Rhetoric 1302.082
Summer 2003
University of Texas at Dallas
School of Arts & Humanities
MW 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
JO
4.306
Office: JO 4.118
Office Hours: M-W 12p.m. - 12:45p.m., or by
appointment
Phone: 972-883-2018
<blacklotos@msn.com>
-or-
<syntyx@intergate.com>
UTD Rhetoric Website: http://lingua.utdallas.edu/rhetoric
Contains links to course syllabus, reference and
research resources, LRO, and LinguaMoo
Learning Record Online (LRO): http://lro.cwrl.utexas.edu
Course
Description
This
course focuses on critical thinking by using an integrated approach to writing
that teaches various rhetorical strategies for reading and constructing
arguments, both written and visual. You will learn to read texts critically
according to key components in argumentative discourse (i.e., claims, grounds,
explicit and implicit assumptions, fallacies, etc.) and to recognize the
different purposes of argument (i.e., to inquire, to convince, to persuade, to
negotiate). You will write and revise three papers based on issues and
controversies raised in the various texts read during the semester. The
assignments will give you extensive practice in reading critically and writing
according to the rhetorical conventions of an argumentative essay.
Student
work will be collected in an electronic portfolio called the “Learning
Record Online” (LRO) throughout the semester. Use of online technology
will enhance the level of feedback you receive, as well as give you experience
in the kinds of collaborative work that many organizations use routinely.
Online interaction and argumentative writing will comprise a large part of the
evaluation in the course. Other assignments will include interviews,
observations, and notes, all of which will be entered into your LRO. The LRO
portfolio is your most important argument in the course as it shows the sum
evidence of your learning, including your own observations and analysis of your
learning. You will belong to a “work group” for various
collaborative activities (i.e., discussion of readings, peer critiques), and
you will participate in mid-term and semester-end moderation readings of your
LRO portfolio for feedback from your peers. Because learning to read critically
and write responsively entails mastery of a process, your work will undergo
extensive revisions in response to peer readings and collaboration as well as
conferencing with your instructor.
The
Aims of Argument: A Rhetoric and Reader by Timothy Crusius and Carolyn Channell, fourth edition (not the
“brief” edition), 2002.
The
New Century Handbook by Christine
Hult and Thomas Huckin, brief edition, 2001.
(This is IMPORTANT!!!!!) ***Also BRING A FLOPPY DISK (PC-formatted if you
use a PC, Mac-formatted if you use a Mac). *** The Rhetoric classroom uses Macintosh computers that can read
either format. Most documents will be produced in Microsoft Word. Whether you
use MS Word outside of the classroom or not, it is best to save your files as rich
text format (RTF) to insure
compatibility between the word processing program you use and the one in your
classroom.
Because
participation is vital to successful completion of Rhetoric 1302, you should
attend every class. If you must be absent, check with your classmates or with
me for any work you missed that can be made up. Much of the work is done
collaboratively in class. Alternative assignments are generally not given, nor
can the instructor “re-teach” missed classes for individual
students. If you miss more than three classes, your grade will be negatively
affected and/or you may be encouraged to drop the class. Two tardies will count as one absence. Chronic
tardiness is unacceptable, as are coming to class unprepared, doing work that
is not for this course during class, sleeping in class, or using the computers
or other personal electronic devices for personal messaging, research, or
entertainment. Please turn off cellular/mobile phones, pagers, and other
personal electronic devices during class.
Please
note my regular office hours above. You also can arrange to see me at other
times that are mutually convenient. Office hours belong to you just as much as
our class time. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of my availability and
the help I am ready to offer. If you need to contact me outside of classtime or
office hours, it is best to communicate with me by email ( phxsray@aol.com )
rather than the office phone.
This
class offers you an approach to learning that may be different from your past
experiences. Because the course is concerned with your development as a
critical reader and writer, the grading strategy will track and monitor that
development. Your work will be collected in an electronic portfolio called the
Learning Record Online (LRO). Your assignments will not receive individual
grades, but will receive individual attention from me and your classmates. Your
mid-term and final grades will be based on your portfolio of written
observations and your work samples, including collaborative work and your three
major essays, as well as completion of each component of your LRO. In the final
step to completing your LRO, you will argue for your grade by summarizing your learning and estimating the
grade that the evidence of your learning supports. In other words, you will
directly apply what you learn in this course, argumentative writing, by arguing
for your own grade. However, each component of the LRO is vital to a quality
body of work: your attendance, participation, promptness, level of writing.
effective arguments, creativity, collaboration, sound rhetorical skills,
competent use of technology—all of these things and more contribute to an
outstanding portfolio.
