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1 Rhetorical Foundations – COMM 3300-100 M/W lectures @ 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. in Atlas 100 H/F Recitations – Spring 2014 ______________________________________________ Professor: Dr. Marlia Banning Teaching Assistants: Marc Rich – Sections 111, 113, 115 Meghann McGuire – Sections 112, 114, 116 Marc office & hrs: Hellems 14; OH = M 10:15 -11:15 am & F 9-10 am Meghann office & hrs:Hellems 65; OH = M 10:30 am to 12:30 Marc’s email: [email protected] Meghann’s email: [email protected] Dr. B’s office: Hellems 81B Dr. B’s email: [email protected] Dr. B’s CU phone: 303-492-6077 Technology support: [email protected] Front Office: 303-492-7306; Fax: 303-492 8411 Note: Dr. B holds her office hours Monday after class from 10-11 am in the Atlas lobby next to the Pekoe’s; Wednesday 3–3:45 pm in Hellems 81B & by appt. Course Description This course offers an introduction to rhetoric, a humanistic study of communication originating in Greece with the birth of democracy. In democracy, the voice of the demos- the people—matters. Across 2,500 centuries, rhetorical theory and practice—rhetorical praxis—has focused on the power of language in settling disputes, determining what counts as truth, beauty, justice, knowledge, and common sense. It remains pivotal to understanding—and shaping—individual ethos and cultural character. Rhetorical study can help us gauge the effects—the force—of daily chats, texts, instant messages, images, discourses, cultural artifacts, public affairs, mainstream and social media, and other social institutions. Rhetorical practice is an everyday part of responding to the world. Course Objectives The overarching course objective is to develop your rhetorical praxis – the capacity to think & act rhetorically. To demonstrate rhetorical praxis, you need to be able to: Read Analytically (independently, closely & critically) which you demonstrate orally & in writing Accurately Identify & Apply course concepts while solving problems Compare, Contrast, & Synthesize course theories & arguments to support your assessments & conclusions Present Inventive Rhetorical Analyses and Arguments verbally and orally.

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Page 1: Rhetorical Foundations – COMM 3300-100 M/W …syllabus.colorado.edu/archive/COMM-3300-20141-100.pdf2 It’s true—these ambitious learning objectives have gained the class a reputation

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Rhetorical Foundations – COMM 3300-100 M/W lectures @ 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. in Atlas 100 H/F Recitations – Spring 2014 ______________________________________________ Professor: Dr. Marlia Banning Teaching Assistants: Marc Rich – Sections 111, 113, 115 Meghann McGuire – Sections 112, 114, 116 Marc office & hrs: Hellems 14; OH = M 10:15 -11:15 am & F 9-10 am Meghann office & hrs: Hellems 65; OH = M 10:30 am to 12:30 Marc’s email: [email protected] Meghann’s email: [email protected] Dr. B’s office: Hellems 81B Dr. B’s email: [email protected] Dr. B’s CU phone: 303-492-6077 Technology support: [email protected] Front Office: 303-492-7306; Fax: 303-492 8411

Note: Dr. B holds her office hours Monday after class from 10-11 am in the Atlas lobby next to the Pekoe’s; Wednesday 3–3:45 pm in Hellems 81B & by appt.

Course Description

This course offers an introduction to rhetoric, a humanistic study of communication originating in Greece with the birth of democracy. In democracy, the voice of the demos-the people—matters. Across 2,500 centuries, rhetorical theory and practice—rhetorical praxis—has focused on the power of language in settling disputes, determining what counts as truth, beauty, justice, knowledge, and common sense. It remains pivotal to understanding—and shaping—individual ethos and cultural character. Rhetorical study can help us gauge the effects—the force—of daily chats, texts, instant messages, images, discourses, cultural artifacts, public affairs, mainstream and social media, and other social institutions. Rhetorical practice is an everyday part of responding to the world.

Course Objectives The overarching course objective is to develop your rhetorical praxis – the capacity to think & act rhetorically. To demonstrate rhetorical praxis, you need to be able to:

Read Analytically (independently, closely & critically) which you demonstrate orally & in writing

Accurately Identify & Apply course concepts while solving problems Compare, Contrast, & Synthesize course theories & arguments to

support your assessments & conclusions Present Inventive Rhetorical Analyses and Arguments verbally and

orally.

