Like its best-selling predecessors, the fifth edition ofOur Timesis built entirely aroundverycontemporary selections from a wide variety ofveryrecent periodicals on intriguing topics ofverycurrent interest -- more than ninety percent published since 1996 . With a new profile of the Class of 2000 based on UCLA's national survey of college freshmen, the fifth edition ofOur Timesdoes even more to get students talking about where they stand in relation to their peers as well as to professional writers. And with plenty of selections that can be used as models and an even stronger focus on writing in the unique apparatus,Our Timesshows students how to turn lively discussion about personal and public issues into effective writing.