Your
goal is to demonstrate your development toward mastery of five course strands
(rhetoric, research, technology, collaboration, and critical thinking) and
development across five dimensions of learning (confidence and independence,
skills and strategies, knowledge and understanding, use of prior and emerging
experience, and reflectiveness). These goals will be discussed throughout the
course. Keep in mind that although we do give + and – grades at UTD, the
general criteria for grading your Learning Record is still based on the A-F
scale.
Grades,
then, will reflect the following accomplishments:
A Represents
outstanding participation in all course activities; all assigned work
completed, with very high quality in all work produced for the course. Evidence
of significant development across the five dimensions of learning and five
course strands.
B Represents
excellent participation in all course activities; all assigned work completed,
with consistently high quality in course work. Evidence of marked development
across the five dimensions of learning and five course strands.
C Represents
good participation in all course activities; all assigned work completed, with
generally good quality overall in course work. Evidence of some development
across the five dimensions of learning and five course strands.
D Represents
uneven participation in course activities; some gaps in assigned work
completed, with inconsistent quality in course work. Evidence of development
across the five dimensions of learning and five course strands is partial or
unclear.
F Represents
minimal participation in course activities; serious gaps in assigned work
completed, or very low quality in course work. Evidence of development is not
available.
Plagiarism
is the representation of another person’s work as your own, whether you
mean to or not. For example, copying or paraphrasing passages from another
writer’s work without acknowledging that you’ve done so is
plagiarism. Allowing another writer to write any part of your essay is
plagiarism. Copying or purchasing a paper from any source is plagiarism.
Plagiarism
is a serious offense. The possible consequences range from failing the assignment
to failing the course, or worse. Each incident of plagiarism at UTD must be
reported to the administration. If you are not sure how to properly cite a
quoted or paraphrased source, or if you need help with the format of a
citation, check with the New Century Handbook and/or with your teacher.
Although you can (and, in fact, should) seek help and advice from friends,
classmates, tutors, and others, be sure that your written work is your own.
See
the Undergraduate Catalog for information about the consequences of Scholastic
Dishonesty, or view the policy here (which is also a link on the Rhetoric
Program website):
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html.
First
Essay: An essay to convince or
persuade on the topic of race and class. Using the assigned readings in Aims and your own research, make an argument using
multiple reasons supported by evidence to convince your audience to accept your
argument or to persuade your audience to perform a specific action based on the
principles of your argument.
First
draft due: June 6
Final
draft due: June 13
Second
Essay: An integrated textual and
visual essay that examines and analyzes the argument of a visual image in terms
of its rhetorical elements: composition, presentation, intended audience, and
effect. This essay will be created and archived in Lingua MOO. Your image may
come from the visuals in Aims,
other publications, Internet, or other media.
First
draft due: June 18
Final
draft due: June 27
Third
Essay: An essay to resolve a
conflict by addressing the needs of opposing sides. Using readings from Chapter
10 “Casebook on 9/11” in Aims and your own research, make an argument that mediates and offers a
possibility for consensus that can move the opposing views to new ground.
Brief
for essay due: June 30
First
draft due: July 7
Second
draft due: July 14
Final
draft due: July 18
Learning Record Online: This is an online resource for
managing and documenting the work and learning you do in this class. Various
assignments will be due throughout the semester, and all observations, drafts,
and essays must be included in the LRO on the date due.
Parts
A.1 and A.2 are due: June 9
Parts
B.1 and C.1 are due: June 23
Parts
B.2 and C.2 are due: July 21
Remember:
all drafts and final drafts must be recorded online in your LRO and turned in
to me in hard copy (using MLA format and citation and including a Works Cited
page) on the dates they are due.
