ENGL 354: Modern Rhetorical Theory, Spring 2016

Course Information

Course

Number: ENGL 354
Title: Modern Rhetorical Theory
Term: Spring 2016

Instructor

Course Description

Modern Rhetorical Theory is designed to introduce students to the development of rhetoric as a concept, discipline, and series of practices in the 20th and into the 21st centuries. The class also introduces students to practices of criticism and thinking about, with, and through academic conversations as scholars.

Students will read a wide range of works dealing with topics of linguistic persuasion. Additionally, students will write in a number of media and genres in response to these, and other, readings.

These are the assignments that will make up your grade in this class.

Assignment Values

Assignment	Due Date	Value
Participation	Continuous	25%
First Paper	2015-02-26	25%
Second Paper	2015-04-05	25%
Third Paper	2015-05-06	25%

Assignment Descriptions

Participation

Your participation grade has three components:

Attendance
Participating in Class Discussion
Class Discussion Leader (2)

For attendance, you are simply required to show up to class (see the policy page for more information on this). For participating in class discussion, I ask that you speak up and offer your opinion on the texts we are discussing. These texts are not facts; they are not perfect and there are certainly no right answers. Offer what you think!

The final, and most heavily weighted, component of your participation grade is the class discussion leader. For two readings, you will serve as a discussion leader. In a presentation at the beginning of class, you will identify one moment (a passage or an idea) that you think is the most interesting about the reading. You will then explain why you think this is interesting or important. Finally, you will ask the class one discussion question that will serve as a way of opening up the discussion. This should take around 2-3 minutes and is meant to be fairly informal. However, you are required to provide me with some written account of your presentation on the morning of the day you are presenting, so that I can be prepared to incorporate your ideas and your discussion question into class.

First Paper

For the first paper, pick some aspect of the history of rhetoric during the period of the class that you would like to know more about. Think about something, specifically, that you found controversial or open to resolution in the course readings. Write a 6 page analysis of the state of this issue, and argue for a position you think resolves the issue or introduces some new dimension to consider.

This paper will require you to conduct research outside of the material we have read for class.

Second Paper

Pick two of the various rhetorical theories of subjectivity we have read in this unit (or ones you find in a text from the first unit). Compare and contrast these two theories. Specifically, think about what is enabled and what is disabled by the two theories. Evaluate these two compared theories using a framework of your own design (grounding in a specific context, for accomplishing a specific task, etc).

Third Project

For this assignment, you will be asked to use think about rhetoric in the wild (ie. as it is used every day). To do this, you may use any framework or concept we have discussed (Mountford’s notion of space, the rhetorical situation, Rice’s ecologies, bistable decorum, etc). Specifically, this assignment challenges you to explore the rhetorical function, language, forces, etc. present in a space, classroom, organization, piece of official writing, discourse community, or other artifact at A&M. Rather than write a research paper, this project asks you to be descriptive and analytical as you consider how rhetoric functions in the wild. This project may (and should) incorporate multimedia aspects and does not need to be merely a paper, if you like.

You may either produce one document—an essay that uses whatever prose style you deem appropriate to explore your subject’s use of rhetoric—or you will produce two documents—an object that explores your subject and a brief (2-3 page) statement that explains your intent behind creating the object. This object may be a video, a Powerpoint presentation, a podcast, a Prezi, a Twine game, a generative poem, a collection of short stories or other creative writing, a painting, a chapbook, etc.

See the policies page for more information about grading scale and standards.

Any course syllabus is a contract between teacher and student. By continuing in this class, you are agreeing to be bound by the policies laid out on this page. Failure to read or understand these policies does not excuse you from being governed by them.

You Are Responsible For Your Success

It is not my job to remind you to submit late work, provide documentation for absences you believe are eligible to be excused, or apprise you of all course material or announcements you may have missed during any absence. It is your responsibility to:

keep track of any missing work or late work that you have,
to inform me of A&M-approved reasons to grant you an excused absence,
to learn of any course announcements or changes to the class schedule that you might have missed
to understand the material contained in this syllabus.

Ask fellow students or attend office hours if you need assistance in any of these respects. Furthermore, understand that late work is graded at my convenience.

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 drop by 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.

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 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. Save multiple times throughout each work session to both your backup and your computer’s copy. As a rule, 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.” As such, late assignments will not be graded. However, if you are having problems with an assignment or there are extenuating circumstances not covered under the execused absence policy, email me 24 hours before the deadline of an assignment to discuss an extension.

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 Dr. Christine Murray, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in English and the Aggie Honor System Office. For additional information please visit: http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu/.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy

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, currently located in the Disability Services building at the Student Services at White Creek complex on west campus or call 979-845-1637. For additional information, visit http://disability.tamu.edu.

Schedule

Unit 1 – Understanding History

This unit examines the topic of history in 20th century rhetorical theory.

Week 1

Tue 01/19

Course Overview
John Muckelbauer, “Returns of the Question” (distributed in class)

Thu 01/21

C. Jan Swearingen, “Literate Rhetors and Their Illiterate Audiences: the Orality of Early Literacy”
“Sophist” from Wikipedia
Alcidamas, “Against the Sophist; Or Those Who Compose Written Texts”