ENGL 354: Modern Rhetorical Theory, Fall 2016

Course Information

Course

  • Number: ENGL 354
  • Title: Modern Rhetorical Theory
  • Term: Fall 2016

Course Description

This course introduces students to rhetoric in the 20th century. Specifically, we will be exploring two themes that inform the understanding of rhetoric during this period: the discovery of the unconscious and the belief that society is a system for exchanging messages. The unconscious describes a society dominated by primal impulses and subject to violent, erratic behavior. Systems thinking marks society as rational and manageable. The competition between these two ideas structures many of the conversations surrounding persuasion in the 20th century, a century marked by the sudden and pronounced return of the study of rhetoric and persuasion.

Asking Good Discussion Questions

This is a list of tips for formulating good discussion questions as part of your rhetorical term presentation.

I have sourced this list from “We Aren’t Here to Learn What We Already Know” by Kyla Wazana Tompkins.

  • Make your discussion question simple, straightforward and jargon-free.
  • Proofread your questions so that you catch grammar and spelling mistakes.
  • Make your questions open-ended, i.e. not answerable with fact or by direct and immediate reference to the text.
  • Make sure your question doesn’t rely on information the rest of the class doesn’t have, OR give the class enough information and background to be able to engage the question. Make sure the question is answerable to start with, i.e., is not vague and does not rely on facts or assumptions not addressable within the confines of our class conversation.
  • Make reference to the text with quotes or page numbers: direct the class to look at a relevant passage, read it together out loud, and drill down into the writing and sentence structure itself to get at the problem you are looking at.
  • A good discussion question reframes some of the problems of the text and then tries to get at internal logical problems and paradoxes or to think through the consequences, implications and applications of the theory.
  • As such, questions about “experience” or “responses” or “feelings” tend not to be helpful questions – try to step back from personal responses and instead focus on the intellectual shape of the ideas and argument.
  • Often we are tempted to ask the “what about” question: e.g., what about the people who are excluded from this theory? Although not an unreasonable question, asked in this manner this is not really a sophisticated question because it doesn’t open up conversation. The only answer to “what about” is: they aren’t there. More productive is to ask: how do the exclusions at the heart of this work facilitate certain conclusions, problems or paradigms, what are these paradigms and what happens when we consider this theory in a broader context? What would this theory look like if re-written from a different point in history, different assumptions about political economy, etc.?
  • t’s not the worst idea to make sure you have some thoughts about how to answer your questions before sending them on to your colleagues. However, sometimes you are just really stumped and need to work through this question with your classmates. That’s okay too.
  • Which brings me to: it is often smart and productive to write a preamble to a question. That preamble might be a short intellectual history of your questions, it might contextualize the text you are working with, it might scaffold the question you want to ask by referring to other texts or many points in the same text. Don’t make this preamble so long that no-one can excavate the original question, however. Also….
  • If you can answer your question while you are writing it, you probably need to just state your point of view and move on to another, related, question.
  • Sometimes you are stuck with an instinct, a hunch, a nagging feeling and a half-formed question and you simply can’t move forward without thinking about it out loud. Bring those seemingly half-formed thoughts to the class: we will figure the direction or shape of your question together.
  • Finally: when you don’t get it, you don’t get it. Ask for help from the professor or your classmates, and feel free and supported in bringing your “I Don’t Get It” questions to class. We will all profit from these acts of intellectual humility and generosity.

Assignments

Assignment Values

Assignment Due Date Value
Rhetorical Term Presentation Continuous 20%
Paper Proposal 2016-10-28 20%
Annotated Bibliography 2016-11-28 20%
Final Paper 2016-12-12 30%
Attendance Continuous 10%

Assignment Descriptions

Rhetorical Term Presentation

Once during the semester, you will be required to deliver a presentation on a key term in rhetorical theory. The list of terms can be viewed here. During this presentation, you will:

  • Define the term
  • Discuss it’s history
  • Provide at least two examples of its usage in:
    • Political Speech
    • TV Advertising
    • Popular Culture
    • Nonfiction Writing
    • Journalism
  • Discuss contemporary applications of the term
  • Ask the class a question for discussion about the term
  • Provide a list of five (5) scholarly sources that discuss the term

I have placed A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms and Soucebook on Rhetoric on reserve at Evans Library (in the Annex, on the Fourth Floor) as starting places (they are the standard references in the field). Additionally, Wikipedia may be a useful starting point.