Syllabus
Itinerary (subject to change)
[Assignments
are due by the next class period unless noted otherwise]
Mon 6/2 In-class: Intro to course and Rhetoric program
website
Assignments: Read Aims Chs 1-2; Send e-mail to instructor by Wednesday 6/4
In-class: Intro to LRO and keeping a notebook; Discussion of Aims Chs 1-2
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO; Read Ch 3 in Aims; Familiarize yourself with The New Century Handbook; Complete LRO parts A.1 and A.2 by 6/9
In-class: Discussion of Ch 3 on Toulmin method and New Century Handbook and its resources
Assignments: Do Toulmin analysis of Amber Young’s
“Capital Punishment” (p 63);
Groups
workshop on Toulmin diagrams of Young’s essay
Assignments: Record an observation on this exercise in your LRO;
Read Aims Ch 6 and Introduction
to Ch 16, “Race and Class: Examining Social Inequality”, Bruce
Robert’s photograph, and Ryszard Kapuscinski’s “Second
Thoughts about America’s Racial Paradise” (Aims 840-849)
Wed 6/4 In-class: Discussion of Aims Ch 6, Robert’s photograph, and Kapuscinski
essay.
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO; Read Michael
Lind’s “The Beige and the Black” and Abigail and Stephan
Thernstrom’s “Black Progress: How Far We’ve Come-And How Far
We Have to Go” (Aims
850-62)
In-class:
Groups workshop on Questions for Discussion following Lind and Thernstrom
essays
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO; Read Ramey
photograph, Darling-Hammond’s “Unequal Opportunity: Race and
Education,” and Shelby Steele’s “The Recoloring of Campus
Life” (Aims 863-883)
Discussion
of Ramey photograph, Darling-Hammond, and Steele essays.
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO; Read Aims Ch 7 on Arguing to Convince
FIRST
DRAFT OF ESSAY #1 DUE BY 6/6
___________________________________________________________________________
Mon 6/9 In-class: Discussion of Aims Ch 7
Assignments: Read Aims Ch 8 on Arguing to Persuade, especially a
close reading of Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham
Jail”
Discussion
of Aims Ch 8 and King’s
“Letter”
Read
Aims Ch 5 on Writing Research-based Arguments; Decide on your essay topic and
create a working rhetorical prospectus in your Notebook (see Aims p 21) and paste into your LRO as work sample by 6/11
In-class:
Wrap-up discussion of Ch 8 and 16; Discussion of specific forms of appeal,
constructing your audience, and creating briefs
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO; Create a brief
for your essay to convince/persuade (see Aims p 220-242) and bring to class on 6/11
Record
an observation in your LRO; Read New Century Handbook on MLA format and how to cite and create a works
cited page; read student samples of LRO Parts B.1 (Analysis) and C.1
(Evaluation) in LRO;
Paired
discussions of briefs; Class discussion of LRO parts B.1 and C.1; Grammar,
format, and mechanics discussion (bring New Century Handbook)
LRO parts A.1 and A.2 DUE
Wed 6/11 In-class: Peer reviews.
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO
Teacher
conference and in-class writing.
Teacher
conference and writing on essay #1 revisions
Assignments: Read pp 69-86 of Ch 4 in Aims “Reading and Writing about Visual
Arguments”
Final
draft of Essay #1 due 6/13;
In-class: Discussion of Aims Ch 4 pp 69-86
Assignments: Complete reading Ch 4 in Aims, pp 86-105; Do Following Through #2 in Aims, p 79 and enter your notes as a work sample in LRO,
plus be prepared to discuss your cartoon with the class; Record an observation
in your LRO
Discuss
your editorial cartoon and explain its argumentative tactics
Assignments: Research on image to use for Visual Rhetoric Essay
#2; Look over photos in Aims, and
be prepared to discuss photos as persuasion using emotional appeal (review Aims pp 252, 276-278)
___________________________________________________________________________
Mon 6/16 In-class:
Discuss photos in 9/11 Casebook; discuss copyright policies on the use of
images
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO; decide on image
for your essay #2 and bring it to class on Mon, 2/17 [BE SURE TO NOTE EXACT
SOURCE OF IMAGE]
Introduction
to Lingua MOO (integrated and interactive visual and textual argument)
Assignments: Set your preferences and describe your character at
Lingua MOO (link to your own photo if you want)
In-class:
MOO workshop on creating rooms and objects to support visual rhetoric analysis
