ANTONIAN COLLEGE PREPARATORY / ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITYFALL 2017

ENGLISH IV DUAL CREDIT/ EN 1311 RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION

MR. RYAN REESEDEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH ROOM 205 ~ rreese@antonian.org~ 210-344-9265 EXT. 205TUTORING/CONFERENCE: 7:30-8:45, 1:00-1:51, OR BY APPOINTMENT

Catalog Course Description: Emphasis on the composing process, including development and control of authorial voice through pre-writing, shaping, and editing of product. Emphasis on revision for clarification, organization, and refinement of product for audience.

Extended Course Description: You will learn to analyze texts both for content and rhetorical method and will create texts that demonstrate your mastery of this knowledge. You will focus on writing as a process of discovery and as a means of joining an ongoing dialogue with others. During the semester, you will produce a portfolio of writing that goes beyond mastery of form to demonstrate mature rhetorical awareness and critical thinking abilities that are expected in college-level work.

School Specific Outcomes:Knowledge:

• Student uses critical understanding of literature to articulate hope for self, society and humanity.

• Student develops awareness of critical and creative dimensions of literature.• Student understands the relationship between literature and language.• Student refines sense of grammar and structure of the English language.• Student understands the theory and practice of writing.

Skills:• Student communicates effectively – in written, oral, and visual forms.• Student understands how to conceptualize research: locates, evaluates, and

integrates information appropriately.Values:

• Student understands literature and writing as a means of creating community, from the local to the international

• Student recognizes the ethical considerations in his/her reading and writing and that of others.

Course Outcomes: The prime objective of this course is to help you develop aptitudes for learning and to help you become articulate and intellectually flexible while enabling you to write clear and correct prose in a style appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. Other outcomes include

• reading academic texts from a variety of disciplines and using critical thinking strategies to analyze these texts.

• describing, explaining, and using concepts and vocabulary of rhetoric and composition. (For example, you will use Aristotelian appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos, to capture the audience’s attention; will develop voice through various stylistic devices, such as syntax, word choice, examples; write with purpose, such as defining a topic, narrating an event, negotiating a difference, or analyzing a situation.)

• using the process for effective writing common to all academic disciplines and rhetorical situations. This process requires you to invent ideas, topics, and questions; draft essays; arrange sentences, paragraphs, discourse blocs; edit essays using conventions of standard written English (grammar, syntax, and word choice); and revise essays for clarity, development, and focus.

• using appropriate research strategies from a variety of scholarly sources. These strategies include acquiring, evaluating, organizing, interpreting, and integrating primary and secondary research.

Requirements: • Think.• Work independently and in groups.• Accept responsibility for your work.• Use StMU email and Blackboard as means of communication.• Read and complete all assignments.• Type formal papers and follow MLA guidelines.• Complete portfolio and demonstrate progress as a writer.

Materials:

Primary text: Bullock, R.H.. Goggin, M.D., & Weinberg, F. (2016). The Norton Field Guide to writing: with readings and handbook. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Secondary text: Clark, C.L. (2016). Praxis: a brief rhetoric. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press.A journal, composition, or diary-style blank book.Some means, such as a flash drive, in addition to your hard drive, for saving your assignments. If you have a laptop computer, bring it to class. Keep everything you write for this course. You’ll need it for your final portfolio.

Resources:• Blackboard will host our syllabus and calendar, some additional readings/videos/web

links, and our Discussion Board entries. Make sure you login to the Blackboard 9 class through http://bb9.stmarytx.edu (and not your Gateway account).

• You may choose either an electronic or a print version of our textbook, which is available at the campus bookstore.

• You will use the latest edition of the MLA guidelines for writing research papers. Basic guidelines are included in our textbook.

• You may access the St. Mary’s Academic Calendar at https://www.stmarytx.edu/academics/registrar/academic-calendars/.

Grading: Your grade is determined by • In-Class Assignments (200 points): Journals, in-class writings, peer responses,

Discussion postings, drafts, quizzes, etc. (If you miss a class, you may not make up in-class work. Note that you have ample room to earn more points than you need.)

• Blogs (100 points): You will create a blog using Tumbler, WordPress, or a similar website. Throughout the semester, you will write blog entries following specific directions found in the course calendar. See page 33 of your textbook for more information.

• Commonplace Book (50 points): You will keep a commonplace book where you will build your repertoire of good rhetoric and composition practices. Entries may include photos, drawings, links, quotes, and most often your original writing. See page 31 of your textbook for more information. You will need a journal or diary-style book for these writings.

