Rhetoric 1302 section 502

Fall 2005

CAROLINE NAJOUR
University of Texas at Dallas
School of Arts & Humanities

DAYS/TIME
MW 7-8:15pm
LOCATION JO 4.306

Office: JO 4.120

Office Hours: Wednesdays 8:15-9:15

Email: cxn038000@utdallas.edu

UTD Rhetoric Website: http://lingua.utdallas.edu/rhetoric

Contains links to course syllabus, reference and research resources, LRO, and Lingua Moo

Learning Record Online (LRO): http://lro.cwrl.utexas.edu

Course Description

This course focuses on critical thinking by using an integrated approach to writing that
teaches various rhetorical strategies for reading and constructing arguments, both written and
visual. You will learn to read texts critically according to key components in argumentative
discourse (i.e., claims, grounds, explicit and implicit assumptions, fallacies, etc.) and to
recognize the different purposes of argument. You will write and revise three to four papers
based on issues and controversies raised in the various texts read during the semester. The
assignments will give you extensive practice in reading critically and writing according to the
rhetorical conventions of an argumentative essay.

Learning Record Online

Student work will be collected in an electronic portfolio called the “Learning Record Online”
(LRO) throughout the semester. Use of online technology will enhance the level of feedback
you receive, as well as give you experie nce in the kinds of collaborative work that many
organizations use routinely. Online interaction and argumentative writing will comprise a
large part of the evaluation in the course. Other assignments will include interviews,
observations, and notes, all of which will be entered into your LRO. The LRO portfolio is
your most important argument in the course as it shows the sum evidence of your learning,
including your own observations and analysis of your learning. You will belong to a ³work
group² for various collaborative activities (i.e., discussion of readings, peer critiques), and
you will participate in mid-term and semester-end moderation readings of your LRO
portfolio for feedback from your peers. Because learning to read critically and write
responsively entails mastery of a process, your work will undergo extensive revisions in
response to peer readings and collaboration as well as conferencing with your instructor.

Required Text & Supplies

Everything¹s an Argument by Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters, 3rd ed.

Also bring a floppy disk (PC-formatted if you use a PC, Mac- formatted if you use a Mac).
The Rhetoric classroom uses Macintosh computers that can read either format. Most
documents will be produced in Microsoft Word. Whe ther you use MS Word outside of the
classroom or not, it is best to save your files as rich text format (RTF) to insure compatibility
between the word processing program you use and the one in your classroom.

Recommended Text

Quick Access Reference for Writers by Lynn Troyka, 4th ed.

The following is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

Attendance Policy

Because participation is vital to successful completion of Rhetoric 1302, you should attend
every class. If you must be absent, check with your classmates or with me for any work you
missed that can be made up. Much of the work is done collaboratively in class. Alternative
assignments are generally not given, nor can the instructor ‘re-teach’ missed classes for
individual students. If you miss more than two classes, your grade will be negatively
affected and/or you may be encouraged to drop the class. Two tardies will count as one
absence. Chronic tardiness is unacceptable, as are coming to class unprepared, doing work
that is not for this course during class, sleeping in class, or using the computers or other
personal electronic devices for personal messaging, research, or entertainment. Please turn
off cellular/mobile phones, pagers, and other personal electronic devices during class.

Office Hours

Please note my regular office hours above. You also can arrange to see me at other times that
are mutually convenient. Office hours belong to you just as much as our class time. Don¹t
hesitate to take advantage of my availability and the help I am ready to offer. If you need to
contact me outside of class time or office hours, it is best to communicate with me by email.
Email Policy

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO UTD STUDENTS: As of August 1, 2004, all email

correspondence with students will be sent ONLY to the student's U.T. Dallas email address.
U.T. Dallas provides each student with a free email account that is to be used in all
communication with university personnel. This allows the university to maintain a high
degree of confidence in the identity of all individuals corresponding and the security of the
transmitted information. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a
method for students to forward email from other accounts to their U.T. Dallas address and
have their U.T. Dallas mail sent on to other accounts. Students may go to the following URL
to establish or maintain their official U.T. Dallas computer account: http://netid.utdallas.edu/