Assignments: Describe your room(s) at Lingua MOO and experiment
with using your room(s) and objects to analyze your chosen image; Record an
Observation in your LRO
Using
Lingua MOO for research and collaboration (create note objects; link to images;
set up recorders in your rooms, etc.); Creating LRO work sample for MOO visual
argument rooms
Assignments: Complete parts B.1 and C.1 of LRO due Mon, 6/23
Wed 6/18 In-class: Parts B.1 and C.1 of LRO due today,
Moderation readings
Assignments: Record an Observation about moderation readings in
your LRO;
In-class:
First draft of Visual argument MOO rooms due
Class
tour of MOO rooms and peer critiques of rooms
Assignments: Work on revisions of MOO rooms based on feedback
recorded during class tour
Assignments:
Record an Observation in your LRO
Assignments: Read Ch 9 “Resolving Conflict: Arguing to
Negotiate and Mediate”
Discussion
of Ch 9 (293-320)
___________________________________________________________________________
Mon 6/23 In-class: Final draft of Visual argument MOO rooms due
(create work sample and link to your MOO rooms in your LRO)
Complete
Follow Through #1 at top of p 319 in Aims by writing a short 1-page response and enter it as a Work Sample in
your LRO by 6/30
In-class:
Discussion of Ch 9 (320-339)
Assignments: Read Part 1 of Aims Ch 10 (pp 345-361, Getting Oriented and Recalling
the Attack)
B.1
and C.1 of LRO DUE
Wed 6/25 In-class:
Discussion of Part I of Aims Ch 10
Assignments: Groups meet at Lingua MOO to record discussion as
you each recall the attack from your own experience of it; create Work Sample
that links to the MOO log by Wednesday, 10/30; Read first half of Part II of Aims Ch 10 (361-393)
Discuss
Aims Ch 10 pp 361-393
Assignments: Read last half of Part II of Aims Ch 10 (393-422)
In-class:
Discussion of Aims Ch 10 pp 448-465
Assignments: Record an Observation in your LRO; Write a brief
for your essay #3 and enter it as a Work Sample in your LRO by Friday, 7/2
___________________________________________________________________________
Mon 6/30 In-class:
Group MOO discussion due in LRO
Discussion
of Aims Ch 10 pp 393-422
Assignments: Record an Observation in your LRO; Read first half
of Part III of Aims Ch 10 (pp
423-448)
Discussion
of Aims Ch 10 pp 423-448)
Read
last half of Aims Part III of Ch
10 (pp 448-465); Choose topic from 9/11 Casebook and create a working
rhetorical prospectus for your mediatory essay #3 in your Notebook
U.S./Iraq
Roleplay in Lingua MOO
Assignments: Create LRO Work Sample that links to the MOO
roleplay log in which you participated; finish Brief for essay #3 due in LRO on
7/2
Brief
for essay #3 DUE
Wed 7/2 In-class: Brief for Essay #3 due in LRO
Review
Ch 9 on Arguing to Mediate or Negotiate; Review Ch 5 on researching arguments
and evaluating sources
Assignments: Work on first draft of essay #3 due Wed 4/7 in
LRO (visual component is allowed,
but not required.)
Writing
in class on first draft of essay #3
Assignments: Continue working on first draft; bring hard copy of
first draft to class on 4/7
Independence Day, Friday, July 4th –
School Holiday
___________________________________________________________________________
Mon 7/7 In-class: First draft of essay #3 due in LRO
Peer
reviews of first draft of essay #3
Assignments: Continue working on essay #3 using peer feedback
Revisions
of first draft of essay #3
Continue
working on essay #3
In
class: Discussion of revision
techniques and elevating style
Bring
New Century Handbook
In-class
writing on essay #3
Assignments: Continue work on essay #3
Wed 7/9 In-class:
Second draft of essay #3 due in LRO
In
class writing.
Assignments: prepare for conference with instructor
In-class:
Conference with instructor
Assignments: Work on revisions of 2nd draft of essay
#3
___________________________________________________________________________
Mon 7/14 In-class:
Conference with instructor
Assignments: Complete 2nd draft of essay #3 in LRO for 7/18
Wed 7/16
In-class: Final draft of essay #3 due in LRO 7/18
Student
evaluations of course
Assignments: Complete LRO parts B.2 and C.2 due Monday 7/21
___________________________________________________________________________
Mon 7/21
LRO parts B.2 and C.2 due today. Moderation readings.
(possible
continuation of moderation readings in lieu of final exam; date tba)
LRO
parts B.2 and C.2 DUE
Wed 7/23 Continuation
of moderated readings. Final class
session.