We will do one presentation per class, at the beginning of class. I will circulate a sign-up sheet and you may sign up for topics on a first come, first served basis.

You must be present on the day of your presentation to get credit for this assignment.

You will need to provide me with your list of citations and your slides at least an hour before class.

Finally, before the class meeting following your presentation, you will need to post a blog entry to our class blog with the definition of your term and your five sources. This blog will serve as our course reference for rhetorical theory.

Paper Proposal

Write a one page overview of the argument of your final paper. State the thesis near the beginning of the document, summarize your argument, reference any scholarly disputes you resolve or sources you cite, and mention important ideas you will be using in your paper. This proposal must summarize your argument while also saying why your argument is important or interesting.

For the rhetorical analysis (see below), explain your choice of rhetorical text for analysis. Remember that in the 20th/21st century, a rhetorical text does not need to be text. It can be an image, a video, a “snap”, a tweet, a meme, a game, etc. You will need to argue for the importance of this text’s use of rhetoric as well as why it will sustain an eight page analysis of its rhetoric. You do not have to choose a framework at this stage, if you are not sure.

For the rhetorical concept (see below), discuss what term/theme you want to analyze and how you suspect you will approach it. What controversies have you found? Do you think someone or someones in our reading are missing an obvious part of their argument? Have you identified a repeating theme from a variety of texts or in our class discussion that you’d like to know more about? These are some of the questions you can answer (but don’t have to answer any more than one) in your proposal. You do not have to be specific as to the nature of your argument, but do give me a sense of both how you plan to proceed and why.

In both cases, the purpose of the proposal is to explain to me what you want to work on. This lets me provide you with feedback and to make sure that you are on the right track.

In both cases, you are not bound to write about the topic you propose for your final paper, should your interests change.

Annotated Bibliography

As you start to focus on a final paper topic, this assignment asks you to find five (5) scholarly sources related to your paper topic (see below), document them in MLA standard bibliography format, and provide a one (1) paragraph summary of each citation.

Final Paper

For the final paper, you have two options. Choose to either:

  1. Perform a Rhetorical Analysis on a Text of Your Choosing
  2. Discuss a Theme in or Analyze the History of a Rhetorical Concept

Rhetorical Analysis

We have discussed a number of methods for rhetorical analysis in this class:

  1. Rhetorical Triangle Reading (Ethos/Pathos/Logos)
  2. Pentadic Analysis
  3. Metaphoric Analysis
  4. Tropological Reading
  5. Ideological Critique
  6. Situational Analysis

Use one of the frameworks above to discuss a single piece (or set of related pieces) of rhetorical performance. Remember that you do not have to just use written text. Videos, games, tweets, snaps, images, Vines, etc. all also use rhetoric. The only challenge in selecting a text or texts for analysis is that they must be specific enough to avoid generalization but also broad enough to sustain eight pages of writing.

Rhetorical Concept

In the rhetorical term presentations, you have been generating a bank of rhetorical terms. For the final paper, you may choose to discuss one of these concepts in a particular domain. For instance, how does invention function on the Internet? Or, what is epideictic rhetoric today? Additionally, you may notice that several texts we have read (or you have read on your own) are discussing myth or dreams or democracy or propaganda (or some other term) in interesting and related ways. In both cases, you have identified something interesting in the rhetorical discourse. Your task in this assignment is to amplify this similarity or to answer your question by using outside sources to address your topic and enhance your ethos. In addition to supporting your claims with research, you need to say why what you have noticed is important or you need to answer the question yourself. In essence, this paper asks you to identify a research question or topic and figure out the ramifications of it for yourself.

Course Policies

These are the policies that govern our class. You are responsible for knowing the information on this page before contacting me regarding policy questions.

Email

I am available to answer email from 9:00am until 5:00pm Monday through Friday. Emails arriving outside of that time will be answered at my earliest convenience, but do not count on a quick answer to emails sent late at night or on the weekends.

Grading

Per university policy, I cannot discuss grades via email. Please visit my office hours if you would like to discuss your grade on an assignment.

Grade Values

  • A 90-100
  • B 80-89
  • C 70-79
  • D 60-69
  • F 59 or less

Feedback and Assignment Points

Before each assignment, I will provide you with a copy of my grading rubric for the assignment to give you a sense of what I will be targeting in each assignment. This sheet will break down each component of your grade and add up to 100 points. I will read each assignment, mark up a rubric, and provide a few paragraphs of comments on your assignment.

