Rhetoric 1302 Syllabus &endash; Fall 2001
Instructor: Patricia Barker Email: barker@usa.com Office: JO 4.118 (Any emails posted to me after8:00 pm will not be read until the following day.) Office hours: Thursdays 12:30 pm to 2:30 p.m. and by appointment Rhetoric Website: <http://lingua.utdallas.edu/rhetoric> URL for the Learning Record Online (LRO): <http://lro.cwrl.utexas.edu>
Course Description:
This course is as much about sharpening your critical thinking skills as it is about improving the effectiveness of your writing. As a reader, you will explore contemporary issues that compel our attention. In the process of analyzing others' arguments, you will be encouraged to deepen your own understanding of the issues. As a writer, you will learn classical rhetorical strategies in order to mount more effective arguments and to negotiate/mediate between opposing views on controversial issues. Most important, this class is designed to teach you that critical reading and writing are life skills, not acts of desperation committed the night before a paper is due.
Written and Group Work:
You will be assigned four major projects this semester. Each essay/project will be drafted, edited, and revised in accordance with my comments and the feedback you receive from your classmates. As you learn to critically inquire into the issues raised by the assigned readings, you will be encouraged to enter into discussion of these issues in a variety of ways&emdash;verbally in class, online in Lingua Moo, through email or listservs, and so forth. In addition, you will be participating in group writing activities designed not only for you to practice using the rhetorical conventions of argument, but also to sharpen your editing and revising skills through collaboration with me and with groups of your peers. You will also be required to complete two observations in your LRO each week (approximately the last 10-15 minutes of each class will be allotted for this activity).
Three of your essay/projects will be based on the issues raised by the various texts you will be assigned to read during the course of the semester. Your final project will be the completion of an online learning record (see attached student handout on the LRO).
Required Texts:
1. Timothy W. Crusius and Carolyn E. Channell. The Aims of Argument: A Rhetoric and Reader. (Make sure you buy the third edition.)
2. Christine Hult and Thomas N. Huckin. The New Century Handbook.
3. A formatted disk.
Attendance:
Regular attendance is vitally important to your success in this class. Much of the work is done collaboratively in class, work which cannot be replicated or made up out of class. Accordingly, if you miss more than 3 classes, your final grade will be negatively affected and/or you may be encouraged to drop the class. It is also your responsibility to check with me about any work you may have missed; however, I will not re-teach missed classes. Chronic tardiness will not be tolerated&emdash;2 tardies count as 1 absence. Come to class prepared, on time, and ready to join the conversation.
About Grading:
This class will probably be different from any you have taken before in terms of grading. By this I mean that your written assignments will not be graded individually. The mid-term and final grades you earn in this course will be collectively based on your written observations and your work samples of both the collaborative activities and the three major essays (along with the evidence of the research in which you engaged to produce them), and the completion of your LRO. Thus, to be successful in this course you must complete all assigned work and include it in your LRO. In essence, your final grade will be based on how well your LRO demonstrates your development toward the mastery of the course strands (rhetoric, research, technology, collaboration, and critical thinking) and your development across the five dimensions of learning (confidence and independence, skills and strategies, knowledge and understanding, use of prior and emerging experience, and reflectiveness). Finally, the moderation readings you will engage in prior to midterm and at the end of the semester will help develop your understanding of the evaluation process. (See page 5 of the attached LRO handout for a detailed explanation of analysis, evaluation, and moderation.)
To provide you with a clearer understanding of what grades in this class represent, see the following:
Represents outstanding participation in all course activities; all assigned work
completed, with very high quality in all work produced for the course. Evidence of
A significant development across the five dimensions of learning. The Learning
Record at this level demonstrates activity that goes significantly beyond the
required course work in one or more course strands.
Represents excellent participation in all course activities; all assigned work
B completed, with consistently high quality in course work. Evidence of marked
development across the five dimensions of learning.
Represents good participation in all course activities; all assigned work completed,
C with generally good quality overall in course work. Evidence of some
development across the five dimensions of learning.
Represents uneven participation in course activities; some gaps in assigned work
D completed, with inconsistent quality in course work. Evidence of development
across the five dimensions of learning is partial or unclear.
Represents minimal participation in course activities; serious gaps in assigned
F work completed, or very low quality in course work. Evidence of development is
not available.
