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OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS RESOURCE CENTER

Get the whole story!
With access to the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, students enter a world of intelligent, thoughtfully worded discussion centering on the key issues of our time, such as genetic engineering, environmental policy, prejudice, abortion, health care reform, and media violence. This online resource center draws on the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources. The result is a timely, well-stocked online library that allows students to investigate current issues and topics from a number of perspectives.

To take a quick tour of the OVRC, visit http://www.gale.com/OpposingViewpoints/index.htm.

While most core textbook materials must, of course, take a balanced, unbiased view, the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center exposes students to both sides of controversial issues –giving them an opportunity to more deeply explore issues, think critically about the pros and cons of each position, and formulate their own opinions on such topics as: Should parents be held responsible for the crimes of their minor children? Is Affirmative Action a leg up or a hand out? What are the potential benefits—or repercussions—of cloning?

A critical thinking focus
A special Research Guide section on the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center provides students with analysis and critical thinking tools they can use to evaluate facts and arguments and to decide for themselves whether to accept, reject, or suspend judgment about a claim. The Research Guide provides a brief overview of how to use the following critical thinking skills:

  • How to distinguish fact from opinion and bias from reason
  • How to distinguish between primary and secondary sources
  • How to evaluate information sources
  • How to recognize deceptive arguments
  • How to recognize ethnocentrism and stereotypes
  • How to prepare for a debate or discussion using OVRC viewpoints

In addition, the Research Guide offers practical advice for analyzing the articles, including:

  • Reviewing the author's credentials and affiliations
  • Identifying the main ideas and viewpoints
  • Identifying the author's supporting material (including use of statistics, scientific reports, anecdotes, analogies, and experiences)

Finally, the site walks students through Evaluating Content and Analyzing Sources with Facts and Ethical Concerns. In these easy-to-understand sections, students are asked to read short excerpts from two articles that take opposing views, and then are given step-by-step instructions for analyzing them by extracting the facts, analyzing the values that underlie the position each author takes, and identifying the author's main objective.

A built-in guide to research and paper writing
At any time in the process, students can click on Toolbox to get expert help in putting all the information they gather on the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center into an effective report. Tools include:

  • How to Judge Information
  • How to Make a Concept Web
  • How to Choose a Topic
  • How to Write a Topic Sentence
  • How to Make an Outline
  • How to Cite a Source
  • How to Organize a Report
  • How to Build an Argument
  • How to Write a Conclusion
  • How to Write a Thesis Statement
  • How to Create Visual Representations of Data (charts, graphs, etc.)

A wide variety of search features—search by articles with images, primary sources, and more
After entering a keyword search, users can choose to pull up articles based on specific criteria (accessible through tabs at the top of the screen) including Viewpoints, Reference, Statistics, Magazines and Newspapers, Images (photos), and Web sites

Outstanding resources: the backbone of the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
 •     Selections from Greenhaven Press - insightful examination of social issues
The resource center features selections from these titles in the Opposing Viewpoints series: At Issue, Contemporary Issues Companions, Current Controversies, Opposing Viewpoints Digests, Opposing Viewpoints, and Teen Decisions.
•     Reliable periodicals - timely discussion of our most pressing concerns
Seamless integration of secondary sources and full-text articles from more than 30 major newspapers and newsmagazines provides up-to-date coverage of the issues behind today’s headlines. Periodicals include:
America, Commentary, Current Events, Dallas Morning News, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The New American, The New York Times, National Review, Newsweek, Time, U.S. News & World Report, and more
•     Information Plus—for government data and more
The Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center provides exclusive electronic access to selections from the Information Plus reference program. This Gale series presents statistics, government data, laws and legislation, political positions, public policies, and other elements critical to most social issues research assignments.

In all, you will find:

  • more than 2,000 viewpoint articles (from 170 titles)
  • more than 24 complete titles from the Information Plus reference program
  • more than 3,000 statistical tables, charts, and graphs
  • over 1,000 topic overviews
  • more than 700 court-case overviews
  • nearly 800 hand-selected images
  • full-text articles from more than 30 periodicals and newsletters, updated daily.

Easy-to-use search interface and features
Social Issues Research Guide — guides students through research and paper writing
Issue Search — provides an initial list of single-level subject terms
Keyword Search — initiates a broad search
Advanced Search — targets specific content
Tabbed Results — distinguishes document types allowing students to navigate within a range of sources
Links to related Web sites — links to special interest groups’ sites, online collections, and more
Online Student Poll — allows students to cast an opinion on current issues and view poll results
Spotlight On — attaches contemporary news items to specific documents
Topic Overviews — allow students to explore each topic’s many facets and more accurately organize their research

 

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center: FAQ

Q: How do my students and I gain access to the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center?
A: Ask your Thomson representative about packaging access to the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center with any of our titles for a nominal fee. Students will receive a PIN Code that gives them unlimited access to the OVRC for the complete school term.