• Essays (450 points): Three shorter essays and three formal, academic essays are required. In addition to textbook assignments, handouts will be provided for specific instructions.

• Final Portfolio (200 points): Must include revised work and any supplemental materials. Specific directions will be provided later in the semester.

You may find information about St. Mary’s Grading Scale at http://catalog.stmarytx.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies-procedures/grades/. The course will adhere to this policy.

If you turn in your assignments late, expect a lower grade. In-class assignments may not be made up, even if you are out on university-related activities or ill.

950-1000+ points A900-949 points A-870-899 points B+840-869 points B800-839 points B-750-799 points C+700-749 points C600-699 points D 600-0 points F

Because concern about grades obstructs the capacity to write powerfully, with confidence, and to a variety of audiences, I will assess each of your essays through textual comments. So, rather than being graded on every piece of writing you do, you’re better off if you’re evaluated on a body of work you’ve compiled over an extended period. By doing so, you improve your chances of improving your writing; have the opportunity to present a more realistic view of your writing

abilities and achievements than you can with any single piece of writing; and have the opportunity to rewrite, revise, edit and polish.

You will be asked to complete a self-assessment of each of your formal essays. I will provide you with a rubric, which will allow you to formulate a grade range. I will review your assessments and make suggestions. Then, you will revise your essays for your portfolios.

When you turn in your portfolio, you will write a reflection essay and assign yourself a grade, as will the instructor. You will receive an additional rubric to help you determine your grade. Your portfolio grades are based on your achievements—on the quality of the writing—not on effort (how hard you worked) or intention (what you meant to do). An incomplete or missing final portfolio will earn a grade of F.

Anytime you want to know what your grade would be before the final portfolio is due, make an appointment with me. Bring your working portfolio with everything you’ve written for the course labeled and in order, and I’ll gladly review it with you.

In this class, writing is a process, not a final product.

Essay Format: All final drafts of your formal essays should be in MLA format: double-spaced, using 12-point font, 1” margins, proper header, and page numbers preceded by your last name in the right-hand corner.

Only a few in-class writings and quizzes will be handwritten. Everything else must be typed. I do not accept emailed work.

Writing Center: As a current student, you have pre-paid for writing assistance! Visit the LAC in the Blume Academic Library. Make an appointment. Take your essay instructions and your drafts, and receive the help you need. (I may require you to go there, if your writing shows that you need additional help.) For more information: https://www.stmarytx.edu/academics/resources/learning-assistance-center/.

Class Attendance Policy: You are expected to attend all classes. I keep the roll, may record a zero for any work missed due to an unexcused absence, and may drop a student for missing an equivalent of two weeks of classes. “Two weeks” are computed as four Tu and Th classes (75 minutes). Three tardies constitute one absence. Before you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact me, if possible, or, in the case of an emergency, as soon after the absence as possible. It is also your responsibility to make up any work missed. (See the entire statement from the Registrar’s Office: http://catalog.stmarytx.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies-procedures/academic-policies-procedures/.) If you are absent from class, contact me via email!

Academic Honesty: In all instances you will do your own work. This course adheres to the policies for academic dishonesty and misconduct, as described in the Student Code of Conduct

(see especially section V). See https://www.stmarytx.edu/policies/policy/academic-misconduct for more information.

According to the St. Mary’s Student Code of Conduct, the term "plagiarism" means the inclusion of someone else's words, ideas or data work. Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to:

• Quoting another person's word, complete sentences or paragraphs, or whole works without acknowledgements of the source.

• Using another person's ideas, opinions or theories without acknowledgement of the source.

• Borrowing facts, statistics or other illustrating material without acknowledgement of the source.

• Copying another person's essay test answer. Copying or allowing another person to copy computer files that contain another student's assignments and submitting it either in part or in full as one's own work.

• Working together on an assignment or sharing computer files and submitting that assignment as one's own individual work.

Study Days and Final Exams: There will be two study days, November 30 and December 1, during which students prepare for final exams. No classes should be scheduled on study days; optional review sessions can be held. Final exams will be held on Friday, December 2, and Monday-Wednesday, December 5-7. The final exam schedule can be found at be found at https://gateway.stmarytx.edu/group/mycampus/services/registrar under Related Links (last item on the list).