I will honor all reasonable grade claims supported by the observations and evidence provided in the Learning Record.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is a serious problem and will be confronted according to UTD policy guidelines. If you are unsure about what plagiarism is, the following is the official UTD Rhetoric Department definition:
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's work as your own, whether you mean to or not. Copying or paraphrasing passages from another writer's work without acknowledging that you have done so is plagiarism. Allowing another writer to write any part of your essay is plagiarism. Copying or purchasing a paper from the Internet is plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a serious offense. If you are not sure how to properly cite a quoted or paraphrased source, or if you need help with the format of citing your sources, check with the New Century Handbook and with your teacher. Although you can (and, in fact, should) seek the help and advice of friends, classmates, and tutors, be sure that your written work is your own.
Major Assignments and Due Dates:
First Essay Assignment: An essay to convince on the topic of the news and ethics. Based upon readings from Aims (Chap. 14) and your own research, make a case using 2-3 reasons supported by evidence to convince your audience to accept your argument. See Justin Spidel's student sample of an essay to convince in Aims (pp 102-106). First draft due Sep. 27. Final essay due Oct. 4.
Second Essay Assignment: An essay to persuade on the topic of race and class. Based upon readings from Aims (Chap. 16) and your own research, make a case (using reasons and supported by evidence) that persuades a specific audience to act on the principles espoused by your argument. See Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (Aims Chap 6). Also see Joey Shanks's student sample of an essay to persuade (Aims 143-145). First draft due Oct. 25. Final essay due Nov. 1.
Third Essay Assignment: An essay to resolve a conflict by addressing the needs of opposing sides of the immigration debate. This essay must be based upon readings from Aims (Chap. 10) and your own research. See Angi Grellhesl's student sample of a mediatory essay (Aims 188-190). First draft due Nov. 20. Final essay due Nov. 29.
Learning Record Online (LRO): 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 on Sep. 6. Parts B.1 and C.1 are due Oct. 2. Parts B.2 and C.2 are due Dec. 4.
All drafts and final essays must be placed in your LRO and handed in to me in hard copy, (double-spaced, 12 pt font, with MLA citation and Works Cited Page) on the dates they are due.
Course Schedule
Week One
Aug. 28: Introduction to class. Assignment: Read Aims Chap. 1 and 2. Send me an email by Thursday,
Aug. 30.
Aug. 30: Introduction to computers and the LRO. Email due today. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Read Aims Chap. 3 and 4. Complete LRO parts A.1 and A.2 by Sep. 6.
Week Two
Sep. 4: Discussion of Anna Quindlen's "Making the Mosaic" (Aims 14). In-class groups workshop on Following Through (FT) exercise (Aims 21-22). Record an observation in your LRO concerning this exercise. Assignment: Reread Amber Young's "Capital Punishment: Society's Self Defense" (Aims 31-35). Be prepared to join in a group workshop in order to analyze its logic using the Toulmin Method on Thursday.
Sep. 6: LRO Parts A.1 and A.2 due today. In-class groups workshop on FT exercise (Aims 31). Record an observation concerning this activity in your LRO. Assignment: Read introduction to Chap. 14, The News and Ethics, and Jack Fuller's "What is News?" (Aims 546-553).
Week Three
Sep. 11: Lingua Moo discussion of Fuller article in light of the recent news coverage of the Gary Condit/Chandra Levy affair. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Read Michael Schudson's "In All Fairness" and Jim Squires's "The Impossibility of Fairness" (Aims 554-566).
Sep. 13: In-class groups workshop. Write a collaborative paper to be included in your LRO that combines the best of Fuller with the best of Squires (see For Inquiry and Mediation, Aims 565-566). Complete an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Mike Twohy cartoon (Aims 567), Bennett's "Escaping the News Prison: How People See Beyond the Walls" (568-573), and Fallows's "Public Journalism: An Attempt to Connect the Media with the Public" (574-584).
Week Four
Sep. 18: Wrap-up of Chap 14. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Review Chap.5 on formulating a thesis, choosing reasons, arranging reasons, using evidence, and introducing and concluding the argument. Read Chap. 9 Researching Arguments. Handout of paraphrasing, citing, and works-cited exercises to be completed by Sep. 25.
Sep. 20: Library Tour. Assignment: Create a brief for your essay to convince and bring it to class on Tuesday, Sep. 25.
Week Five
Sep. 25: Trouble-shooting MLA documentation&emdash;how to cite and create a works cited page and discussion of handouts. Paired discussions of briefs of essay to convince. Record an observation in your LRO concerning this process.
Sep. 27: First Draft of Essay #1 due today. What are Part B.l (Analysis) and Part C.1 (Evaluation) of your LRO? In-class writing. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Complete parts B.1 and C.1 in your LRO.
