ENGL 101B W23 Eckert

ENGL 101B

W23 Eckert

Course Description

This class seeks to introduce students to the essential concepts, frameworks, and controversies in the history and theory of rhetoric by analyzing key selections from foundational texts, both ancient and contemporary. In addition to demonstrating the relevance of rhetorical theory and criticism to a variety of social, intellectual, and cultural fields (law, politics, philosophy, literature, advertising, etc.), the class also explores emerging forms of rhetorical practice made possible by new media technologies, such as propaganda, computational gaming, and information warfare. Students will leave the class with a firm grasp of basic concepts of rhetorical theory, a sense of the history of rhetoric, and a deeper appreciation for rhetoric as an inventive, critical, multimodal, and multidisciplinary enterprise—what Aristotle calls the art of persuasion or “a faculty of finding the available means of persuasion” and Quintilian calls an “encompassing art” (ars circumcurrens).

Learning and Course Objectives:

Leaving this course, students should be able to: 

• Identify essential concepts, frameworks and controversies in the history and theory of rhetoric in both ancient and contemporary.

• Recall and describe the relevance of rhetorical theory and criticism to a variety of social, intellectual, and cultural fields (law, politics, philosophy, literature, advertising, etc.), and theoretical issues that have emerged in rhetorical scholarship.

• Describe the arguments from emerging forms of rhetorical practice made possible by new media technologies, such as propaganda, computational gaming, and information warfare with which rhetorical scholarship is concerned.

• Apply basic concepts of rhetorical theory and theoretical frames from both ancient and contemporary rhetorical scholarship to perform rhetorical criticism.

Readings and Resources

You can find all of the readings online. I have provided links to articles, noted which book selections to search through the UW Libraries, and posted a few difficult-to-find readings on Learn. No textbook for the course.

Reference Texts

MacDonald, M. J. (Ed.). (2017). The Oxford Handbook of Rhetorical Studies. Oxford University Press. Available online through UW libraries.

Sloane, T. O. (Ed.). (2001). Encyclopedia of Rhetoric. Oxford University Press. Available online through UW libraries.

Mere Rhetoric podcast: http://mererhetoric.libsyn.com/ Rhetoricity podcast: https://rhetoricity.libsyn.com/

Rhetoricity podcast: https://rhetoricity.libsyn.com/

Required Course Readings

All required readings will be available on LEARN, unless otherwise indicated. Weekly readings are indicated (below) on the Class and Assignment Schedule. This course uses UW LEARN for announcements, reading responses, discussion posts, submission of assignments, etc. Please familiarize yourself with this website and visit it regularly.

Course Schedule

The following schedule lists the course content pages and the activities and assignments associated with each page. See the content pages for required readings and more information about the activities and assignments.

Dates listed below indicate when activities and assignments must be submitted, but you should plan to start them well before the due date to give yourself enough time to complete them.

Submissions listed with a point value contribute towards your mark. Percent values indicate the weight of assignment submissions towards your final grade.

Course Assignments and Requirements

• Reading Responses – 10%
• Group Presentation – 20%
• Research Essay Proposal – 10%
• Mid-term Exam (take home) – 20%
• Research Essay – 20%
• In-Class Quiz – 10%
• Participation – 10%

Reading Responses (150 words, 5 x 2% = 10%) – Thursday’s by 1:00pm

At least five times, you will submit reading responses (150 words) that provides:

1. Two reasons why the text under discussion for the week is important to the study of rhetoric as you understand it, and
2. A quotation from the text(s) to support each reason.

When there are two texts under discussion, choose one or incorporate both. In addition to demonstrating that you have read and reflected on these works, responses serve as the basis for informed class discussion.

Your 150-word reflection on some feature of the week's readings will link the rhetoric reading with the theory reading. In other words, you must write about one (or both source texts) linking it to the theory reading (e.g. Herrick and an aspect of Aristotle).

The reflection should be concise, lucid, and concrete; it should have a clear thesis or it should pointedly articulate a question for reflection, and it must cite or quote from the texts, if only briefly. Reference to earlier readings can enrich your reflection. Sparking connections between different readings is one of the goals. A useful strategy is to use a passage from theory and a passage from fiction together as a kind of epigraph.

You will be also be asked to discuss your reading responses, raising ideas for discussion, responding to others, asking questions, etc. as part of your participation mark (10%).

Due Date and Format

Responses are to be submitted to the LEARN "Reading Responses" Dropbox by 1:00 PM (Thursdays) and pasted—not uploaded as a file—into the "Reading Responses" discussion section of the LEARN website for your classmates to read and comment on. Students are encouraged to read and comment on their classmates' responses.

