English 101B: Introduction to Rhetorical Studies
Michael MacDonald, Associate Professor
m2macdon@uwaterloo.ca
Office Hours (HH 256): 3:00–4:00 Tuesday and Thursday
The systematic study of effective composition, argument, and persuasion—the art of rhetoric—dates back at least to the epics of Homer and flourishes today in countless academic disciplines and domains of social life. In fact, the historical “empire” of rhetoric is so vast that it “digests regimes, religions, and civilizations” (Roland Barthes). This class introduces essential concepts, issues, and controversies in the history and theory of rhetoric by analyzing selections from key texts from antiquity to the present. In addition to demonstrating the relevance of rhetorical theory and criticism to a variety of social and intellectual fields (law, politics, science, feminism, and others), the class explores emerging forms of rhetorical practice spawned by new media technologies, such as advertising, digital rhetoric, and information warfare. Students will leave the class with a firm grasp of rhetorical theory and a deeper appreciation for rhetoric as an inventive, critical, and multimedia art.
Syllabus
January
7 Administration
9 No class: buy reader in UW Bookstore (South Campus Hall)
14 Ancient Greek Rhetoric: Gorgias, “Encomium of Helen”*
16 Ancient Greek Rhetoric: Aristotle, Rhetoric
21 No class
23 Ancient Roman Rhetoric: Cicero, The Orator
28 Rhetoric and Drama: Shakespeare, Macbeth (Acts 1, 2)
30 Rhetoric and Drama: Shakespeare, Macbeth (Acts 3, 4, 5)
February
4 Comparative Rhetoric: George Kennedy, “A Hoot in the Dark: The Evolution of General Rhetoric”
6 Rhetoric and Feminism: Mariah Edgeworth, “The Noble Art of Self-Justification”
11 Rhetoric and Feminism: Helene Cixous, “The Laugh of the Medusa”
13 Rhetoric and Race: Gloria Anzaldua, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” “The Path of the Red and Black Ink”; NB: essay 1 due in class
18 Reading Week
20 Reading Week
25 Rhetoric and Critical Discourse Analysis: Norman Fairclough, “Global Capitalism and Critical Language Awareness”
27 Rhetoric and Science: Bruno Latour, “The Rhetoric of Science”
March
3 Rhetoric, Semiotics, and Popular Culture: Roland Barthes, “In the Ring,” “Einstein’s Brain,” “Steak-Frites,” “The Jet Man”
5 Rhetoric, Semiotics, and Popular Culture: Louis Marin, “Disneyland: A Degenerate Utopia”
10 No class
12 Rhetoric and Advertising: Linda Scott, “Images in Advertising: The Need for a Visual Rhetoric”; Chris Miles and Tomas Nilsson, “Marketing as Rhetoric” (optional reading)
17 Rhetoric and Videogames: Ian Bogost, “The Rhetoric of Videogames”
19 Rhetoric and Information Warfare: Ignas Kalpokas, “Information Warfare on Social Media: A Brand Management Perspective”
24 Rhetoric and Information Warfare: Media Ajir and Bethany Vailliant, “Russian Information Warfare: Implications for Deterrence Theory”
26 Coda—Rhetoric and Poetry: Gerard Manley Hopkins, Poems
31 Make-up day?
April
2 Quiz (in class)
5 NB: essay 2 due in LEARN Dropbox
*Link to the Gorgias text in case you do not yet have the reader: http://myweb.fsu.edu/jjm09f/RhetoricSpring2012/Gorgias%20Encomium%20of%20Helen.pdf
UW LEARN
This course uses UW LEARN for announcements, glossary, and submission of the final essay. Please familiarize yourself with this website and visit it before each class.
Requirements
10% Participation in class discussion and group activities
20% Reading responses
30% Essay 1
30% Essay 2
10% Quiz (in-class)
Participation (10%)
Students are expected to contribute to class discussion on a regular basis. This involves 1) participating in group work and 2) discussing texts and reading responses, raising ideas for discussion, responding to colleagues, asking questions, etc.