Q. Can I also package any of the print titles from the Greenhaven Press Opposing Viewpoints series with my Wadsworth or Brooks/Cole text?
A. Yes, approximately 60 titles from Greenhaven Press can be value-packaged with Wadsworth and Brooks/Cole texts. These value packages also include PIN code access to the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Among the titles available are: At Issue: Alcohol Abuse * Opposing Viewpoints: Biomedical Ethics * At Issue: Ethics of Human Cloning * At Issue: Attacks on America 9/1 * and Current Controversies: Hate Crimes. Opposing Viewpoints. For a complete list of titles, see back page.


Q: What issues and topics will my students and I find on the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center?
A. Students can search on such topics as * abortion * administration of criminal justice * adolescence * AIDS * American Culture * animal rights * bioethics * birth control * censorship * capital punishment * child abuse * crime * cultural conflict * death * eating disorders * ecology * education * employment * endangered species * environmental protection * ethnic relations * euthanasia * family * gambling * gangs * genetic engineering * gun control * health care reform * health insurance * homosexuality * human reproduction * juvenile delinquency * media violence * medical care * mental disorders * medical ethics * mental health * natural resources * pollution * poverty * public assistance * race relations * sex education * sexuality * social values * teenage pregnancy * terrorism * U.S foreign relations * violence * and many more. Searches will pull up in-depth articles that tell both sides of the story.


Q. Can the articles that students locate be saved, printed, or shared?
A. Yes, whenever your students pull up an article, they can save it, print it, or e-mail it to a colleague or friend.


Q: How does the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center differ from InfoTrac College Edition and NewsEdge?
A: All three online services provide a dynamic way for you to bring exciting real-world material into your classroom. You can choose to use all services in the classroom, drawing on the strengths of each.

The Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center is the only one of our online services that offers a strong focus on critical thinking, point-counterpoint arguments, as well as access to a guide to research and paper-writing all in one seamless interface. In addition to access to articles from the Opposing Viewpoints series (At Issue, Contemporary Issues Companions, Current Controversies, Opposing Viewpoints Digests, Opposing Viewpoints, and Teen Decisions), this site provides 24/7 access to full-text articles from more than 30 major newspapers and newsmagazines (including The New York Times, Newsweek, and The Nation), as well as access to the Information Plus reference program. Students are exposed to both sides of controversial issues that are currently hotly debated in our society. The Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center is an ideal way to foster critical thinking skills in your students and get them more deeply involved in the thought-provoking issues of your course.

InfoTrac College Edition is a fully searchable database that offers 20 years’ worth of full-text articles from almost 4,000 diverse sources, such as academic journals, newsletters, and up-to-the-minute periodicals including Time, Newsweek, Science, Forbes, and USA Today. Available 24 hours a day from any computer with Internet access, InfoTrac College Edition is an excellent research tool. Instructors can use it to prepare lectures and outside assignments or to build a reader from the database for their discipline. Students will appreciate the ease of online research, especially when writing papers, preparing class presentations, or researching a key topic.

NewsEdge is a "push" service of daily news, offering near real-time coverage of breaking stories. Articles will appear on the Web site and in WebTutor with no active searching on the part of instructor or student. NewsEdge offers a wide variety of local, national, and international news that may be especially relevant to the course. While NewsEdge articles are archived for 30-90 days for easy access, NewsEdge is not designed as a research tool – but rather as an opportunity for instructors to bring the latest developments in their fields into the classroom daily. Instructors can customize the NewsEdge feed to receive the range of articles they prefer.

BEYOND THE OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS RESOURCE CENTER . . .
SELECTED TITLES FROM GREENHAVEN PRESS AVAILABLE TO PACKAGE WITH YOUR WADSWORTH OR BROOKS/COLE TEXT.

Package any of the titles below with your Wadsworth or Brooks/Cole textbook—includes access to the online Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center!

Whether you are teaching a course in the social sciences, humanities, or the sciences, you will find titles below that will enhance your course and your students' critical thinking skills. From environmental issues to bioethics, terrorism, and social issues to the unique At Issue in History series, outstanding titles from Greenhaven are available to complement your textbook. Ask your Thomson representative for the special ISBN that will allow you to package your textbook with any of the titles below (along with access to the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center).

