Chapter 13 and 21

Chapter 13

In Faigley and Selzer’s book “Good Reasons”, they suggest ways that writers can build a proposal argument. They support their theory by giving information, using charts, and using examples. The authors want to educate writers in order to write better proposal arguments. The authors address an audience of mainly students and anyone else who is interested in writing.

 

Chapter 21

In Faigley and Selzer’s book “Good Reasons”, they assert the proper method of using APA style citation. They support their claim by supplying elements of APA style and giving examples of reference lists. The authors want to educate writers in order to fully employ the use of APA style citations. The authors address an audience of mainly students and anyone else who is writing and needing to use APA style citations.

Dental Amalgam Toxicity

In their article, “The Dental Amalgam Controversy: A Review”, authors George Feuer and Stephen Injeyan explore both sides of the dental amalgam controversy. The authors use a variety of resources and information such as including information regarding studies that have been done, the components of amalgam, and toxic effects of mercury. Feuer and Injeyan try to put information out there in order to promote awareness of dental amalgam. The authors provide a lot of technical information on dental amalgam in order to appeal to their audience of mostly dental professionals, but also to anyone who is concerned about the dental amalgam controversy.

Feuer, George, and H. Stephen Injeyan. "The Dental Amalgam Controversy: A Review." Journal Of The Canadian Chiropractic Association 40.3 (1996): 169. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.

In the article “Is Dental Amalgam Safe for Humans? The Opinion of the Scientific Committee of the European Commission” (2011), Joachim Mutter asserts that dental amalgam is the main source of the mercury burden in the human body. Mutter identifies the fact that autopsy studies have shown that dental amalgam causes toxic mercury levels in the brain and kidneys of a consistent amount of test subjects. The author examines this information in order to prove that dental amalgam is indeed harmful to the human body. Mutter uses a very scientific, professional tone in order to address health professionals and scientists.

Mutter, Joachim “Is Dental Amalgam Safe for Humans? The Opinion of the Scientific Committee of the European Commission.” Journal of Ocupational Medicine and Toxicology (2011): Google Scholar. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

In Dana G. Colson’s article “A Safe Protocol for Amalgam Removal” (2011), the proper methods of safe amalgam removal. The author uses examples from the practice of dentistry to support the safe protocol methods. Colson does this in order to explain how safe removal of amalgam can be done without any major absorption into the body. The author uses a professional tone in order to appeal to her audience of professional healthcare or scientists.

Colson, Dana G. “A Safe Protocol for Amalgam Removal” Journal of Environmental and Public Health (2011): Google Scholar. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.

In his article “Mercury Amalgams for Dental Restorative Work: Safe or Not?” (2010), Jane M. Anderson asserts that more research needs to be done in order to prove whether or not dental amalgam can have adverse health effects. Anderson examines many different studies and  tests regarding dental amalgam mercury exposure vs. occupational exposure to mercury, along with a significant amount of other information related to mercury toxicity in general. This is done in order to put the scientific information out there for the reader. The author is stirctly attempting to inform his audience of healthcare professionals, which is evident by his use of medical terminology and studies.

Anderson, Jane M. "Mercury Amalgams For Dental Restorative Work: Safe Or Not? (Cover Story)." Journal Of Controversial Medical Claims 17.1 (2010): 1-13. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.

In her article “From Mad Hatters to Dental Amalgams: Heavy Metals: Toxicity and Testing: (2007) Pamela Levin argues that dental amalgam is a health concern and yet it is less likely to have a warning about mercury than eating fish. Mercury toxicity along with different sources of mercury are discussed. Levin presents research on mercury toxicity in order to identify it as causing serious health risks. The author is trying to reach a wide audience in this article, evident by simple examples and terminology.

Levin, Pamela. "From Mad Hatters To Dental Amalgams: Heavy Metals: Toxicity And Testing." MLO: Medical Laboratory Observer 39.12 (2007): 20-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.