These points will be weighted according to the point breakdown described on the Assignments page, which will determine your overall final grade.

Absence / Tardiness

Students are expected to attend all classes. Failure to do so, as part of a larger pattern of chronic tardiness and lateness, will result in consequences for your final grade.

Tardiness is defined as an arrival in class after the first five minutes of class. This behavior, while sometimes unavoidable, is disruptive. If you are running late, please do your best to enter the classroom quietly and find the first and most easily accessible seat available.

Attendance Grade

10% of your grade, as detailed on the assignments page, is attendance. You are allowed two (2) free absences per semester, after which your grade will decrease. Your final grade will be your number of attendances divided by the total number of classes (minus two).

Excused Absences

Student Rule 7 covers the cases in which absences will be excused and in which late work will be tolerated. The following conditions will be excused:

  • Participation in an activity appearing on the university authorized activity list. (see List of Authorized and Sponsored Activities)
  • Death or major illness in a student’s immediate family. Immediate family may include: mother, father, sister, brother, grandparents, spouse, child, spouse’s child, spouse’s parents, spouse’s grandparents, stepmother, step-father, step-sister, step-brother, step-grandparents, grandchild, step-grandchild, legal guardian, and others as deemed appropriate by faculty member or student’s academic Dean or designee.
  • Illness of a dependent family member.
  • Participation in legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require a student’s presence.
  • Religious holy day. (See Appendix IV.)
  • Injury or Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class.
  • Required participation in military duties.
  • Mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school which cannot be rescheduled.
  • Mandatory participation as a student-athlete in NCAA-sanctioned competition.
  • In accordance with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Texas A&M University shall treat pregnancy (childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy and recovery therefrom) and related conditions as a justification for an excused absence for so long a period of time as is deemed medically necessary by the student’s physician. Requests for excused absence related to pregnancy should be directed to the instructor; questions about Title IX should be directed to the University Title IX Coordinator.

Note About Excused Absences

In the event of a chronic illness or other sudden condition that will result in significant time away from class, please inform me of the situation before you return to class, so that we can work out how to handle the situation before it becomes an issue.

Technology

In the 21st century, it is unreasonable to accept “my computer died” as an excuse for late work. If you are working on assignments on a computer, please back up your work offsite. Sites such as Dropbox and Google Drive provide space for storing copies of your work; even a USB drive can be enough. I have recently started using BackBlaze and found it to be a great and inexpensive online, automated backup. Save multiple times throughout each work session to both your backup and your computer’s copy. In this class, I hold you accountable for making sure your technology is working correctly.

Late Work

Under Student Rule 7.4, I am under “under no obligation to provide an opportunity for the student to make up work missed because of an unexcused absence.” However, I do accept late work and will take off 5 points for every day late. These points are removed after the paper is graded, such that a paper that would have received an 85% that was 3 days late will receive a 70%.

Additionally, if you are falling behind on a project and feel that you are not going to finish on time, email me 24 hours before the assignment is due to request an extension. In this email, propose how many additional days you will need to finish the assignment. Requests for extension that do not contain this information will not be honored.

Academic Integrity

Aggie Honor Code. “An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.” It is the student’s responsibility to know the Aggie Honor Code and to understand what constitutes scholastic dishonesty and to avoid it all costs. Anything (particularly plagiarism and cheating on quizzes or projects) that appears to be a violation of the Aggie Honor Code will be reported to the appropriate authorities. For additional information please visit: http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu/.

Also, the following is a helpful resource for describing kinds and severity of plagiarism. Note this graphic is not from A&M, where rules may differ: http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Infographic_Did-I-Plagiarize1.jpg

American with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain Hall, Room B118, or call 845-1637. For additional information visit http://disability.tamu.edu.

Rhetorical Terms

Working with both Soucebook on Rhetoric and A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms, make sure to read entries that are referenced in the entry you are assigned, so that you can more fully understand the context and background of your term.

A note for when we sign up, these topics get harder as you move down the list. If you put off your presentation to later in the semester, you will be choosing a more difficult topic.

