ENGL 353: History of Rhetoric, Spring 2017

Course Information

Course

  • Number: ENGL 353
  • Title: History of Rhetoric
  • Term: Spring 2017

Course Description

The History of Rhetoric is designed to introduce students to the study of rhetoric from the clasiccal period until the end of the 19th century.

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.

Books

The majority of texts for this class are available online or, if not linked on the schedule, as PDFs available on our eCampus site.

Two required textbooks are available for purchase at the campus bookstore.

You must buy these two editions of Plato. Other translations will not be acceptable for class.

  • Plato, Gorgias, Tr: Donald J. Zeyl, ISBN 0872200167
  • Plato, Phaedrus, Tr: Alexander Nehamas & Paul Woodruff, ISBN 0872202208

Course Policies

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.

Assignments

Assignments

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

Turn-in Procedures

All assignments will be turned in on eCampus to the appropriate drop box under the “Assignments” sidebar link. Do not bring a printed copy or email me your assignment.

Assignment Values

Assignment Due Date Value
Participation Daily 25%
Writing Assignment #1 03/03 25%
Writing Assignment #2 04/21 25%
Writing Assignment #3 05/05 25%

Participation

Your participation grade has three components:

  1. Attendance
  2. Participating in Class Discussion
  3. 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. You probably don’t know how to ask a good discussion question, read these tips before writing your discussion question. 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.

Writing Assignment #1 – Socrates Today

We have read three Socratic dialogs. In these Socrates debates some question pertinent to the nature of reality with a variety of interlocutors. Given that this form of debate is central to the Western conception of rhetoric, what might Socrates ask after today? Do you think questions of what is good or just still things we would debate? Or would Socrates be more concrete? Would the medium for dialog change?

For this assignment, write a 2-3 page essay explaining what you think a Socratic dialog might look like today in terms of both form and content. Cite evidence from the dialogs we have read to support your claims and bear in mind the characteristics of the dialogs we have discussed. Then produce a sample of this dialog (written or otherwise) that should run to about 4-5 pages of “text.”

Writing Assignment #2 – An Abundant Style

We have read Erasmus’s De Copia, which constitutes an almost embarrassingly detailed account of how to be eloquent. In this text, Erasmus provides examples of copia, little textual machines for producing variations on a topic so that the rhetor may appear spontaneous.

For this assignment, imagine a copia that might be needed today. What situations require a variety of spontaneous, eloquent responses? How else might a person appear eloquent? Compose a copia and then complete the exercise with 100 or so variations on the form.

Document Elements

  1. Introduction—1-2 paragraphs explaining the value of your copia or the use of it or situations in which one might need an abundant style.
  2. Description—As with the beginning of the Book XXXIII in De Copia, break down each term in your *copia, explaining how the user might expand each term.
  3. Examples—Provide ~100 examples of the expansion of your copia. Remember that you can vary the sentence structure as well as the words themselves.

Resources

Writing Assignment #3 – Rhetoric Today

We have studied a variety of models for eloquence throughout this class, in addition to attempting to update some of these forms to the present. However, what do you find lacking? What are other ways of being persuasive today?

For this final assignment, you have three options:

  1. Devise a rhetorical exercise for the needs of rhetors today and write an explanation of why you think your exercise is useful.
  2. Following some of the less pedagogical examples we have studied, compose a piece (written or otherwise) that embodies some aspect of eloquence today. Also, include a 1-page explanation of what aspects of contemporary eloquence you are embodying in your text.
  3. Choose two texts we have studied in class and compare and contrast their discussion of one of the following topics
    1. Style
    2. The Ideal Orator
    3. Morals and the Orator
    4. Content of Rhetoric
    5. Goal of Oratory

For any of these three assignments clearly indicate which assignment you are completing. You should be writing between 4 and 6 pages of content for this assignment.

Schedule

Week 1 – Introduction + Sophists

Tue 01/17

  • Course Overview

Thu 01/19

  • Gorgias, “Encomium for Helen”

Week 2 – The Sophists

Tue 01/24

  • Anonymous, Dissoi Logoi

Thu 01/26

Week 3 – Beyond Oral Speech

Tue 01/31

Thu 02/02

Week 4 – Platonic Rhetoric I

Tue 02/07

  • Plato, Phaedrus
    • pp. 1-49 (end of Socrates’s long speech)
  • Office Hours Rescheduled to 02.06

Thu 02/09

  • Plato, Phaedrus
    • rest

Week 5 – Platonic Rhetoric II

Tue 02/14

  • Plato, Gorgias
    • pp. 1-50

Thu 02/16

  • Plato, Gorgias
    • rest

Week 6 – Rhetoric's First System

Tue 02/21

Thu 02/23

Week 7 – Roman Rhetoric I

Tue 02/28

  • Cicero, From De Oratore, Book I

Thu 03/02

  • Cicero, From De Oratore, Book II
  • Writing Assignment #1 Due 03/03

Week 8 – Roman Rhetoric II

Tue 03/07

Thu 03/09

Week 9 – Spring Break

Tue 03/14

No Class

Spring Break

Thu 03/16

No Class

Spring Break

Week 10 – Early Christian Rhetoric

Tue 03/21

Thu 03/23

  • Alberic of Monte Cassino, The Flowers of Rhetoric

Week 11 – Medieval Adaptations

Tue 03/28

  • Christine de Pizan, From The Treasure of the City of Ladies

Thu 03/30

  • Castiglione, From The Book of the Courtier

Week 12 – Eloquence

Tue 04/04

  • Erasmus, From De Copia, Read 295-355 in PDF

Thu 04/06

  • Erasmus, From De Copia, Rest

Week 13 – Attacks From Reason

Tue 04/11

Thu 04/13

  • John Locke, From An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

Week 14 – Women and Rhetoric

Tue 04/18

  • Margaret Fell, Women’s Speaking Justified

Thu 04/20

  • Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, From La Respuesta
    • Read from pages 77 to 93
  • Assignment #2 Due 04/21

Week 15 – Rhetoric's Afterlife

Tue 04/25

  • Maria Edgeworth, From “An Essay on the Noble Science of Self-Justification”

Thu 04/27

  • Giambattista Vico, From On the Study of Methods of Our Time
  • Assignment #3 Due 05/05