Literature, Rhetoric, and Poetry Textbooks

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Informed Arguments: A Guide to Writing and Research - Revised Second Edition

Contributors: Pantuso, LeMire, and Anders

Publisher: Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire, and Kathy Anders

License: CC BY-NC-SA

Welcome to composition and rhetoric! While most of you are taking this course because it is required, we hope that all of you will leave with more confidence in your reading, writing, researching, and speaking abilities as these are all elements of freshman composition. Many times, these elements are presented in excellent textbooks written by top scholars. While the collaborators of this particular textbook respect and value those textbooks available from publishers, we have been concerned about students who do not have the resources to purchase textbooks. Therefore, we decided to put together this Open Educational Resource (OER) explicitly for use in freshman composition courses at Texas A&M University. It is important to note that the focus for this text is on thesis-driven argumentation as that is the focus of the first year writing course at Texas A&M University at the time of development. However, other first year writing courses at different colleges and universities include a variety of types of writing such as personal essays, informative articles, and/or creative writing pieces. The collaborators for this project acknowledge each program is unique; therefore, the adaptability of an OER textbook for first year writing allows for academic freedom across campuses.

(2 reviews)

Write or Left

Contributor: Priebe

Publisher: Sybil Priebe

License: CC BY-NC-SA

In this book, we'll go over some of the general principles of writing practices as well as advice and tips on how to write creatively, but mainly, you’ll be introduced to as many genres and categories as possible. We won’t get bogged down in doing the writing process “perfectly” or creating “perfect literature.” The goal is to learn about as many genres as possible, practice writing in those genres, and get feedback.

(6 reviews)

Writing Guide with Handbook

Contributors: Robinson, Jerskey, and Fulwiller

Publisher: OpenStax

License: CC BY

Writing Guide with Handbook aligns to the goals, topics, and objectives of many first-year writing and composition courses. It is organized according to relevant genres, and focuses on the writing process, effective writing practices or strategies—including graphic organizers, writing frames, and word banks to support visual learning—and conventions of usage and style. The text includes an editing and documentation handbook, which provides information on grammar and mechanics, common usage errors, and citation styles.

(8 reviews)

It’s All Greek to Me! Using Authentic Readings to Improve Knowledge of the English Language and Western Culture

Contributor: Davenport

Publisher: The University of Tennessee Libraries

License: CC BY-NC-SA

“It’s All Greek to Me!” has everything—entertaining stories, academic articles in a variety of disciplines, vocabulary crossover in literary and academic readings, connections to local, American, and Western culture, and plenty of chances for critical thinking for advanced students of English as a Second Language (ESL). All readings are authentic with minimal adaptation from a variety of sources.

(2 reviews)

How Arguments Work - A Guide to Writing and Analyzing Texts in College

Contributor: Mills

Publisher: LibreTexts

License: CC BY-NC-SA

How Arguments Work takes students through the techniques they will need to respond to readings and make sophisticated arguments in any college class. This is a practical guide to argumentation with strategies and templates for the kinds of assignments students will commonly encounter. It covers rhetorical concepts in everyday language and explores how arguments can build trust and move readers.

(1 review)

Arguments in Context

Contributor: Robinson

Publisher: Muhlenberg College

License: CC BY-NC

Arguments in Context is a comprehensive introduction to critical thinking that covers all the basics in student-friendly language. Intended for use in a semester-long course, the text features classroom-tested examples and exercises that have been chosen to emphasize the relevance and applicability of the subject to everyday life. Three themes are developed as the text proceeds from argument identification and analysis, to the standards and techniques of evaluation: (i) the importance of asking the right questions, (ii) the influence of biases, cognitive illusions, and other psychological factors, and (iii) the ways that social situations and structures can enhance and impoverish our thinking. On this last point, the text includes sustained discussion of disagreement, cooperative dialogue, testimony, trust, and social media. Overall, the text aims to equip readers with a set of tools for working through important decisions and disagreements, and to help them become more careful and active thinkers.

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(0 reviews)

Writing Fabulous Features

Contributor: Kraft

Publisher: The Ohio State University Pressbooks

License: CC BY-NC

"Writing Fabulous Features" teaches the art and craft of feature writing to help readers learning to write non-fiction with flair.

(4 reviews)

A Christmas Carol

Contributor: Krause

Publisher: Open Oregon Educational Resources

License: CC BY

This version of the classic holiday story has been slightly abridged and lightly adapted for advanced students of English language. The text includes comprehension checks, discussion questions, and collaborative activities.

(5 reviews)

Romeo and Juliet

Contributor: Olson

Publisher: Oregon State University

License: CC BY-NC-SA

This edition of Romeo and Juliet was edited by students for students. We believe that reliably edited versions of the play should be available for free online. But we wanted ours to be easy to get in other ways as well. The editors—Oregon State University students who remember, far better than their professors, what it was like to read the play for the first time—carefully considered every pronoun, punctuation mark, and footnote. Our goal: to make a friendly, confidence-building edition that supported classroom activities at the high school and college level.

(2 reviews)

Howdy or Hello?: Technical and Professional Communications - 2nd Edition

Contributors: McKinney, Pattison, LeMire, Anders, and Hagstrom-Schmidt

Publisher: Texas A&M University

License: CC BY-NC-SA

Technical writing courses introduce you to some of the most important aspects of writing in the worlds of science, technology, and business—in other words, the kind of writing that scientists, nurses, doctors, computer specialists, government officials, engineers, and other professionals do as a part of their regular work. The skills learned in technical writing courses can be useful in other fields as well, including education and social sciences.

(4 reviews)