John Mauk, Ph.D., has a doctorate in rhetoric and writing from Bowling Green State University and a master's degree in language and literature from the University of Toledo. Over a 24-year career, he taught composition at Owens Community College, Northwestern Michigan College and Miami University. He was twice named professor of the year. He now writes in various genres, edits manuscripts for professional writers and teaches in continuing education programs. He also hosts Prose from the Underground, a video series featuring interviews and practical advice for working writers. John Metz began teaching college writing as a graduate student at the University of Toledo in 1983. He then taught at University of Toledo, Umpqua Community College and Kent State University over the next forty years. He focused on helping students learn to invent ideas, make appropriate rhetorical decisions and redefine what writing is or can be. His students sometimes said, “I thought this was supposed to be a writing course.”

• Part I: INVENTION.1. Inventing Ideas.Introduction. Asking Questions. Re-Inventing Education. Reading for Rhetoric. How To Use The Composition Of Everyday Life. Inventing Ideas Assignment.2. Remembering Who You Were.Readings. "Selling Manure," Bonnie Jo Campbell. "How I Lost the Junior Miss Pageant," Cindy Bosley. "The Thrill of Victory . . . The Agony of Parents," Jennifer Schwind-Pawlak [Student essay]. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay.3. Explaining Relationships. Readings. "Americans and the Land," John Steinbeck. "Mugged," Jim Crockett. "Tinder, You, and Me," Kellie Coppola. [Student essay]. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay.4. Observing.Readings. "Living Like Weasels," Annie Dillard. "The Front Porch," Chester McCovey. "Red Raiders Fans," Taylor Perry. [Student essay.] Invention. Point of Contact. Observing a Culture: Writing an Ethnography Essay. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay.5. Analyzing Concepts. Readings. "Why 'Natural' Doesn't Mean Anything Anymore," Michael Pollan. "Black Like I Thought I Was," Erin Aubrey Kaplan. "The Real, The Bad, and The Ugly," Cassie Heidecker [Student essay]. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay.6. Analyzing Texts. Readings. "The Weight of Sanity: A Sample Analysis of Ann Marie Paulin." "The Default Setting: An Analysis of David Foster Wallace," Adrienne Carr. "Politics and Audience: The New York Times' Appeal to Voters in 2016." Alison Block. [Student essay]. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Caution: Four Common Pitfalls. Reflection. Beyond the Essay.7. Analyzing Images. Readings. "Rise of the Image Culture: Re-Imagining the American Dream," Elizabeth Thoman. "An Imperfect Reality," Rebecca Hollingsworth. "Look on My Works: Breaking Bad's Final Season Trailer," Nick Fendinger. [Student essay]. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay.8. Making Arguments. Readings. "The Dog Delusion," April Pedersen. "Cruelty, Civility, and Other Weighty Matters," Ann Marie Paulin. "Hive Talkin': The Buzz Around Town about Bees," Teresa Scollon. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay: The Open Letter. 9. Responding to Arguments. Readings. "Entitlement Education," Daniel Bruno. "'Have It Your Way': Consumerism Invades Education," Simon Benlow. "The Power of Failure: J.K. Rowling's 2008 Harvard Commencement Speech," Liz Winhover. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay: Tattoo Design.10. Evaluating. Readings. "Talibanned," Benjamin Busch. "Important and Flawed," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. "Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before," Jaren Provo. [Student essay.] Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay: Classroom Evaluations.11. Searching for Causes. Readings. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" Nicholas Carr. "Why We Binge-Watch Television," Kevin Fallon. "Why Millennials Are Weak," Quinn Greenwell. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay: Photo Essay.12. Proposing Solutions. Readings. "Hi, I'm a Digital Junkie and I Suffer from Infomania," Manoush Zomorodi. "Your Kids Bored at School? Tell Them to Get Over It," Laura Hanby Hudgens. "Different Jobs," Dana Stewart. Invention. Point of Contact. Analysis. Public Resonance. Thesis. Rhetorical Tools. Revision. Reflection. Beyond the Essay: Comic Strips and Other Media.13. Thinking Radically: Re-