Written for today's diverse student body, Phillips/Bostian's THE PURPOSEFUL ARGUMENT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE, 3rd Edition, brings argument into real life with community-based writing activities and MindTap's wealth of online resources. Extremely accessible, it explains how argument can become an essential negotiating skill in everyday life and equips students to argue in response to issues in a variety of environments -- school, workplace, family, neighborhood, concerned citizen. With thorough treatments of Toulmin-based and Rogerian approaches, it teaches the value of understanding the opposition, the importance of aiming for the middle ground and how to use a microhistory to forge an unconventional position. Vivid explanations, detailed examples and practical exercises guide learners step by step through the process of building an effective argument, and a rich anthology of arguments covers current issues.