October 31, 2002
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
This schedule is dynamic and responds to the needs of the classroom situation and students as we move through the course. There is more here than we can do, so readings may be rearranged, some dropped, as the needs of the situation demands. All changes to the syllabus will be announced in class and made online.
Date
Class Session
Homework
Unit 1: Classical Rhetoric: The Pre-Moderns
Week 1
T 8/27
Course Introduction
Read: Course Description; Donald C. Bryant, "Rhetoric: Its Function and its Scope" (Rdr); Richard D. Johnson (Sheehan), "What Is Rhetoric?"; and Herrick, Chapter 1
Useful Online Resources: "Rhetoric" from Encyclopedia Britannica;
What is "rhetoric," "theory," and the Relationship of Theory to Practice?
Th 8/29
Discuss: "What Is Rhetoric?," Bryant, & Herrick
Read: Douglas W Ehninger, "On Systems of Rhetoric" & Robert Scott, "On Viewing Rhetoric as Epistemic" (Rdr)
Week 2
 T 9/3
 Discuss: Ehninger & Scott Read: Herrick, Ch 2; Gorgias, "Encomium on Helen"
Historical Roots of Rhetorical Theory: Sophistic Rhetorics

Th 9/5
Discuss: Herrick & Gorgias, "Encomium on Helen," & "On The Nonexistent"
Read: Herrick Ch 3 & Plato's Protagoras & Gorgias
Useful On-line Resources: Reading Guide to Gorgias
Reading Guide to Phaedrus
The Platonic Critique of Sophistry
Week 3
T 9/10
 Discuss: Herrick Ch 3; Plato's Gorgias & Protagoras Read: Plato's Phaedrus (section 2)
Useful On-line Resources: Plan of the Phaedrus
Plato's Ideal Rhetoric
Th 9/12
 Discuss: Plato's Phaedrus Read: Isocrates, "Against The Sophists" ;
Review Herrick Ch 2 on Isocrates
Useful Online Resources: Isocrates' Conceptions of Rhetoric (Lloyd Rohler's useful summary); David Penso, "Philosophy of the Hellenistic Age" 
Isocrates
Week 4
T 9/17

Discuss: Isocrates, "Against The Sophists"
Read: Aristotle, Rhetoric (Book I) and Herrick, Chapter 4
Useful Online Resources: Outline of Book I
Aristotle
Th 9/19
Discuss: Aristotle, Rhetoric (Book I) and Herrick, Chapter 4

Read: Aristotle, Rhetoric Book II

Week 5
T 9/24

Discuss: Aristotle, Rhetoric Book II

Reading Abstracts Due

Read: Herrick Ch 5 & Cicero (HO)

Useful Online Resources: Cicero on the Genres of Rhetoric; The Development of Roman Rhetorical Theory (lecture outline)

Roman Rhetoric
Th 9/26

Discuss: Herrick Ch 6 & Cicero, De Oratore

Read: Cicero; Herrick, Chapter 8; The Development of Roman Rhetorical Theory (lecture outline) The "Enlightenment" from the Encyclopedia Britannica; Rhetoric in Ancient Rome (timeline)

Useful Online Resources: Joseph Petraglia-Bahri, "A Brief Overview of Rhetoric"; The Enlightenment (background)
The Enlightenment
Week 6
T 10/1
Class Cancelled:
Instructor Ill

Read: Herrick, Ch 10 (232-33); Bitzer, "The Rhetorical Situation"; Vatz, "The Myth of the Rhetorical Situation"; Biesecker, "Rethinking the Rhetorical Situation From Within the Thematic of Differance" (Rdr)