Scholarly Article Precis

In their article, “The Dental Amalgam Controversy: A Review”, authors George Feuer and Stephen Injeyan explore both sides of the dental amalgam controversy. The authors use a variety of resources and information such as including information regarding studies that have been done, the components of amalgam, and toxic effects of mercury. Feuer and Injeyan try to put information out there in order to promote awareness of dental amalgam. The authors provide a lot of technical information on dental amalgam in order to appeal to their audience of mostly dental professionals, but also to anyone who is concerned about the dental amalgam controversy.

Feuer, George, and H. Stephen Injeyan. "The Dental Amalgam Controversy: A Review." Journal Of The Canadian Chiropractic Association 40.3 (1996): 169. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.

10 Questions

10 Questions

1.      Why do opinions vary so much about the effects of dental amalgam on overall health?

2.      Is there really anything wrong with dental amalgam?

3.      Is amalgam in fact a better material?

4.      Should we continue using it in modern dentistry?

5.      Where did the claims of the adverse health effects really come from?

6.      Who are the people who claim to have suffered adverse health effects?

7.      What would be the negative implications for the dental field if amalgam was banned?

8.      Would there be any positive implications for the dental field if amalgam was banned?

9.      Would patients be receiving the same quality of care?

10.  Are there any negative health implications in regards to composite filling material?

Good Reasons Rhetorical Precis

Chapter 7

In Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer’s book “Good Reasons”, they claim that when writing about an argument, several different approaches are often needed to achieve the same goal. These authors use a very good example about the ways drunk driving could be prevented, and they also use another less convincing example regarding diversity. The authors are trying to show different approaches to an argument in order to teach students to write in a more complex way. The authors are clearly writing to college students in order to educate and give resources to be better writers.

Chapter 9

In Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer’s book “Good Reasons”, they imply that causal arguments are much more complex than they sometimes seem to be. These authors talked about the three basic forms that arguments can take and the four methods of identifying a cause to support their assertion. The authors gave great information and steps on building a better causal argument in order to teach students to become more complex writers. Faigley and Selzer are clearly writing with a college student’s focus in mind as is obvious by the textbook feel of their work. 

Opinion on Free Information

There are a lot of great things out there in life that are free, and there are also a lot of great things out there that people have no problem paying for. So what should be free and what should have a price? I never had thought about it too much until this point. I pay for music, movies, and cable tv because those are luxuries in life for me. However, it’s nice to know that if one day I can’t afford to pay for cable anymore, there are other sources out there and I could still watch tv for free. I feel like in that particular case it is nothing more than a preference.

So what is different when it comes to information rather than entertainment? For me, I do believe that information should be free. I think that people all around the world from every different lifestyle should have the option to learn and to read scholarly articles whether it’s in order to complete a research assignment or whether it’s just because that person wants to increase their knowledge. Whether or not you can readily access information should not be a choice that you pay for or subscribe to. Information should be readily available and accessible for free.

Scholars are not paid to write articles for various journals so why should the researcher have to pay to read these articles? Although I understand that there are always going to be certain costs in order to publish those journals, I think that they could be financed in some other way, such as how google uses advertising to pay for it’s free service. If some other teqnique was used to supplement the income needed to publish these journals, people from all around could do research more easily and maybe that would make the world a more knowledgeable place. You shouldn’t have to rely on being able to afford to subscribe to these journals, and you shouldn’t have to rely on being a college student to have access. Information and the opportunity to gain knowledge should always be free.

 

Rhetorical Precis on Woodworth Article

Margaret K. Woodworth in her article “The Rhetorical Précis” (1988) asserts that teaching the rhetorical précis technique in composition classes is extremely beneficial to the students for better reading/writing comprehension. The author used a questionnaire as proof that students were having less difficulty understanding what they were reading, students thought it was helpful in writing, and students were using the technique for other classes when a rhetorical précis was not required. Her purpose is to highlight the advantages of using the rhetorical précis technique in order to see it used in all composition courses. Woodworth has used a professional, informational tone to appeal to her audience of teachers.

 

 

“The Rhetorical Précis.” Jstor, 1988. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.