University Policies and Procedures: St. Mary’s University is committed to providing a safe, equitable, and fair environment where students can pursue academic excellence. Policies and procedures have been developed to foster and sustain such an environment and apply to all courses offered at the university. Students need to be aware of these policies and procedures, which can be found in Gateway (https://www.stmarytx.edu/policies/) and within the “University Policies” tab of your course assigned Blackboard page (https://bb.stmarytx.edu/).Please become familiar with these important policies and procedures, which include:

Nondiscrimination, Sexual and Other Forms of Harassment https://www.stmarytx.edu/about/title-ix/

Students with Disability https://www.stmarytx.edu/compliance/ada-and-504/ Human Subjects Research https://www.stmarytx.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/irb-

human-subjects.pdf

Disclaimer: This syllabus may change to reflect my sense of your needs.

Class Format and Active Learning: This course will be conducted through active learning. That is, you and I will work together to develop our understand of rhetoric and composition. Unlike traditional lecture courses, you will engage in course activities that require your active participation. For example, you will be asked to lead discussion, instruct your peers, work in

peer groups, and collaborate with me to assess your compositions. Since we will use active learning, you will participate in constant group work in this class and failing to attend hurts both you and your group members. So don’t miss class, and don’t schedule other activities during class time. Often in-class writing is assigned; I won’t accept it from anyone but you, and I won’t accept it after I’ve collected it.

You will find that you have more freedom and opportunities for learning with more hands-on assignments and that you have more authority and responsibility. Do not confuse this freedom with lack of responsibility. This is a serious course with serious outcomes.

This class is one of the most important classes you will take at St. Mary’s University as many of your following courses will require writing. I do not accept excuses such as “I had a lab test” or “a project for marketing” or “a philosophy essay.” This class is important and serious and, at times, difficult. Why? Because you must know how to write in order to complete your college degree. Further, when you prepare to enter the job market, you need exceptional writing skills. The number one desire of employers is employees with excellent communication skills. Begin building them now!

I am here to coach you, to prepare you, to provide you with the information you need to succeed. What you do with that information is up to you. I am here and ready to help, but you too must be eager and ready to learn.

Contacts:Write down the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of three classmates. Call or write them if you need help with this class. By the way, these are your new best friends and group members throughout the semester!

1. ___________________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________________

Now that you have met your group members, get to know them a bit. Discuss you commonalities, differences, future plans, majors, etc. Write down your group members’ majors, hometowns, classifications, etc.

Come up with a group name (“The Snakes,” “Achievers,” etc.): ___________________________

Write three guidelines that you and your classmates will follow throughout the semester (“Always come to class,” “No cheating,” “Be Nice,” “Bring your professor gifts often,” etc.):

1. ___________________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________________

Make the following designations for each group member:

1. Speaker/Reporter: ___________________________________________________________

2. Writer/Scribe: _______________________________________________________________

3. Editor: _____________________________________________________________________

4. Leader: ____________________________________________________________________

You are now responsible for your group members for the rest of the semester. Your daily grade may depend on their course attendance and vice versa. Make friends, participate, and do well!

RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION COURSE CALENDAR VERSION 1.1FALL 2017

Week 1: Introduction to ClassTuesday, Aug. 16In Class

Review syllabus. Form groups.Homework

Blog 1: Using Tumbler, WordPress, Blogger, or LiveJournal, create an academic blog for this class. This blog is separate from your personal blog. See page 33 in your textbook for directions. Make sure you write an introduction to yourself. Besides including your name, hobbies, major, career goals, etc., briefly explain what you know about rhetoric, composition, reading, critical and creative thinking. After you have created your blog, go into our Blackboard course, and post a link to your blog under Discussion Board 1. Link your blog to your classmates. (10 points)Bring lined composition paper and pen to class.

Thursday, Aug. 17In Class

Diagnostic EssayHomework

Read “Chapter 1: Defining Rhetoric.”Commonplace 1: Begin your Commonplace Book. In your first entry, write about your intentions as a rhetoric and composition student. What do you intend to learn? What do you intend to do with what you learn? See page 31 of your textbook for more information. (10 points)Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Tuesday.

Week 2: RhetoricTuesday, Aug. 23In Class

Discuss Rhetoric.In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 2: In your small group, research definitions of

rhetoric, write or adopt a pre-written one, post it in Discussion Board 2, and share it with the class. (5 points)Discuss Columbusing. See Activity 1.4, page 11.

