Bateman

SAEL 200: Social Advocacy and Ethical Life

Sec. 027: MW 2:20-3:35, Room: Hamilton College 140
Instructor: Cynthia Bateman

Contact Information:
Office: Humanities Office Building, Room 323
Email: cynthiaabateman@gmail.com
Office Hours: Monday 12:30-2:00, Monday 5:20-6:00, and by appointment
Course Overview:
Social Advocacy & Ethical Life is addressed to the nature and relationship of ethics and forms of
expression in a variety of socio-political contexts. Students in the course will have an
opportunity to critically investigate theories of ethics and principles of spoken advocacy, and to
apply their inquiry in a cumulative series of exercises and performances. Both critical and
practical, the work undertaken in this course offers a chance for students to: 1) question the
meaning and importance of contemporary calls for civility, engaged citizenship, and
deliberation; 2) investigate the roots, power, and limits of ethical discourse and its relevance to
social and political decision-making; and 3) develop a working understanding of the principles
of social advocacy and the ways in which communication constructs, supports, and remakes
the grounds of ethical interaction.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Define the idea of social advocacy, identify distinct forms of advocacy, and
demonstrate an understanding of the respective values and limits of such
communicative practices in a variety of social, political, and cultural situations;
Define sources and functions of ethical reasoning and explain its importance in the
development of individual and collective life, identify key ethical concepts and
recognize the kinds of social and political issues that provoke ethical questions, and
critically analyze and engage ethical controversies that shape personal and social
norms of responsibility;
Understand, perform, and critically assess the ways in which social advocacy can
invent, shape, and upset personal and collective ethical commitments and the ways
in which ethical frameworks enable, promote, and guide advocacy;
Understand and explain the fundamental concepts and frameworks that enable
social advocacy, including principles of argumentation, ethical forms of persuasion,
theories of the rhetorical situation and audience interaction, and modes of listening;
Apply and demonstrate the basic concepts of ethical social advocacy through the
performance of speeches that address a variety of ethical issues and which engage
audiences with diverse and conflicting ethical commitments;
Critically assess the ethical responsibilities entailed in social advocacy and the
conditions under which advocacy may be an ethical responsibility.

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Course Materials:
Course Reader (purchase in Russell House Quick Copy)
Additional course readings on Blackboard (student is responsible for printing these
out and bringing them to class).
A notebook designated for this course only.
You will also need access to a college-level dictionary.

Course Structure and Required Assignments:

In this course, we will engage in a variety of activities, including lecture, lecture-based
discussion, group activities, student speeches, and critical evaluation of contemporary
discourse. Over the semester, students in this course will be asked to undertake and complete
the following assignments. Each assignment will be detailed in handouts posted to our course
website and discussed in class.
Class Participation, Preparation, and Engagement with Readings: Includes coming to class
on time, having readings printed out and marked up, pen, and class notebook out on desk and
ready to go, and contributing to each class discussion with thoughtful questions and engaging
commentary. As you can see, this is a reading intensive course. At times the readings are dense
and difficult and will require multiple readings on your part (I suggest you allow yourself time
to read each reading twice). I encourage you to utilize office hours to discuss readings or
concepts you find particularly difficult. In addition, I expect you will bring your questions to
class and share them as our class is best served when its focus is directed by and towards your
learning needs. To aid you in your reading process, I will provide you with a set of guided
reading questions to be completed for each theory reading. Class participation is worth 175
points.
Speaking:
1. Imagining Advocacy: For this assignment, each member of the course will develop,
compose, and deliver a 2 - 3 minute speech addressed to a social, political,
and/or cultural problem that provokes their interest and for which they are willing
to advocate. The assignment is worth 50 points.
2. Discovering an Issue: In this second speaking assignment, each member of the
class will research a significant social-political-public issue and then develop and
deliver a 4 - 5 minute speech addressed to the history, contours, and ethical
importance of that issue. The assignment is 75 points.
3. Making a Case: This assignment asks each member of the class to develop and
present a 5 - 6 minute speech that proceeds from a specific claim about an issue
and which endeavors to generate interest from an audience. Working with the issues
taken up in the discovering an issue speech, the goal of this speech is to move
from providing information about a problem to making a specific claim about the
meaning, significance, and/or approach to understanding of an ethical issue. The
assignment is worth 100 points.
4. Debating for Judgment: The aim of the assignment is to undertake a debate over a
single issue or problem and to do so in a manner that invites an audience to
undertake deliberation and judgment about the merits and implications of the
question under consideration. This is a collaborative exercise in which class