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It’s true—these ambitious learning objectives have gained the class a reputation for being tough. These objectives support the overarching goal to expand your capacity to be an inventive, informed, and civically engaged member of democracy and a globalized world.

Required Materials You will need regular access to the Internet, note taking material, an iClicker, and a printer. Except for this book, most of our readings are loaded on D2L: Banning, Marlia. Manufacturing Uncertainty: Contemporary U.S. Public Life and the Conservative Right (New York: Peter Lang, 2013). Bring your iClicker, the readings due for the day, and note-taking materials to all classes.

Communicating with the Instructors

Dr. B, Meghann and Marc share and divide the responsibilities (and the pleasure) of teaching COMM 3300: Dr. B primarily is responsible for course design, content and most of the course delivery on MW; Marc and Meghann are primarily responsible for H/F recitations, maintaining D2L distributing, collecting, grading assignments and entering grades on the course website. Dr. B, Marc, and Meghann share the responsibility for composing course assignments and determining course

policy. Please use our office hours to address extended questions and concerns that require elaborated answers. Use CU email to ask questions that require short (one or two sentence) responses. Dr. B tends not to check email on weekends or late evenings. Note: We hold office hours so you can just drop by with any question or any other thing on your mind that might be interesting to you or troubling you. Stop by to chat or to ask any questions that you may have. It is imperative that you come see us ASAP if you are having any problems in the class.

Course Schedule & Assignments

Week 1 Jan. 13 – 17 Unit I –What is Rhetoric & Why Does it Matter? M Course Overview: Snap Quizzes, Exams, Papers, Reading Closely W Attention & Comprehension: Reading Closely in a Digital Age Read: 1) Carr 2) Lanham 3) Barbara Kiviat H/F Q &A/The Art of Introducing Yourself – Rhetorical Canons Discuss Intro Assignment: Short-Short Speeches Read: Canons: http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm Week 2 Jan. 20 – 24

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M No Class – Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday W Rhetoric as Technê & The Humanistic Subject Read: Atwill H/F Technê: The Art of Making an Impression Due: Short-Short Speeches Week 3 Jan. 27 – 31 Early Rhetoric Overview M Read: 1) Bizzell & Herzberg 2) “Aspasia” W Read: 1) Gorgias “Encomium” 2) Isocrates “Against the Sophists” 3) Plato “Gorgias” H/F How To: Group Assignments/First Paper Assignment, Writing Workshop Week 4 Feb. 3 – 7 Contemporary Rhetorical Theory M Read: 1) Poulakos “Sophistic Definition” 2) Jasinski “Doxa” W Read: 1) Jasinski “Argument” 2) Burke “Identification” H/F The Quarrel/Argument/Preliminary Writing Workshop Week 5 Feb. 10 – 14 Rhetorical Situation M Read: Bitzer “Rhet Sit” W Read: Vatz “Myth of the Rhet Sit” H/F When is a Situation Rhetorical? First Draft Writing Workshop Week 6 Feb. 17 – 21 Unit II: Constituting Meaning, Subjects Publics M Independent work on first paper W Polysemy: Who’s Got the Power? Read: 1) Condit “Rhet Limits Polysemy” 2) Ceccarelli “Polysemy” H/F Discuss Paper #2 /Observation–Participation/ Assign Peer Reviews Read: Hess “Crit-Rhet Ethnography” Week 7 Feb. 24 – 28 The Public Sphere, A Public…Many Publics M Read: 1) Jasinski “Public Sphere”2) Hauser “Forgotten Publics” 3) Hauser “Preface Prisoners” W Read: Warner “Publics Counterpublics” H/F Exam I Review Week 8 Mar. 3 – 7 M Exam 1 W Independent Work: Complete Full Draft of First Paper for Workshop Due: Send a full draft of your paper to two classmates via email H/F Final Writing Workshop on First Papers Due: Two Peer Reviews/with two papers & Comments Week 9 Mar. 10 – 14 M Identified, Implied, and Subversive Subject Positions Read: Brummett Bowers “Subjects”