HomeworkRead: “What is Rhetoric?” (Blackboard), “Canons of Rhetoric”

http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Canons/Canons.htm, “Audience, Purpose, Thesis” http://www.uwplatt.edu/~ciesield/audience.html, “Three Appeals: Ethos, Pathos, Logos” (Blackboard)

Blog 2: Choose a term or a related term from the section “Are We All Greeks?” and create a blog posting, including images and hyperlinks. Some terms you

may choose include “democracy,” “the Assembly,” “Aristotle,” etc. (20 points)

Thursday, Aug. 25In Class

Discuss rhetorical argument.

In Class Activity/Discussion Board 3: In your small group, defying the Aristotelian appeals and concept of kairos, write a satirical bad-news letter, post it in

Discussion 3. (20 points)Homework

Discussion Board 4: Complete question 1 in Activity 1.6 “Analyze ‘The Sleepover Question.’” Post your response in Blackboard. (5 points)

Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Tuesday.

Week 3: The Academic Conversation, Active Learning, Visual Rhetoric, Responding RhetoricallyTuesday, Aug. 30In Class

Conclude Chapter 1In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 5: Using the clothing-choices-as-visual-rhetoric

example in our book as a model, complete activity 1.11, question 3; however, instead of picking any clothing choice, focus on our presidential nominees. Post a copy of the picture you found and your group’s explanation in Discussion Board 5. (10 points)Homework

Read “Chapter 2: Responding Rhetorically.”Write a three-paragraph rhetorical analysis of a politician’s social network. Focus on

kairos, ethos, pathos, and logos. Print a hardcopy of your mini-analysis and bring to class. (10 points)

Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Thursday.

Thursday, Sep. 1In Class

Discuss Chapter 2.Peer review workshop (20 points)

HomeworkDiscussion Board 6: Write a paragraph-long response to the questions on page 47 in

Activity 2.2. Do not simply answer the questions. Summarize your findings into a coherent paragraph. Post your paragraph in Blackboard. (10 points)

Revise mini-rhetorical analysis, print a hardcopy, and bring it to class.Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Thursday.

Week 4: Responding RhetoricallyTuesday, Sep. 6In Class

Mini-rhetorical analysis due (50 points)Discuss critical thinking, reading rhetorically, close reading of a text, the rhetorical

triangle

In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 7: Individually, answer the questions on page 66 in Activity 2.7. Post your answers to Blackboard. (5 points)

HomeworkDiscussion Board 8: Individually, answer the questions on page 72 in

Activity 2.13. Post your answers to Blackboard. (5 points)Find an advertisement and bring it to class.Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Thursday.

Thursday, Sep. 8In Class

Discuss multimedia and rhetoric, visual rhetoric, intertextuality.In-Class Activity: Rhetorically analyzing an advertisement. See handout. (20 points)

HomeworkBlog 3: Complete blog assignment on page 80, Activity 2.19. (20 points)Read Chapter 3: Persuading RhetoricallyBring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Tuesday.

Week 5: Responding Rhetorically, Persuading RhetoricallyTuesday, Sep. 13In Class

Complete advertisement assignment. Discuss kairos and MLK speech.In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 10: In your small group, answer the questions on

page 91 in Activity 3.2. Post your group’s answers to Blackboard. (5 points)Homework

Commonplace 2: Complete the commonplace book entry on page 81, Activity 2.20. (10 points)

Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Thursday.

Thursday, Sep. 15In Class

Discuss appeals, logical fallacies.In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 11: In your small group, complete Activity 3.10 on

page 103. Post your example in Blackboard. Read your peers responses, and list examples of the fallacies they use in the comments. (10 points)

Discuss invention activities and the rhetorical analysis essay. In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 12: Individually, free write on possible topics for

your rhetorical analysis. (5 points)Homework

Discussion Board 13: Complete Activity 3.20 on pages 116-117. In Blackboard, post a link to your Linkedin page. (20 points)

Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Tuesday.

Week 6: Ethos, Pathos, LogosTuesday, Sep. 20In Class

Writing workshopCommonplace 3: Complete the commonplace book entry on page 162, Activity 4.22. (10

points)Blog 4: Complete blog assignment on page 162, Activity 4.21. (20 points)

HomeworkComplete a draft of your rhetorical analysis and bring it to class in hardcopy. (10 points)

Thursday, Sep. 22In Class

Participate in peer review workshop (20 points)Homework

Complete rhetorical analysis and print hard copy.