Reading Responses (minimum of 150 words) (20%)
For each text covered in the course, you are required to write a reading response that provides three reasons why the text under discussion is important to the study of rhetoric as you understand it. In addition to demonstrating that you have read and reflected on these works, responses serve as the basis for informed class discussion.
Format
Your three observations should be separated and numbered as follows: 1. Reason 1; 2. Reason 2; 3. Reason 3. Responses must be a minimum of 150 words; Times New Roman 12 pt.; double-spaced; Word doc. or pdf. Please state the word count of your response at the top of the page. Responses are to be printed and submitted as a hard copy at the end of each class.
Responses are read but not returned or graded qualitatively—credit is earned for completing the assignment, so please make sure you fulfill the requirements of the assignment (especially word count). Please note that late responses will not be accepted.
Essay 1 (1800 words = 6 pp.) (30%)
Write an essay in which you compare and/or contrast any two texts on the first half of the syllabus (up to and including Cixous). Do not merely summarize these works. Instead, isolate key issues, themes, or problems and offer an interpretation and argument that evaluates their significance to the field of rhetorical studies as you understand it. Be sure to develop an argument over the course of the whole essay rather than simply conjoining two distinct papers. In addition, be sure to support your argument with relevant citations from the text.
Format: 1800 words; Times New Roman 12 pt.; double-spaced; Word doc or pdf; 1” margins. Please state the word count of your essay at the top of the page.
Essay 2 (1800 words = 6 pp.) (30%)
Write an essay in which you compare and/or contrast any two texts on the second half of the syllabus (after Cixous). Do not merely summarize these works. Instead, isolate key issues, themes, or problems and offer an interpretation and argument that evaluates their significance to the field of rhetorical studies as you understand it. Be sure to develop an argument over the course of the whole essay rather than simply conjoining two distinct papers. In addition, be sure to support your argument with relevant citations from the text.
Format: 1800 words; Times New Roman 12 pt.; double-spaced; Word doc or pdf; 1” margins. Please state the word count of your essay at the top of the page. Submit to the Essay 2 Dropbox.
Quiz (in-class) (10%)
The quiz consists of 20 questions that ask you to 1) define key rhetorical terms (see Glossary on LEARN site) and 2) answer general questions about course content and lectures.
Grading
Essays will be graded according to the following criteria: 1) grammar; 2) style; 3) structure and coherence; 4) content; 5) argumentation, including use of evidence; 6) originality. An “A” range essay will be excellent in most of these areas; a “B” range essay will be good in most of them; a “C” range essay will be adequate in most of them; and a “D” range essay will be inadequate in most of them.
Policies
Reader
All required texts are assembled in the Course Reader, available in the UW bookstore in South Campus Hall. Students are required to purchase and bring the reader to every class. If it is not in stock, place an order and it should arrive in a day or two.
Attendance
In keeping with the University of Waterloo’s attendance policy, students are “expected to attend all meets” of the course and may be required to “present documentation proving the reasons for non-attendance” (UG Calendar). Students who miss more than 4 classes without providing adequate documentation may be penalized 2% of their final grade for each subsequent absence. Students who miss more than 8 classes are unlikely to pass the course.
Electronic Device Policy
The university classroom is a social space that revolves around the collaborative work of interpreting texts and discussing ideas. This means that we need to be present and pay respectful attention to each other and to the material under discussion. For this reason, please turn off and put away laptop computers, cellular phones, and other electronic devices in class. I am, of course, happy to accommodate students with legitimate reasons for needing a laptop (beyond merely preferring one for taking notes, etc.). If you require—rather than prefer—a laptop for taking notes, please send me an email request.
Late Penalties
Unless an extension has been requested and granted in advance, the professor reserves the right to subtract 5% per day from the assignment grade.
Collegiality
Students are expected to be informed, attentive, and collegial in class. Gossiping, note-passing and other types of uncivil behaviour will be discouraged.
Food
Many students suffer from food allergies, sensitivities, etc., so please do not bring food to class (though drinks are fine).
University of Waterloo Policy on Academic Offences (including plagiarism)
Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm
Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm
Academic Integrity website (Arts): http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/ugrad/academic_responsibility.html