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W Rhetoric of Silence Read: Cloud “Null Persona” H/F Discuss Exam I & Group Work on Proposals Due: First Paper Week 10 Mar. 17 – 21 Unit III: Everyday Rhetoric M Manufacturing Uncertainty Read: 1) Banning Intro 2) Banning, “Solid Melts” W Read: Banning “Political Correctness” H/F Q & A/Informal Reports Due: Group Proposals Mar. 24 – 28 Spring Break Week 11 Mar. 31 – April 4 Emotion, Knowledge, Politics M Read: Banning “Politic of Resentment” W Read: Banning “Knowledge Production” H/F Q & A/Group work Week 12 April 7 – 11 Media, Web 2.0 & Public Ethos M Wonders, Worries & Ethos of the World Wide Web (& Web 2.0) Read: Bogost “Rhetoric of Video Games” W Read: Lanier “Missing Persons” H/F Group Work Release #1 – Class Does Not Meet Week 13 April 14 – 18 Fearless Speech: Whistleblowers, Leakers, Hackers… M Read: 1) Foucault “Meaning of the Word 2) Foucault “Concluding Remarks” W Group Work Release #2 – Class Does Not Meet H/F Group Work #3 – Class Does Not Meet Week 14 April 21 – 25 M Exam Review/Course Evals W Exam II H/F Q & A/Group Work on Presentations/Course Evals Week 15 April 28 – May 2 M Group Work Release #4– Class Does Not Meet W Last Group Work Release – Class Does Not Meet H/F Due: Final Presentations & Projects

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Assignments, Grades, Course Policies

Course Assignments Grade Points First Exam 200 Second Exam 200 First Paper 200 Final Paper & Group Presentation 200 Class Contribution 200 Total Points 1,000

Grade Breakdown by Points: Grades are based on a point system with the final grade determined by the total points earned. Course letter grades will be based on this breakdown of percentages: A 93.3-100 % B- 80.0-83.2 % D+ 67.7 %-69.9 % A- 90.0-93.2 % C+ 77.7-79.9 % D- 60.0-63.2 % B + 87.7-89.9 % C 73.3-77.6 % F 0-59.9 % B 83.3-87.6 % C- 70.0-73.2 % Exams: Two in-class exams may consist of short answer, true/false, multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Check the course schedule for exams dates regularly and know the Honor Code for exams requirements. Note: If you have a scheduling conflict for an exam, you must get our approval for your absence by the end of Wednesday’s class on Jan. 22 (day 2 of week 2). Papers & Group Presentation: Two paper assignments ask you to develop well reasoned, supported and argued essays in response to a theoretical question and a real world situation. They ask you to demonstrate your close reading and observation capacities and to define, apply, compare, contrast and synthesize course materials. The first paper is single-authored; the final paper is co-authored and accompanied by a group presentation. More details will be forthcoming in class. Both papers will be handed in simultaneously via D2L drop box and hard copy. Overall Class Contribution: Class Contribution (CC) is the portion of your grade traditionally devoted to “attendance and participation.” Your contribution grade does not start at 100% and drop from there. Instead, it starts at 0% and you build it by your performance and contribution to the class. To do well on CC:

• Attend daily, do the reading before class, arrive on time, stay the entire period; actively engage class discussions, group work, and exercises; and develop and answer questions for recitations and lectures.

• Active engagement means you ask good questions, do well on pop quizzes, reading questions, take good notes, and come see us in office hours for help.

Lectures and recitations will include different exercises which become calculated as part of your CC. Exercises do not have pre-assigned points but are determined at the end of class in a subjective, holistic assessment of your performance.

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Snap quizzes are 13/20 percent of your CC. The remaining 7/ 20 percent of your CC consists of recitation exercises, writing workshop participation (drafts and feedback), informal reports and peer evaluation and attendance across the lecture and recitation. We allow two unexcused absences. More absences will reduce your CC grade. Reading Assignments: Bring a hard or electronic copy of the readings daily to class for discussion. Reading assignments require that you download and open readings well before they are due to make sure you can do both, and complete readings before class. Class materials will offer specialized definitions not found in dictionaries. To define other unknown terms, use a hard copy, dashboard, online open source, or gated web dictionary like the Oxford English Dictionary (access through Chinook at http://www.oed.com/). D2L is updated regularly. We also often send out important information via email. CC all email inquiries that you send to your recitation instructor to Dr. B. Check D2L and your CU email account regularly before and after class. D2L Glitches: We probably won’t know why the D2L software is not working for you in terms of accessing materials or getting something to download. If you hit a glitch, please send any questions about technical difficulties that you have in accessing the class D2L web site to the department TAC support team: [email protected]. The TAC team has worked miracles. At minimum, they will let you know if no miracle is coming your way.

