bambi’ or ‘Snow White’–That’s Scary!” Stephen King Essay: “Letter From Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963,” Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay: “Why We Shouldn’t Fear Personal Drones,” Chris Anderson Web Site: Center for Immigration Studies Student Essay: “Depression in College Students,” Alissa Steiner Multiple Viewpoints: Sustainability Advertisement: “Beef’s Big 10,” Cattleman’s Beef Board Essay: “America’s Food Crisis,” Bryan Walsh PowerPoints/Videos: “The Future of Food,” Bill Gates Multiple Viewpoints: Privacy Issues in Our Culture Today Blog: “Online Privacy Fears Are Real,” Bob Sullivan Advertisement: “Identity Theft,” Guard Dog Identity Solutions Essay: “Privacy, Facebook, and the Future of the Internet,” Marshall Kirkpatrick Chapter Writing Assignments