From the At Issue Series

At Issue: Attacks on America 9/11, ISBN: 0737712937 © 2002 available now.
At Issue: Bulimia, ISBN: 0737711639 © 2003 available now.
At Issue: Alcohol Abuse, ISBN: 0737711590, © 2003, available now.
At issue: Marijuana, ISBN: 0737715723, © 2003 available now.
At Issue: Cloning, ISBN: 0737713399, © 2003 available now.
At Issue: Creationism vs. Evolution, ISBN: 0737707941, © 2002, available now.
At Issue: Genetically Engineered Food, ISBN: 0737717874, © 2003, available now.
At Issue: Is the Death Penalty Fair? ISBN: 0737711655, © 2003, available now.
At Issue: Is Global Warming a Threat? ISBN: 073771333X, © 2003, available now.
At Issue: Islamic Fundamentalism, ISBN: 0737713313, © 2003, available now.
At Issue: Limits on Free Speech, ISBN: 0737714301, © 2003, available now.
At Issue: Performance Enhancing Drugs, 0737711698, © 2003, available now.

From the At Issue in History Series

At Issue in History: Battle of Gettysburg, ISBN: 0737708166, © 2002, available now.
At Issue in History: Bill of Rights, ISBN: 0737714263, © 2003, available now.
At Issue in History: Conquest of the New World, ISBN: 0737712732, © 2002, available now.
At Issue in History: Declaration of Independence, ISBN: 0737715766, © 2003, available now.
At Issue in History: Discovery of the AIDs Virus, ISBN: 0737713534, © 2003, available now.
At Issue in History: Outbreak of Civil War, ISBN: 0737713453, © 2003, available March, 2003
At Issue in History: Reconstruction, ISBN: 0737713577, © 2003, available now.
At Issue in History: Salem Witch Trials, ISBN: 0737708220, © 2003, available now.

From the Current Controversies Series

Current Controversies: Civil Liberties, ISBN: 0737714654, © 2003, available now.
Current Controversies: Drug Abuse, ISBN: 0737708522, © 2002, available now.
Current Controversies: Hate Crimes, ISBN: 0737704535, © 2001, available now.
Current Controversies: Middle East, ISBN: 0737715847, © 2003, available now.
Current Controversies: Sexually Transmitted Diseases, ISBN: 0737706864, © 2001, available now.
Current Controversies: Smoking, ISBN: 0737708565, © 2002, available now.
Current Controversies: Terrorist Attacks, ISBN: 0737713259, © 2003, available now.

From the Opposing Viewpoints Series

Opposing Viewpoints: AIDS, ISBN: 0737711353, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints in American History, Volume I, ISBN: 1565103475, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints in American History, Volume II, ISBN: 1565103491, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Animal Experimentation, ISBN: 0737709022, © 2002, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Adoption, ISBN: 0737707895, © 2002, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Biological Warfare, ISBN: 073771672X, © 2003, available June, 2003
Opposing Viewpoints: Biomedical Ethics, ISBN: 0737712198, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Chemical Dependency, ISBN: 073771221X, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Child Abuse, ISBN: 0737716746, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Constructing a Life Philosophy, ISBN: 0737712635, © 2002, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Criminal Justice, ISBN: 0737716789, © 2003, available May 2003.
Opposing Viewpoints: Death and Dying, ISBN: 0737712236, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Death Penalty, ISBN: 0737707917, © 2002, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Eating Disorders, ISBN: 0737706511, © 2001, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Education, ISBN: 0737701242, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Environment, ISBN: 0737706538, © 2001, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Family, ISBN: 0737712279, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Global Resources, ISBN: 0737716827, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Gun Control, ISBN: 0737707461, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Homosexuality, ISBN: 0737716886, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Information Revolution, ISBN: 0737716940, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Interracial America, ISBN: 0737706570, © 2001, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Male/Female Roles, ISBN: 0737701307, © 2000, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Juvenile Crime, ISBN: 0737707836, © 2002, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Legal System, ISBN: 0737712317, © 2003, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: National Security, ISBN: 0737716969, © 2003, available June 2003.
Opposing Viewpoints: Race Relations, ISBN: 0737705191, © 2001, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Religion in America, ISBN: 1565100026, © 2001, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Third World, ISBN: 0737703539, © 2000, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Violence, ISBN: 0737706597, © 2001, available now.
Opposing Viewpoints: Welfare, ISBN: 0737712457, © 2003, available now.