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members will work in assigned groups. Each debate will consist of a twelve 10
minute performance. The assignment is worth 100 points. Please note: this is a
group grade.
Writing
1. Mediating Ethics, Draft 1: This assignment requires you to put an assigned
theoretical reading in conversation with a current news event and a multimodal
artifact of your choosing. Triangulating the assigned reading with your event and
artifact, you will compose a conversation of sorts, mediated a specific line of ethical
inquiry through the three objects. This paper is to be three-pages minimum. This
assignment is worth 75 points.
2. Mediating Ethics, Final: This assignment requires a significant revision and
elaboration of the conversation began in draft 1 of this paper. Students are required
to schedule individual conferences with me to discuss their revision plans prior to
submitting the final draft of this paper. This paper is to be six-pages minimum. This
assignment is worth 125 points.
3. Reading Through Analysis Paper: This assignment requires you to conduct an
analysis of a specific aspect of J. M. Coetzees The Lives of Animals by reading
Coetzees work through the lens of one of the theoretical readings of the course (you
may choose which theory reading to use for your analysis). This paper is to be threepages minimum. This assignment is worth 100 points.
Course Policies:
Attendance: Students are expected to attend every class meeting in accordance
with the University Attendance Policy. Success in this course rests heavily on
engaged participation. If you are not present, you cannot participate. Also see the
section below on course policies regarding make-up speeches.
Class Preparation: Readings are to be completed for the day they are listed on the
schedule (for example, come to class Tuesday having read the materials listed for
Tuesday). All students are expected to bring hard copies of their readings printed
from Blackboard to class everyday. Electronic versions of readings will not be
allowed. On days that you deliver or workshop a speech, all preparatory forms must
be completed. Speech outlines must be submitted at the time of speaking.
Technology: I have a No Screens policy. This means no laptops, tablets, cell
phones, etc. Please put your cell phones on vibrate before the start of class. If you
are expecting a call or urgent notification and need to have your cell phone out,
please let me know at the start of class. Otherwise, this is a strictly pen and paper
course.
Grading Scale: The following scale will be used for the calculation and assignment
of all grades in the course.

Total possible points: 800

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A: 100%-90% (800-720)
B+: 89-86% (719-680)
B: 85-80% (679-640)
C+: 79-76% (639-608)
C: 75-70% (607-560)
D: 69-60% (559-480)
F: Below 60 (<480)

Make-Up Speeches: In order to complete our work and deliver a full complement of
speeches, all students must be diligent in presenting their speech on the day it is
assigned. It is almost impossible to allow make-up speeches in class. For this
reason, unexcused missed speeches may be performed only outside of class (i.e.
office hours) and for no more than 50% credit. Students can make up their speech
in class for full credit only if there is clear and authoritative documentation that
attendance was prevented by: bereavement; disabling illness; accident or disabling
injury; legal obligation; university authorization. No late written work will be
accepted.
Classroom Conduct: Because this is a discussion-based class it is most beneficial
for you to engage in classroom conversations with the instructor and with one
another. Please speak freely and often, i.e., it is not necessary to raise your hand
and wait to be acknowledged in order to speak. Having said that, I do expect that
you will exercise common courtesy when communicating with the instructor and
your classmates. Please refer to the Carolina Creed for additional information on
appropriate campus behavior: http://www.sa.sc.edu/creed/).
Academic Responsibility, Integrity and Ethics: The Carolina Community holds
that It is the responsibility of every student at the University of South Carolina to
adhere steadfastly to truthfulness and to avoid dishonesty, fraud or deceit of any
type in connection with any academic program. Any student who violates this rule
or who assists others to do so will be subject to discipline. Dishonesty will
constitute:
o

Giving or receiving unauthorized assistance, or attempting to give or receive

such assistance, in connection with the performance of ANY academic work.

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o
o
o

Unauthorized use of materials or information of any type including the use

of any obtained through electronic or mechanical means.
Access to the contents of any test or examination prior to its administration.
Unauthorized use of another persons work without proper acknowledgement
of source, regardless of whether the lack of acknowledgment was
unintentional.
Intentional misrepresentation by word or action of any situation of fact, or
intentional omission of material fact, so as to mislead any person in
connection with any academic work.
Please visit the following link for a thorough explanation of USCs honor
code: http://www.sc.edu/policies/staf625.pdf

Email Etiquette: The best way to reach me is via email. In order to receive the
fastest response possible, please format your email as followsinclude a topic in the
subject line, a greeting, and sign the message with your first and last name (I may
have three Amys in class. Which one are you?) I will respond to emails received
between the hours of 8:00am and 7:00pm Monday-Friday the same day I receive
them. I will respond to emails received outside of this window the next day. Emails
sent after 7:00pm on Friday will be returned the following Monday.
Students with Disabilities: Any person who because of a disability may need
special arrangements or accommodations to meet the requirements of this course
should consult with the instructor as soon as possible. The Office of Disability
Services may be reached at (803) 777-6142, or at www.sa.sc.edu/sds/.