Grading Policy

This class offers you an approach to learning that may be different from your past
experiences. Because the course is concerned with your development as a critical reader and
writer, the grading strategy will track and monitor that development. Your work will be
collected in an electronic portfolio called the Learning Record Online (LRO). Your
assignments will not receive individual grades, but will receive individual attention from
your classmates and me. Your mid-term and final grades will be based on your portfolio of
written observations and your work samples, including collaborative work and your three
major essays, as well as completion of each component of your LRO. In the final step to
completing your LRO, you will argue for your grade by summarizing your learning and
estimating the grade that the evidence of your learning supports. In other words, you will
directly apply what you learn in this course, argumentative writing, by arguing for your own
grade. However, each component of the LRO is vital to a quality body of work: your
attendance, participation, promptness, level of writing. effective arguments, creativity,
collaboration, sound rhetorical skills, competent use of technology‹all of these things and
more contribute to an outstanding portfolio.

Your goal is to demonstrate your development toward mastery of five course strands
(rhetoric, research, technology, collaboration, and critical thinking) and development across
five dimensions of learning (confidence and independence, skills and strategies, knowledge
and understanding, use of prior and emerging experience, and reflectiveness). These goals
will be discussed throughout the course. Keep in mind that although we do give + and
grades at UTD, the general criteria for grading your Learning Record is still based on the A-F
scale.

The following grade criteria describe very general indicators that both you and your
instructor may take into consideration when assessing your work and progress in the
course. Your estimation of your mid-term and final grades should be more detailed and
specific and may include a Œ+¹ or ŒŒ if your work tilts above or below the central
grade for which you argue. But the final interpretation and assessment of your grade
remains the responsibility of your teacher.
A: Represents outstanding participation in all course activities (including attendance and
promptness); all assigned work completed on time, with very high quality in all work
produced for the course. Evidence of significant and sustained development across the
five dimensions of learning and five course strands.

B: Represents excellent participation in all course activities (including attendance and

promptness); all assigned work completed on time, with consistently high quality in
course work. Evidence of marked and above average development across the five
dimensions of learning and five course strands.

C: Represents good (but average) participation in all course activities; all assigned work
completed, with generally good quality overall in course work. Evidence of some
development across the five dimensions of learning and five course strands.

D: Represents uneven participation in course activities; some gaps in assigned work

completed, with inconsistent quality in course work. Evidence of development across the
five dimensions of learning and five course strands is partial or unclear.

F: Represents minimal participation in course activities; serious gaps in assigned work

completed, or very low quality in course work. Evidence of development is not available.

UTD Grading scale

(http://www.utdallas.edu/student/catalog/undergrad02/progress.html#Grading%20Scale)

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is the representation of another person¹s work as your own, whether you mean to
or not. For example, copying or paraphrasing passages from another writer¹s work without
acknowledging that you¹ve done so is plagiarism. Allowing another writer to write any part
of your essay is plagiarism. Copying or purchasing a paper from any source is plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a serious offense. The possible consequences range from failing the assignment
to failing the course, or worse. Each incident of plagiarism at UTD must be reported to the
administration. If you are not sure how to properly cite a quoted or paraphrased source, or if
you need help with the format of a citation, check with the New Century Handbook and/or
with your teacher. Although you can (and, in fact, should) seek help and advice from friends,
classmates, tutors, and others, be sure that your written work is your own.

See the Undergraduate Catalog for information about the consequences of Scholastic
Dishonesty, or view the policy here (which is also a link on the Rhetoric Program website):

http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html.
Major Assignments

First Essay: A 4 to 5 page essay that presents a definition or evaluation argument using the
principles and criteria in Everything¹s an Argument (Chapter 9 or 10).
First draft due: 9/28
Final draft due: 10/10

Second Essay: A 5 to 6 textual and visual essay that examines and analyzes the argument of
a visual image (or images) using the criteria in Chapter 15 of Everything¹s an Argument. This
essay may be created and archived in Lingua MOO or the WWW, or it may be a traditional
Word document that simply displays the image(s) in the body of your essay. Your image may
come from the visuals in Everything¹s an Argument, other publications, Internet, or other
media.
First draft due: 10/24
Final draft due: 10/31

Third Essay: A 6 to 7 page essay that presents a causal or proposal argument using the
principles and criteria in Everything’s an Argument (Chapter11 or 12).
First draft due: 11/14
Second draft due: 11/16
Final draft due: 11/28

Learning Record Online: This is an online resource for managing and documenting the
work and learning you do in this class. Various assignments will be due throughout the
semester, and all observations, drafts, and essays must be included in the LRO on the date
due.
Parts A.1 and A.2 are due: 8/31
Parts B.1 and C.1 are due: 10/10
Parts B.2 and C.2 are due: 11/28

Remember: all drafts and final drafts must be recorded online in your LRO and turned
in to me in hard copy (using MLA format and citation and including a Works Cited
page) on the dates they are due.