University Policies Students with Special Needs: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, give your recitation instructor a letter from Disability Services (DS) by the second day of the second week of school so that we can address your needs immediately. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. To contact DS: call 303-492-8671 or go to the Center for Community, room N200. For web information, go to the URL: http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices. Academic Integrity, Plagiarism and Cheating, Honor Code & Learning Environment: The University of Colorado Honor Code aims “to develop a welcoming and supportive climate in which all people are respected and free to express differing ideals and opinions.” This learning environment is fundamental to classroom and campus relations, as are “honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility,” principles that define the CU-Boulder campus (http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html). We may discuss matters on which we disagree deeply, which requires listening, making arguments for our positions, and knowing when to speak and when to hold our speech in abeyance. The principles of fairness, respect, honesty, trust, and responsibility guide meaningful and are essential to most relationships of any value. Conversely, misconduct diminishes everyone’s work and is not accepted. Plagiarism, lying, cheating, and threatening behavior must be reported to the Honor Code Council, 303-725-2273 or [email protected]. Misconduct can result in academic and non-academic sanctions that include university probation, suspension, or expulsion. If you have any questions about any of these policies, please come speak with us.

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Religious Observation: In accordance with university policy, we make every effort to deal fairly and reasonably with students who have conflicts with scheduled assignments and required attendance because of religious obligation. Review the university policy on religious observance at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html. If you have a potential class conflict because of religious commitments, you must inform us in person of the conflict by the second day of the second week of class. Sexual Harassment Policy: Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual attention. It can involve threats, coercion, and intimidation—any behavior that creates a hostile or offensive environment. Sexual harassment can occur between members of the same or opposite gender and between any combination of members in the campus community: students, faculty, staff, and administrators—it can occur anywhere on campus. Anyone—whether student, staff, or faculty member—who believes that he or she has been harassed sexually should contact the Office of Sexual Harassment (OSH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Further information these resources available to assist individuals can be obtained at http://www.colorado.edu/odh/. For confidential support, advocacy and counseling around issues of sexual assault�, contact: The Office of Victim Assistance: �http://cuvictimassistance.com/ or call303-492-8855�. NOTE: An extensive bulleted list of campus resources is available on the OVA’s website on the right-hand side of its home page. �� Sexual Assault is a crime. To report this crime, dial 911 or: The University of Colorado Police Department � 303-492-6666�� The Boulder Police Department� 303-441-3333� To report sexual misconduct or sexual assault or obtain information on Title IX issues for faculty, staff and students, contact Office of Student Conduct � 303-492-5550�� or Office of Discrimination and Harassment � 303-492-2127��.

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Complete Citations for Weekly Readings Week 1 W: 1) Nicholas Carr, “The Juggler’s Brain,” pp. 115-143 in The Shallows (New York: W.W. Norton, 2010) (28 pp.) 2) Richard Lanham, Preface, pp. xi-xiv in The Economics of Attention: Style and Substance in the Age of Information (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006) (5 pp.) 3) Barbara Kiviat, “The Paperless Chase,” Time November 23, 2009: 104 4) Canons of Rhetoric: Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, Delivery. Find the canons at Silva Rhetorica: http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm Week 2 W: Janet Atwill, Introduction & “Rhetoric, Humanism & the Liberal Arts,” pp, 1-11 in Rhetoric Reclaimed: Aristotle and the Liberal Arts Tradition, (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998) (11 pp.) Week 3 M: 1)Patrica Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, Introduction, pp. 19-top of 32 in Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, eds, The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. 2nd ed. (Boston: Bedford Books, 2001) (13 ½ pp.) 2) Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, “Aspasia,” pp. 56-59 in Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, eds, The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. 2nd ed. (Boston: Bedford Books, 2001) (3 pp.) W: 1) Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, “Gorgias,” “Encomium of Helen,” pp. 42-46 in Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, eds, The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. 2nd ed. (Boston: Bedford Books, 2001) (4 pp.) 2) Isocrates, “Against the Sophists,” pp. 46-49 in Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, eds, The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. (Boston: Bedford Books, 1990) (3 pp.) 3) Plato, “Gorgias,” pp. 61-64, in Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, eds., The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present (Boston: Bedford Books, 1990) (3 pp.) Week 4 M: 1) John Poulakos, “Toward a Sophistic Definition of Rhetoric,” pp. 25-32 in John Louis Lucaites, Celeste Michelle Condit, Sally Caudill, ed. Contemporary Rhetorical Theory: A Reader (New York: Guilford Press, 1999). (7 pp.) 2) James Jasinski, “Doxa,” pp. 183-186 in Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key Concepts in Contemporary Rhetorical Studies (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2001) (3 pp.) W: 1) James Jasinski, “Argument,” pp. 24-28, in Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key Concepts in Contemporary Rhetorical Studies (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2001) (4 pp.) 2) Kenneth Burke, “Identification,” pp. 55-78 in Kenneth Burke, A Rhetoric of Motives (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969) (23 pp.) Week 5 M: Lloyd Bitzer, “The Rhetorical Situation,” Philosophy & Rhetoric 1: 1 (1968): 1-14. W: Richard E. Vatz, “The Myth of the Rhetorical Situation,” Philosophy & Rhetoric 6:3 (1973): 162-170. (8 pp.) Week 6 W: 1) Celeste Condit, “The Rhetorical Limits of Polysemy,” Critical Studies in Mass Communication 6.2 (1989): 103-122 (19 pp.) 2) Leah Ceccarelli, “Polysemy: Multiple Meanings in Rhetorical Criticism,” 84.1 Quarterly Journal of Speech (1998): 395-415 (20 pp.)