Week Six
Oct. 2: What are Moderation Readings? In-class writing. Parts B.l and C.1 of your LRO due today.
Oct. 4: Final Essay #1 due today. Moderation Readings. Assignment: Read Chap. 6 (107-134) and do FT exercise pp. 127-128, questions 1-4 for inclusion in your LRO.
Week Seven
Oct. 9: How is a persuasive essay different from an essay to convince? Discussion of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and assigned FT exercise. In-class groups workshop on FT exercise p. 129. Discussion of emotional and stylistic appeals in "Letter." Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Read Introduction to Chap. 16 "Race and Class," Bruce Roberts Photograph, Kapuscinski's "Second Thoughts about America's Racial Paradise," and Lind's "The Beige and the Black" (633-646).
Oct. 11: Discussion of Roberts Photograph in terms of visual argument and rhetorical context. Small-groups workshop on Questions for Discussion pp. 640-641 and 645-646. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Read Thernstrom's "Black Progress…," Ramey Photo, and Darling-Hammond's "Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education" (647-661).
Week Eight
Oct. 16: Lingua-Moo Discussion of Darling-Hammond's and the Thernstroms' opposing views on the need for affirmative action. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Read Steele's "The Recoloring of Campus Life" and Williams's "The Distribution of Distress" (662-684).
Oct. 18: Group workshops on Questions for Discussion, pp. 673 and 682-3. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Read Chap 5 Drafting a Persuasive Essay pp. 134-145. Do FT exercise p. 136 on determining your audience and prepare a brief of Essay #2 to be discussed on Tuesday..
Week Nine
Oct. 23: Discussion of importance of determining a specific audience to persuade and the forms of appeal in a persuasive essay. Peer Reviews of Audience assignment and brief of Essay #2. Record an observation in your LRO. First draft of Essay #2 due Thursday.
Oct. 25: First Draft of Essay #2 due today. Peer Reviews using Reader's Checklist for Revising a Persuasive Essay (Aims 142-143). Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Begin reading Chap. 7.
Week Ten
Oct. 30: In-Class writing. Trouble-shooting citing, paraphrasing, MLA documentation problems. Assignment: Revise Essay #2.
Nov. 1: Final Essay #2 Due Today. Overview of Chap. 7&emdash;How is a mediatory essay different from an essay to convince or persuade? Assignment: Read Chap. 7, especially McConnell's "Living with Roe v. Wade" (149-156), Willis's "Putting Women back into the Abortion Debate" (157-163), and the mediatory essay by Rosenblatt, "How to end the Abortion War" (172-173).
Week Eleven
Nov. 6: Lingua-Moo discussion of the three assigned essays in terms of paraphrasing Rosenblatt's compromise position and whether you think it would bring McConnell and Willis closer to a consensus. Record an observation on this subject in your LRO. Assignment: Read introduction to Chap. 10 Immigration and Kennedy's "Can We Still Afford to be a Nation of Immigrants?" (283-297). Do questions for discussion pp. 297-298.
Nov. 8: Discussion of assignment. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Read Brimelow's "Time to Rethink Immigration" and Chavez's "What to do about Immigration" (319). Analyze, compare and contrast the positions of Kennedy, Brimelow, and Chavez.
Week Twelve
Nov. 13: Class discussion and small groups workshops on the contrasting positions. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Read Mills's "Lifeboat Ethics and Immigration Fears" and Silko's "The Border Patrol State" (320-336). Further compare and contrast Mills's and Silko's positions with those of the previous immigration authors. Decide which authors you wish to include in your mediatory essay.
Nov. 15: Wrap-up of immigration positions. Review of Chap. 7 with respect to the process of negotiation and mediation, understanding opposing positions, and questions of difference. In-class writing. Record an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Work on first draft of Essay #3.
Week Thirteen
Nov. 20: First Draft of Essay #3 due today. Peer Reviews. Complete an observation in your LRO.
Nov. 22: Thanksgiving Holiday.
Week Fourteen
Nov. 27: In-class writing. Complete an observation in your LRO. Assignment: Revise Essay #3.
Nov. 29: Final Essay #3 due today. What are Part B.2 (Analysis) and Part C.2 (Evaluation) of your LRO? In-class writing.
Week Fifteen
Dec. 4: Analysis and Evaluation cont'd. Assignment: Complete parts B.2 and C.2 in your LRO.
Dec. 6: Moderation Readings.