Additional Resources:
USC Writing Center- The Writing Center offers help in developing, organizing,
proofreading, and clarifying your papers. Their services are free to university students
so take advantage of them! The Writing Center is located in Byrnes Building, room 703.
Please call (803) 777-2078 or visit http://artsandsciences.sc.edu/write/ to make an
appointment.
USC Counseling Services provides students with confidential access to speak with
trained counselors for any number of reasons including stress, anxiety, depression, etc.
This service is available at no cost to registered students. Counseling Services is located
on the seventh floor of Byrnes Building. Please call (803) 777- 5223 to make an
appointment.
OWL- The Purdue Online Writing Lab (or OWL) is a great resource for a variety of
writing issues such as MLA and APA format and guides to avoiding plagiarism. Please
visit OWL at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
***This syllabus may be altered at any time throughout the semester at the instructors
discretion. Changes will be announced in class and on our website.***

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Daily Schedule (Subject to change)

Week 1:
Monday, August 24th
Welcome; Foundational
Concepts

Lecture: What is ethics and how does it relate to advocacy?;

how to be successful in this course in three easy steps

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Wednesday, August 26th

The Difficulty of
Expression, Part I

Readings due: Audre Lordes The Transformation of Silence

Into Language and Action, bell hooks Theory as Liberatory
Practice

Week 2:
Monday, August 31st
Rhetoric and
Argumentation, Part I

Readings due: Foss and Griffins Invitational Rhetoric;

Assign Imagining Advocacy speech

Wednesday, September
2nd
Rhetoric and
Argumentation, Part II

Week 3:
Monday, September 7th

Wednesday, September
9th
Rhetoric and
Argumentation, Part III
Week 4:
Monday, September 14th
Freedom and Equality,
Part I
Wednesday, September
16th
Freedom and Equality,
Part II

Week 5:
Monday, September 21st
Justice and Fairness,
Part I

Readings due: Brockreide and Ehningers Toulmin on

Argument, Woolfs The Death of the Moth

No Class: Labor Day

Imagining Advocacy speech due; Readings due: Klumps

Taking Social Argument Seriously; Assign: Discovering an
Issue speech

Readings due: John Stuart Mills Utilitarianism,

Vonneguts Harrison Bergeron; in-class artifact viewing

Readings due: Peter Singers Famine, Affluence, Morality,

Cohens When Good People Do Nothing: The Appalling
Story of South Carolinas Prisons

Readings due: Rawls A Theory of Justice, Kafkas Before

the Law; in-class artifact viewing

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Wednesday, September
23rd
Justice and Fairness,
Part II
Week 6:
Monday, September 28th
Speeches
Wednesday, September
30th
Speeches

Week 7:
Monday, October 5th
Ethics, Advocacy, and
Social Life, Part I
Wednesday, October 7th
Ethics, Advocacy, and
Social Life, Part II

Week 8:
Monday, October 12th
Ethics, Advocacy, and
Social Life, Part III
Wednesday, October
14th
The Difficulty of
Expression, Part II
Week 9:
Monday, October 19th
The Function of Art
Wednesday, October
21st
Beauty

Readings due: Youngs Displacing the Distributive

Paradigm; in-class artifact viewing

Discovering an Issue speeches due; Assign: Mediating

Ethics, draft 1 Essay
Discovering an Issue speeches due; Assign Making a
Case speech

Readings due: Coetzees The Lives of Animals, part I; Assign:

Reading Through Analysis Essay

Readings due: Coetzees The Lives of Animals, Part II

Readings due: Wallaces Consider the Lobster; In-class:

Radio Lab Yellow Rain excerpt

Readings due: Havels A Word About Words; In-class: Toni

Morrisons Oppressive Language audio and transcript

Readings due: Butlers The Value of Being Disturbed, inclass artifact viewing
Readings due: Santayanas The Nature of Beauty, in-class
artifact viewing; Reading Through Analysis Essay due

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Week 10:
Monday, October 26th
Speeches
Wednesday, October
28th
Speeches
Week 11:
Monday, November 2nd
Deliberating and
Judging, Part I
Wednesday, November
4th
Deliberating and
Judging, Part II

Week 12:
Monday, November 9th
Deliberating and
Judging, Part III
Wednesday, November
11th
Terms of Ethical Life,
Part I

Week 13:
Monday, November 16th
Terms of Ethical Life,
Part II
Wednesday, November
18th

Week 14:

Making a Case speech due

Making a Case speech due; assign: Debating for

Judgment speech

Readings due: King, Jrs Letter From Birmingham Jail,

Coates Nonviolence as Compliance; Vallones Protest is
Broken
Readings due: Thoreaus Civil Disobedience, Louis
Hymans Why the CVS Burned; in-class artifact viewing

Readings due: Shers But I Could Be Wrong, Humes

Moral Distinctions Not Derived From Reason, McBrayers
Why Our Children Dont Think There are Moral Facts
Readings due: Jonathan Bennetts The Conscience of
Huckleberry Finn; Ursula Le Guins The Ones Who Walk
Away

Readings due: Irigarys Animal Compassion; due:

Mediating Ethics, draft 1

Meet with speech partner independently

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Monday, November 23rd

Happiness

Readings due: Ahmeds Why Happiness, Why Now?

Wednesday, November
25th
Terms of Ethical Life,
Part I
Week 15:
Monday, November 30th
Speeches

No class: Thanksgiving

Wednesday, December
2nd
Speeches

10

Debating for Judgment speech due

Debating for Judgment speech due

**Final Exam period tba: Mediating Ethics, Final Essay will be due during our final
exam period.**