Useful Online Resources:
Introduction to Contemporary Rhetorical Theory 
Unit II: Contemporary Rhetoric: Problems & Issues
The Rhetorical Situation
Th 10/3
Discuss:Continue discussion of Cicero; The Enlightenment
 Read/Review: Herrick, Ch 10 (232-33); Bitzer, "The Rhetorical Situation"; Vatz, "The Myth of the Rhetorical Situation"; Biesecker, "Rethinking the Rhetorical Situation From Within the Thematic of Differance" (Rdr)
Week 7
Tu 10/8
 Discuss: Bitzer, Vatz, & Biesecker, Read: Darsey, "Must We all Be Rhetorical Theorists?"; Wanderer, "The Ideological Turn in Modern Criticism" & Crowley, "Reflections on an Argument That Won't Go Away; Or, a turn of the Ideological Screw." (Rdr)
Useful Online Resources: Margaret D. Zulick's Site on Movement Theory
Social Movement Theories & Problems
Th 10/10
 Discuss: Darsey, Wanderer, & Crowley Read: Griffin, "The Rhetoric of Historical Movements"; "Simons, "Requirements, Problems, and Strategies: A Theory of Persuasion for Social Movements" (Rdr)Campbell, "The Rhetoric of Women's Liberation: An Oxymoron"; Biesecker,"Coming to Terms with Recent Attempts to Write Women into the History of Rhetoric" (Rdr)
Useful Online Resources:
Week 8
T 10/15
Discuss: Griffin & Simons & Biesecker & Campbell
Read: Klump & Hollihan, "Rhetorical Criticism as Moral Action" & Condit, "Crafting Virtue: The Rhetorical Construction of Public Morality" (Rdr)
Useful Online Resources:
The Public Sphere Problem
Towards Consideration of a Critical Rhetoric
Th 10/17
Discuss: Klump & Hollihan; Condit
Note: class meeting in LL 316

Read: McKerrow, "Critical Rhetoric: Theory and Praxis"; McGee, "Text, Context, and the Fragmentation of Culture," (Rdr)

Useful Online Resources:
Week 9
T 10/22
Discuss: McKerrow & McGee

Read: Herrick, Ch 10 (225-32); Burke "Definition of Man" (Rdr)

Useful Online Resources: Kenneth Burke and the Symbolic Motivation; Material & Notes;

Kenneth Burke & The Nature and Meaning of Symbolic Action
Th 10/24
Discuss: Burke
Note: class meeting in LL 316

Read: Burke "Identity and 'Consubstantility'"(Rdr)

Useful Online Resources:
Kenneth Burke Society; Virtual Burkean Parlor (an excellent resource); Burke Links
Week 10
T 10/29

Class Cancelled:
Instructor Ill

Read: Burke
Th 10/31

Discuss: Burke

Read: Toulmin, "The Uses of Argument" (Rdr)
Useful Online Resources:
Who is Stephen Toulmin?; Foss, Foss, and Trapp, "Stephen Toulmin"; The Toulmin Project page 
Stephen Toulmin
Week 11
T 11/5

Discuss: Toulmin
Reading Abstracts Due
(Cicero-Burke)

Read: Herrick, Chapter 11, Foucault, "The Discourse on Language"; Biesecker, "Michel Foucalt and the Question of Rhetoric" (Rdr)

Useful Online Resources:
Michel Foucault; Michel Foucault and Rhetoric (lecture on FFT) The Foucault Home Page at CSU; Summary of "The Discourse on Language"; Foucault Resources; Theory.org's site on Foucault
Michel Foucault
Th 11/7
Discuss: Herrick, Foucault, & Biesecker

Description of theoretical material for final paper due

Read: Jarratt, "The First Sophists & Feminism" (Rdr)


Reassessing the History(ies) of Rhetoric
Week 12
T 11/12
Discuss: Jarratt
Read: Glenn,"Mapping the Silences" (Rdr)
Th 11/14
Discuss: Glenn
Drafts to me for conferences
 Read: Berlin, "Revisionary History: The Dialectical Method" (Rdr)
Week 13
T 11/19
Discuss: Berlin
Polish paper draft for workshop
Th 11/21
No Class: Individual Conferences
 Polish paper draft for workshop
Week 14
T 11/26
No Class: Individual Conferences
 Read: Judith Butler, from Excitable Speech (Rdr)

Useful Online Resources:
theory.org's pges on Judith Butler
November 28-29 Thanksgiving Break
Judith Butler and Performativity
Week 15
T 12/3
Discuss: Butler
Option: Drafts due to me for feedback
Read: Judith Butler, from Excitable Speech (Rdr)
Useful Online Resources: Picture and Bibliography of Judith Butler 
Th 12/5

Workshop


Reading Abstracts Due

Polish Drafts
Week 16
 T 12/10
Finalize Paper
December 12th-18th Final Exams
Final
Freedom 

My thanks to Dr. Jan Norton whose syllabus, reader, and website served as a model for my own.