Amazon.com description: Product Description: Engage in relevant national discourse with the dynamic approach to writing presented in THE CIVIL MIND. You'll immerse yourself in some of the predominate conversations taking place in American culture. Combining tried and true writing methods with thematically-arranged, current readings about what is happening in the world right now, this book gets you reading, thinking, talking, and writing in response to a wide variety of national debates. As you evaluate your cultural context in relation to certain issues, you can better understand and participate in that culture, whether your opinions are conservative, liberal, or somewhere in between. You'll be learning elements of writing while exploring elements of the greater American conversation that is continually taking place across the nation.