Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings [Paperback]

Sylvan Barnet (Author), Hugo Bedau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0312459866 | ISBN-13: 978-0312459864 | Edition: Eighth Edition

The unique collaborative effort of a distinguished interdisciplinary team -- a professor of English and a professor of philosophy -- Current Issues and Enduring Questions is a balanced and flexible book that provides the benefit of the authors' dual expertise in effective persuasive writing and rigorous critical thinking. Its comprehensive coverage of classic and contemporary approaches to argument includes Aristotle, Toulmin, and a range of alternative views, making it an extraordinarily versatile text. Readings on contemporary controversies (including the purpose of a college education, immigration, a peacetime draft, and obesity) and classic philosophical questions (such as, "How free is the will of the individual?") are sure to spark student interest and lively discussion and writing. Refined through seven widely adopted previous editions, it has been revised to address current student interests and trends in argument, research, and writing, and has been updated with compelling new topics and readings and more on analyzing visuals and presenting oral arguments. No other text and reader offers such an extensive resource for teaching argument.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Everyone who uses Current Issues is impressed with the breadth and topicality of the readings as well as the excellent selection of the more philosophical and literary works."
-- Diane S. Thompson, Harrisburg Area Community College

"Barnet and Bedau's anthology contributes consciously and intelligently to the understanding of public discourse as an ongoing, serious, productive conversation, to be conducted vigorously but without rancor - a rare kind of discourse in 21st century America."
-- James Cornette, Christopher Newport University

"Current Issues and Enduring Questions offers an array of genres for students to examine as ways in which to present arguments. From poetry to narrative essays, its options are fantastic."

-- Sandra Valerio, Del Mar College

About the Author

Sylvan Barnet, professor of English and former director of writing at Tufts University, is the most prolific and consistently successful college English textbook author of the past 30 years. His several texts on writing and his numerous anthologies for introductory composition and literature courses have remained leaders in their field through many editions.

Hugo Bedau, professor of philosophy at Tufts University, has served as chair of the philosophy department and chair of the university's committee on College Writing. An internationally respected expert on the death penalty, and on moral, legal, and political philosophy, he has written or edited a number of books on these topics. He is the author of Thinking and Writing about Philosophy, Second Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's).

Product Details

• Paperback: 992 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; Eighth Edition edition (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312459866
• ISBN-13: 978-0312459864
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good intro text; watch out for edition number, August 28, 2008

By 

Jenny H (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings (Paperback)

Good intro to the principles of critical thinking. It was a little weird for me to have this book assigned in grad school; I remember it from my daughter's college freshman year.

New editions keep the readings current, but that means you have to pay attention to the edition number if you want (or your prof wants) a particular edition. Many vendors, Amazon and Amazon Marketplace included, don't post it clearly, if at all.

(Previewing my review, I see I mis-clicked and gave it 5 stars. I meant to hit 4, because it's so draggingly introductory at times.)

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, solid textbook for Freshman Composition II, December 20, 2007

By 

Rufel F. Ramos "lizardqueen" (Irving, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings (Paperback)

Teaching college English since 1999, I've used _Current Issues and Enduring Questions_ since the 7th edition. It has always been a good, solid textbook for teaching Freshman Composition II (called ENGL 1302 in Texas) as an issues-based argumentative essays and research paper class. It is flexible enough a text for any teacher to craft his/her class. However, if you're used to teaching ENGL 1302 as a survey to Literature class, this isn't the text for you.

The only problem I have with it is the skimpyness of some of the MLA style instruction, but that's par for the course in Comp II books that have extensive readings.

5.0 out of 5 stars nice text book, October 3, 2010

By 

wuridong (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings (Paperback)

I ordered this book for my Eng 103 class, I found it's a excellent book because there are good example writing in the book, as the chapter going, I knew how to critical thinking before my writing. And writing a paper is not difficult to me anymore.