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H/F: Aaron Hess, “Critical-Rhetorical Ethnography: Rethinking the Place and Process of Rhetoric,” 62.4 Communication Studies (2011): 127-152 Week 7 M: 1) James Jasinski, “Public Sphere,” pp. 473-476 in Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key Concepts in Contemporary Rhetorical Studies (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2001) (3 pp.) 2) Gerard Hauser, “Forgotten Publics,” pp. 1-12 in Vernacular Voices: TheRhetoric of Publics and Public Spheres (Columbia, S.C.: University of South Caroline Press, 1999) 3) Gerard Hauser, Preface, pp. ix-xiii in Prisoners of Conscience: Moral Vernaculars of Political Agency (Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 2012) (4½ pp.) W: Michael Warner, “Publics and Counterpublics,” 88.4 Quarterly Journal of Speech (2002): 413-425 (12 pp.) Week 9 M: Barry Brummett and Detine L. Bowers, “Subject Positions as Site of Rhetorical Struggle: Representing African Americans,” pp. 117-136 in Thomas Rosteck, ed. At the Intersection: Cultural Studies and Rhetorical Studies (New York: Guilford Press, 1999) (19 pp.) W: Dana L. Cloud, “The Null Persona: Race and the Rhetoric of Silence in the Uprising of ‘34’,” 2.2 Rhetoric & Public Affairs (1999): 177-209 (32 pp.) Week 10 1) Marlia Banning, Introduction, pp. 1-13 in Manufacturing Uncertainty: Contemporary U.S. Public Life and the Conservative Right (New York: Peter Lang, 2013) (13 pp.) 2) Marlia Banning, “When All that is Solid Melts into Air,” pp. 17-38 in Manufacturing Uncertainty: Contemporary U.S. Public Life and the Conservative Right (New York: Peter Lang, 2013) (21 pp.) Week 11 M: Marlia Banning, “The Cultural Politic of Resentment,” pp. 67-98 in Manufacturing Uncertainty: Contemporary U.S. Public Life and the Conservative Right (New York: Peter Lang, 2013) (31 pp.) W: Marlia Banning, “Knowledge Production and Reduction,” pp. 107-135 in Manufacturing Uncertainty: Contemporary U.S. Public Life and the Conservative Right (New York: Peter Lang, 2013) (28 pp.) Week 12 M: Ian Bogost, “The Rhetoric of Video Games, pp. 117-140 in Katie Salen, ed. The Ecology of Games (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2008) (23 pp.) W: Jaron Lanier, “Missing Persons,” pp. 2-23 in You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009) (21 pp.) Week 13 1) Michel Foucault, “The Word Parrhesia: The Meaning of the Word,” pp. 11-24 in Joseph Pearson, ed. Fearless Speech (Los Angeles: Semiotext(e)) (13 pp.) 2) Michel Foucault, “Concluding Remarks,” pp.169-173 in Joseph Pearson, ed. Fearless Speech (Los Angeles: Semiotext(e)) (4 pp.)