  1. Invention
  2. Arrangement
  3. Style
  4. Memory
  5. Delivery
  6. Audience
  7. Ethos
  8. Logos
  9. Pathos
  10. Epideictic Rhetoric
  11. Forensic Rhetoric
  12. Deliberative Rhetoric
  13. Figure
  14. Trope
  15. Topoi
  16. Decorum
  17. Doxa
  18. Enthymeme
  19. Mystification
  20. Conspiracy
  21. Jeremiad
  22. Motive
  23. Power
  24. Toulmin Argument (look under “Argument”)
  25. Epistemic Rhetoric
  26. Invitational Rhetoric
  27. Neo-Aristotelianism
  28. Dramatism
  29. Public Sphere

Schedule

Week 1 – Introduction

Mon 08/29

  • Course Overview

Wed 08/31

  • Boethius, “An Overview fo the Structure of Rhetoric”

Fri 09/02

Week 2 – Political Power and Rhetoric in Ancient Greece

Mon 09/05

  • Plato, Gorgias
    • Beginning to end of 462a

Wed 09/07

  • Plato, Gorgias
    • 462b to end of 490e

Fri 09/09

Week 3 – Modernism and the Crisis of Democracy

Mon 09/12

  • Friedrich Nietzsche, “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense”
  • Presentation on Invention

Wed 09/14

  • Sigmund Freud, From Civilization and Its Discontents
  • Presentation on Arrangement

Fri 09/16

Week 4 – Mass Media and "The" "Public"

Mon 09/19

  • Walter Lippmann, From Public Opinion
  • Presentation on Memory

Wed 09/21

Fri 09/23

  • Lippmann
  • Presentation on Audience

Week 5 – Responses to Lippmann

Mon 09/26

Wed 09/28

  • George Herbert Mead, From Mind, Self, and Society
  • Presentation on Logos

Fri 09/30

  • Mead and Dewey
  • Presentation on Pathos

Week 6 – The War

Mon 10/03

Wed 10/05

  • Kenneth Burke (cont)
  • Presentation on Forensic Rhetoric

Fri 10/07

  • Internet Sources
  • Research
  • Zotero
  • Presentation on Deliberative Rhetoric

Week 7 – Rhetoric: The Return, Wk. 1

Mon 10/10

  • I.A. Richards, From The Philosophy of Rhetoric (Lecture 2)
  • Presentation on Figure

Wed 10/12

  • I.A. Richards, From The Philosophy of Rhetoric (Lecture 3)
  • Presentation on Trope

Fri 10/14

  • Summarizing Sources
  • Bibliography
  • Presentation on Topoi

Week 8 – Rhetoric: The Return, Wk. 2

Mon 10/17

  • Chaim Perelman & Lucie Olbrechts-Tolteca, From The New Rhetoric
  • Presentation on Decorum

Wed 10/19

Fri 10/21

  • Perelman, Olbrechts-Tolteca, & Booth
  • Presentation on Enthymeme

Week 9 – Propaganda & Myth

Mon 10/24

  • Roland Barthes, “Plastic”
  • Roland Barthes, “Ornamental Cookery”
  • Presentation on Mystification

Wed 10/26

  • Jacques Ellul, From Propaganda
  • Presentation on Conspiracy

Fri 10/28

  • Barthes & Ellul
  • Paper Proposal Due
  • Presentation on Jeremiad

Week 10 – Rhetoric's Situation

Mon 10/31

Wed 11/02

Fri 11/04

  • Bitzer & King

Week 11 – The Myth of Woman

Mon 11/07

  • Simone De Beauvoir, From The Second Sex
  • Presentation on Toulmin Argument

Wed 11/09

Fri 11/11

  • De Beauvoir and Friedan
  • Presentation on Invitational Rhetoric

Week 12 – New Theories of Communication

Mon 11/14

Wed 11/16

  • Gregory Bateson, “From Versailles to Cybernetics”
  • Presentation on Dramatism

Fri 11/18

  • Bush & Bateson
  • Presentation on Public Sphere

Week 13 – Myths of the Present & Thanksgiving Break

Mon 11/21

Wed 11/23

No Class

Reading Day

Fri 11/25

No Class

Thanksgiving Break

Week 14 – Rhetoric and Control

Mon 11/28

Wed 11/30

Fri 12/02

  • Deleuze & Edbauer
  • Wrap-up

Week 15

Mon 12/05

Redefined Day

  • Writing Consultations

Wed 12/07

  • Writing Consultations
  • Final Paper Due 12/12