Week 7: Rhetorical Analysis and Peer ReviewTuesday, Sep. 27In Class

Library/Research Presentation and Assignment (10 points)Homework

Complete rhetorical analysis and print hard copy.

Thursday, Sep. 29In Class

Rhetorical Analysis due (100 points)Linked-In Workshop with Career Services.

HomeworkRead “Chapter 4: Inventing Rhetorically."

Week 8: Five Canons of Rhetoric, Writing Process, Stasis TheoryTuesday, Oct. 4In Class

Discuss canons, writing process, stasis theoryHomework

Blog 5: Complete blog assignment on page 168, Activity 5.2. (20 points)Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Thursday.

Thursday, Oct. 6In Class

Discuss Op-Ed ArgumentIn-Class Activity/Discussion Board 14: With your group members complete Activity 5.4

on page 170. (5 points)In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 15: Individually, free write on possible topics for

your op-ed argument. (5 points)Homework

Draft op-ed argument and bring hardcopy of your draft to class. (10 points)Commonplace 3: Complete the commonplace book entry on page 213, Activity 5.20 (10

points)

Week 9: Op-Ed Argument, Research-Based ArgumentTuesday, Oct. 11In Class

Peer Review of op-ed argument (20 points)Homework

Complete op-ed argument. Print essay for submission.

Thursday, Oct 13In Class

Op-ed Argument Due (100 points)Discuss research-based argument essay and arrangement.

HomeworkDiscussion Board 16: Complete Activity 5.18 on page 213 and post to

Blackboard. (5 points)Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Tuesday.

Week 10: Outline and Annotated BibliographyTuesday, Oct. 18In Class

Discuss research-based argument.Begin outlines.

HomeworkWrite an outline for your research-based argument. Print it and bring to class. (20 points)Read “Chapter 7: Researching Rhetorically.”Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Thursday.

Thursday, Oct. 20In Class

Review outlines with your peers. Discuss using secondary sources, plagiarism, and annotated bibliography. In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 17: Complete Activity 5.18 on page 213 and post to

Blackboard. (5 points)Homework

Annotated Bibliography: Complete Activity 7.13 on page 297. Print your annotated bibliography of ten sources and bring hardcopy to class.

Bring your commonplace book to class.Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Tuesday.

Week 11: InterviewTuesday, Oct. 25In Class

Annotated Bibliography due (50 points)In-Class Activity/Commonplace 4: Complete the commonplace book entry on page 318,

Activity 7.20. (10 points)Discuss interview process.In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 18: As a group, complete Activity 5.18 on page 213

and post to Blackboard. (5 points)Homework

Using Activity 7.3 on page 282 as a guide, write interview questions relevant to your topic. Print a hardcopy and bring to class. (10 points)

Schedule interview.

Thursday, Oct. 27In Class

Interview questions due. Work in small groups to practice interviewing skills. Homework

Conduct interview. Write interview transcript, print a hardcopy, and bring to class.Revise and bring printed outline to class.Bring your laptop, iPad, electronic device with Wi-Fi connectivity to class on Thursday.

Week 12: Integrating ResearchTuesday, Nov. 1Mass—no class

Thursday, Nov. 3In Class

Interview transcript due (50 points)Discuss integration of research into outline.

HomeworkDraft argument-based essay, print a hardcopy, and bring to class. (10 points)

Week 13: Research-Based ArgumentTuesday, Nov. 8—Election Day!In Class

Peer revision workshop (20 points)Homework

Revise your research-based argument.

Thursday, Nov. 10In Class

Research-based argument due (100 points)Homework

Read “Chapter 6: Revising Rhetorically.”

Week 14: Revising RhetoricallyTuesday, Nov. 15In Class

Discuss revision.In-Class Activity/Discussion Board 19: In your small group, complete Activity 6.1 on

page 220 and post to Blackboard. (5 points)Homework

Discussion Board 20: Complete Activity 6.5 on page 223 and post to Blackboard. (5 points)

Thursday, Nov. 17In Class

Commonplace books due.Discuss final portfolio.

HomeworkBlog 6. Write a discussion on what you learned in this class. Make sure you provide

examples. (10 points)

Week 15: Final PortfolioTuesday, Nov. 22In Class

ConferencesHomework

Final PortfolioThursday, Nov. 24Thanksgiving Day—no class

Week 16: Final PortfolioTuesday, Nov. 29In Class

ConferencesHomework

Final Portfolio

Thursday, Dec. 1Study Day

Week 17: Finals: Portfolio Due (200 points)