Rhetoric 1302 – 013 & 016
Fall 2003
University of Texas at Dallas
School of Arts & Humanities
DAYS/TIME: MWF [1-1:50 pm & 2-2:50 pm]
LOCATION:
JO 4.122
Office: JO 4.118
*Office Hours: MW 3-4 pm
Phone: 972-883-2018
*Email: kateloehman@yahoo.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 to four 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.
Penguin
Brief Handbook by Lester Faigley,
brief edition, 2002.
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 ( xx ) 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.
The following grade criteria describe very general indicators that both you and your instructor may take into consideration when assessing your work and progress in the course. Your estimation of your mid-term and final grades should be more detailed and specific and may include a ‘+’ or ‘–‘ if your work tilts above or below the central grade for which you argue. But the final interpretation and assessment of your grade remains the responsibility of your teacher.
A: Represents outstanding participation in all course activities (including attendance and promptness); all assigned work completed on time, with very high quality in all work produced for the course. Evidence of significant and sustained development across the five dimensions of learning and five course strands.
B: Represents excellent participation in all course activities (including attendance and promptness); all assigned work completed on time, with consistently high quality in course work. Evidence of marked and above average development across the five dimensions of learning and five course strands.
C: Represents good (but average) 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.
UTD Grading scale (http://www.utdallas.edu/student/catalog/undergrad02/progress.html#Grading%20Scale)
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.
Final
draft due: September 29
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 may be created and archived in Lingua MOO or the WWW, or
it may be a traditional Word document that simply displays the image(s) in the
body of your essay. Your image may come from the visuals in Aims, other publications, Internet, or other media.
First
draft due: October 15
Final
draft due: October 17
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: November 7
First
draft due: November 12
Second
draft due: November 19
Final
draft due: November 26
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: September 3
Parts
B.1 and C.1 are due: October 13
Parts
B.2 and C.2 are due: December 1
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]
Fri 8/22: In-class: Intro to course and Rhetoric program website
Assignments: Read Aims Chs 1-2; Send email to me by Monday, 8/25
Mon 8/25: 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 Penguin Handbook; Complete LRO parts A.1 and A.2 by 9/3
Wed 8/27 In-class: Discussion of Ch 3 on Toulmin method and Penguin
Handbook and its resources
Assignments: Do Toulmin analysis of Amber Young’s
“Capital Punishment” (p 63);
Fri 8/29: In-class: 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).
Mon 9/1: LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
Wed 9/3: In-class: DUE: LRO parts A.1 and A.2; 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)
Fri 9/5: 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)
Mon 9/8: In-class: Discussion of Ramey photograph, Darling-Hammond,
and Steele essays.
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO; Read Aims Ch 7 on Arguing to Convince
Wed 9/10: 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”
Fri 9/12: In-class: Discussion of Aims Ch 8 and King’s “Letter”
Assignments: 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 9/15
Mon 9/15: 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 9/19
Wed 9/17: Library Tour
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO; Read Penguin
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;
Fri 9/19: In-class: Paired discussions of briefs; Class discussion of
LRO parts B.1 and C.1; Grammar, format, and mechanics discussion (bring Penguin
Handbook)
Assignment: Work on draft of essay #1, due 9/22
Mon 9/22: In-class: First draft of essay #1 due today. Peer reviews.
Assignments: Record an observation in your LRO
Wed 9/24: In-class: Teacher conference and in-class writing.
Assignments: Continue work on essay # 1
Fri 9/26: In-class: Teacher conference and writing on essay #1
revisions
Assignments: Read pp 69-86 of Ch 4 in Aims “Reading and Writing about Visual
Arguments”
Mon 9/29: Final draft of
Essay #1 due; 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
Wed 10/1: In-class: 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,
Casebook on 9/11 (pp 347-353) and be prepared to discuss photos as persuasion
using emotional appeal (review Aims
pp 252, 276-278)
Fri 10/3: 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, 10/6 [If you are linking to the
image elsewhere on the Internet, BE SURE TO NOTE EXACT SOURCE OF IMAGE and
OBTAIN PERMISSION TO LINK TO IT IF IT IS NOT ON A PUBLIC SITE].
Mon 10/6: In-class: 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)
Wed 10/8: 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
Fri 10/10 In-class: 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, 10/13
Mon 10/13: In-class: Parts B.1 and C.1 of LRO due today. Moderation
readings.
Assignments: Record an Observation about moderation readings in
your LRO;
Wed 10/15: 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
Fri 10/17: In-class: Final draft of Visual argument MOO rooms due
(make sure LRO link to MOO rooms is complete and accurate, and create
additional LRO work sample that links to MOO logs of peer critiques);
Assignments: Read Ch 9 “Resolving Conflict: Arguing to
Negotiate and Mediate”
Mon 10/20: In-class: Discussion of Ch 9 (293-320)
Assignments: Record an Observation 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
10/22
Wed 10/22: 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)
Fri 10/24: 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, 10/29; Read first half of Part II of Aims Ch 10 (361-393)
Mon 10/27: In-class: Discuss Aims Ch 10 pp 361-393
Assignments: Read last half of Part II of Aims Ch 10 (393-422)
Wed 10/29: 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)
Fri 10/31: In-class: Discussion of Aims Ch 10 pp 423-448)
Assignments: 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
Mon 11/3: 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, 11/7
Wed 11/5: In-class: 9/11 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
11/7
Fri 11/7: 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 11/12 in
LRO (visual component is allowed,
but not required)
Mon 11/10: In-class: Writing in class on first draft of essay #3
Assignments: Continue working on first draft; bring hard copy of
first draft to class on Wed 11/12
Wed 11/12: 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
Fri 11/14: In-class writing of revisions of first draft of essay #3
Assignments: Continue working on essay #3
Mon 11/17: In-class: Discussion of revision techniques and elevating
style (bring Penguin Handbook);
In-class writing on essay #3
Assignments: Continue work on essay #3
Wed 11/19: In-class: Second draft of essay #3 due in LRO; in class writing.
Assignments: prepare for conference with instructor
Fri 11/21: In-class: Conference with instructor
Assignments: Work on revisions of 2nd draft of essay
#3
Mon 11/24: In-class: Conference with instructor
Assignments: Complete final draft of essay #3 in LRO for 11/26
Wed 11/26: In-class: Final draft of essay #3 due in LRO; student evaluations of course
Assignments: Complete LRO parts B.2 and C.2 due Monday 12/1
Fri 11/28: Thanksgiving
Holiday
Mon 12/1: LRO parts B.2
and C.2 due today. Moderation readings.
(possible
continuation of moderation readings in lieu of final exam; date tba)