Syllabus Itinerary (subject to change)

[Assignments are due by the next class period unless noted otherwise]
[Assignments from Everything¹s an Argument textbook will be denoted by EA]

Mon 8/22: Introduction to course and Rhetoric program website.

Assignments : Read EA Chapter 1.

Wed 8/24: Introduction to the LRO and discussion of EA Chapter 1.

Assignments: Read EA chs 2 and 3; Complete parts A1 and A2 of the learning
record by 8/31.
Mon 8/29: Discussion of EA chs 2 and 3
Assignments: Read EA ch 4 and bring a magazine to class next session (see response #
2 on page 76); Parts A1 and A2 of the LRO are due next session.

Wed 8/31: Due Parts A1 and A2 of the LRO; Discussion of EA Ch 4; small groups on
rhetorical analysis of emotional appeal in magazine ads.
Assignments: Read EA ch 5 and pages 535-555.

Mon 9/5: Discussion of EA Ch 5 and “Privacy and Civil Liberties after 9/11”
Assignments: Read EA chs 6 and 7.

Wed 9/7: Discuss EA chaps 6 and 7

Assignments: Read EA ch 8 and an essay on “Ted Bundy. ”

Mon 9/12: Discussion of EA Ch 8 and Toulmin analysis of the Ted Bundy essay.

Wed 9/14: Library tour

Assignments: Read EA ch 9 and pages 846-863

Mon 9/19: Discussion of the assigned readings.

Assignments: Read EA Chs 10, 21 and 22.
Essay # 1 assigned (Definition/Evaluation argument)

Wed 9/21: Discussion of assigned readings.

Assignments: Read EA 654-666 and pages 424-441 ( MLA format and how to cite and
create a works cited page.)

Mon 9/26: Discussion of assigned readings.

Assignments: Finish working on the first draft of your essay. Bring a hard copy to
class

Wed 9/28: First draft of essay # 1 due in the LRO. Peer reviews.
Assignments : Continue working on your essay

Mon 10/3: Teacher-student conferences

Assignments : Continue working on your essay due the following session.

Wed 10/5: Final draft of essay # 1 due in the LRO. MOO workshop; create rooms and
objects for visual project.
Assignments: Work on Parts B1 and C1 of the LRO due next session.

Mon 10/10: Parts B1 and C1 are due in the LRO. Moderation readings.
Assignments : Read EA ch 15 and bring the visual exercise CD to class. Essay # 2
assigned (visual argument).
Wed 10/12: Discussion of assigned reading and work on visual exercises in class.
Assignments: Decide on an image for your essay and bring to class.

Mon 10/17: small group discussion of images; work on visual exercises

Assignments: work on your visual essay.

Wed 10/19: Discussion of some movie trailers.

Assignments: work on your visual essay.

Mon 10/24: First draft of visual essay due . Peer reviews.

Assignments: work on your visual essay taking into consideration peer feedback.

Wed 10/26: Teacher-student conferences.

Assignments: work on your visual essay due the following session and read EA ch 11.

Mon 10/31: Final draft of essay # 2 is due in Lingua MOO and the LRO. Discussion
of ch 11.
Assignment : Read EA ch 12 and pages 730-737; 751-756; 760-766.

Wed 11/2: Discussion of EA ch 12 and assigned readings; small group discussions on

paper topics.
Asssignment: refine paper topics and start working on your essay.

Mon 11/7: Teacher-student conferences on paper topics. Make sure to bring a prospectus
and a list of the bibliography you are planning to use.

Wed 11/9: In-class writing on first draft of essay #3.

Assignments : Finish working on your first draft of your essay. Bring a hard copy to
class.

Mon 11/14: First draft of essay # 3 is due in the LRO. Peer reviews.

Wed 11/16: Second draft due in the LRO. JFK role play.

Mon 11/21: Conference with instructor on essay 3.

Assignment : Keep working on your essay.

Wed11/23: Discussion of revision techniques and elevating style; in-class writing.

Mon 11/28: Final draft of essay # 3 due in the LRO; LRO parts B.2 and C.2 due
today. Moderation readings.