Responses must be a min/max of 150 words; Times New Roman 12 pt. Make sure to bring a copy to each class for discussion purposes.

Late responses will not be accepted (the Dropbox closes at 1:00 pm). Responses are read but not graded; credit is earned for completing the assignment. Responses will be tallied at the end of the semester, not weekly.

Group Presentation (1,250 words, 20%) – Sign-up

Create a presentation in which you analyze one of the works on the syllabus (you will sign up for a text). Do not merely summarize the text, though summary and exposition may be part of your essay. Instead, offer an interpretation and supporting argument that demonstrates its significance to the field of rhetorical studies as you understand it. The goal is to teach your classmates about the text and its importance for the study of rhetoric, and how it relates to a common understanding of rhetoric. Be sure to support your argument with brief, relevant citations from the text.

Due Date and Format

When you choose the author/work from the syllabus – that will be your due date. A digital (soft) copy of the presentation is to be submitted to LEARN on the day it is presented. You will present to the class (conference style) and be prepared to answer questions following the presentation.

Format:

• Approx. 1,250 words; double-spaced; 12 point; Times New Roman; 1” margins;
• MS PowerPoint, PDF, Word doc or docx.
• Please state your names, course, assignment, date and the word count at the top left above your title on the first page.

Research Essay Proposal (500-700 words, 10%) – Friday, Feb. 17

References: 2-3 scholarly references beyond what we have read in class. Citation style: Open, but use one (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) consistently.

Due Date and Format

A soft copy of the essay is to be submitted to LEARN on the day it is due.

Your research essay is the largest percentage of your grade and your efforts should reflect that weighting. Your research essay proposal, which you will have completed earlier in the term, is your opportunity to refine your argument and outline your research project before you begin writing.

Your research essay will take the form of rhetorical criticism. You should choose an issue or topic you wish to examine through the lens of rhetorical theory. You may choose from the different areas of scholarship we are studying throughout the term, but you will need to draw from additional scholarship, which you will have identified in your proposal.

It is important that your essay clearly identifies the area of rhetorical scholarship you wish to situate your research. You will also need to make a strong argument for the importance of the topic you have chosen and, crucially, why rhetoric is a useful framework to explore that topic. Your essay should be sufficiently narrow in scope that you have space to provide a detailed analysis of your topic and draw some conclusions about the topic/issue using rhetorical theory.

In-Class Quiz (10%) – March 23 @ 4pm (start of class)

The quiz (in-class) will ask you to define key rhetorical terms and answer general questions concerning course content and lectures.

Participation (10%)

Students are expected to contribute to class discussion on a regular basis. This involves discussing reading responses, raising ideas for discussion, responding to others, asking questions, etc. In addition, you will be asked to sign up to discuss your reading with the class three times during the semester.

Course Policies

Course policies are essentially based on respectful communication and setting clear expectations. If some- thing about the course, be it an assignment or policy, is not clear to you please write me and we will sort the issue. The following information is not just syllabus boilerplate and I hope you will take the time to read it carefully and ask me questions if you’re not sure about something. A syllabus functions as a kind of contract between instructor and student, but more importantly it is a resource and connects you to resources both in the classroom and around campus.

Absences

Missing 5 classes without an excused absence results in a failing grade for the course. If there is some reason you are struggling with attendance, please contact me prior to missing 5 class meetings.

Emergencies and Absences

In a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines, and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances beyond the instructor’s control. Relevant changes to this course will be posted onto the course website or can be obtained by contacting the instructor via email. You are expected to read your @uwaterloo.ca email frequently.

Personal emergencies should be communicated to me as soon as possible but attend first to you and your family’s well-being. Such absences might be related to physical or mental illness. Whatever happens to be your particular situation is not my business and all I need to know is there was a medical emergency. You do not need to provide any details.

Grade Concerns and Incompletes

Should your grades concern you then you must speak with me within the first 3/4 of the term; the last quarter of the term will not provide sufficient time to markedly improve your final grade. Finally, I will not grant an incomplete in the course; if you have concerns about completing your term please write to me as soon as possible.

Missed or Late Work

I will not accept late assignments if you were not granted an extension or faced an emergency situation. If you know you will need an extension, please speak with me at least 48 hours prior to the due date.

Academic integrity

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.

Academic Integrity website (Arts):

http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/ugrad/academic_responsibility.html

scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit alternate assignment.

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 penal- ties 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. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat-general-counsel/policies- procedures-guidelines/guidelines/guidelines-assessment-penalties).

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. When in doubt, please contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.