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English 472
Rhetorical Studies
Arizona State University
Spring 2010
| Dr. Katherine Heenan |
Office Hours: T: 2:00 - 3, W: 10 - 12, Th: 9 - 10 & by appt |
| E-mail: K.Heenan@asu.edu |
Class Meets: T 10:15 - 11:45 and online on Th |
| Office: LL 309B |
Line #10704 |
This course serves as an introduction to the multidisciplinary field of rhetoric, and its purpose is to familiarize students with a broad overview of rhetorical studies. In particular, we will read texts that examine the question of what is rhetoric; the historical roots of rhetoric; the significance and purpose of rhetorical theory; the relation between rhetoric and philosophy; the relation between enlightenment and modernity; and postmodernity.
This course will engage you in the reading and discussion of the works of major rhetorical theorists both ancient and modern. Class discussions will be prefaced by weekly, in-depth written responses, in which students react to the assigned readings. Class meetings will consist of discussions of readings, examination of public arguments, and dissection of rhetorical theories. There will be two papers. The first will examine, in detail, an issue or problem identified in the assigned readings. In the second, larger paper, students will develop a carefully crafted critical or theoretical essay that focuses on/is grounded in a rhetorical artifact, event, or text(s) of their choice or a theoretical question. If you do all the reading and attend class on a regular basis, at the end of the semester you will have a basic understanding of the rhetorical tradition and an understanding in depth of contemporary trends.
is, at the end of the semester you will have a basic understanding of the rhetorical tradition and an understanding in depth of contemporary trends.
- Course Readings available on Blackboard
- Herrick, James. A History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction. 4th ed. New York: Allyn and Bacon, 2009.
University Policies/Student Affairs Office: Student Code of Conduct, including: Student Academic Integrity, Sexual Harassment, Class Disruption http://students.asu.edu/srr/code
- a portable USB “jump” drive
- Stapler and staples (standard size--trust me on this one) OR binder clips
- An ASURITE id and email account
[Note: you must send me emails using your ASURITE account. Otherwise your emails run the risk of being regarded as Spam and automatically deleted]
There are also several required readings that can be accessed through my webpage. In addition, that page includes a number of additional resources that will assist you in developing a thorough understanding of the materials for the course.
| READING AND PARTICIPATION : |
I expect you to engage in intensive, “interactive” reading with materials that are often difficult. You should be prepared to dedicate a significant amount of time outside of class to reading these materials carefully and critically. I will conduct class on the assumption that you have read the material and are prepared to raise questions or observations illustrated with examples, to dis/agree based on evidence and experience, or simply to define a text’s key terms and ideas. Your comments and insights will be an important element of the class’s success.
Students are expected to risk opinions, questions, and critique. You are expected to respect each other and the process of inquiry by engaging alternative perspectives, challenging interpretations and judgments put forward by authors, and inviting counter-argument—and doing so with appreciation for both difference and points of agreement. Remember, there are very few (if any) “right” or “wrong” answers generated through critical inquiry—only those that are well justified and those that are not.
You cannot lose credit by making positive additions to our discussions. All intelligent comments, particularly those which illustrate a careful reading of the materials, will contribute to your participation grade.
| POLICY ON CLASS ATTENDANCE : |
Because writing classes are performance courses that depend upon student attendance for both the class and the student’s success, this policy is non-negotiable. All absences count equally, irrespective of the cause and students who exceed the allowed number of absences cannot pass the course and will fail with a grade of “E.”
- For Fall and Spring semesters, classes that meet two days a week, the maximum number of allowed absences is four (4).
- ASU Writing Programs has a standard attendance policy for all sections of all writing courses. The policy allows for the equivalent of two weeks’ absence, and all absences count equally, irrespective of the cause. If university officials determine that there is a threat of the H1N1 virus or other pandemic during the Spring 2010 semester, students will be allowed one additional absence in addition to the standard two weeks. Students who exceed the allowed number of absences cannot pass the course and will fail with a grade of “E.” In the event of a widespread flu outbreak, other adjustments may be considered.
- Also, students who are chronically late to class, leave early, sleep through class, engage in off-task activity, or are not prepared to participate in the day's class work will be penalized for each such occasion and these penalties will adversely affect the students’ final grade.
I encouraged each of you to speak with me at any time about your projects and your standing in the course.
Beyond this policy, I expect students to make every effort to attend all meetings and to miss class only in rare and unavoidable circumstances. Should you arrive after I have called the roll, it is your responsibility to ensure that I correct the roll at class end.
- Note: Students who participate in university-sanctioned activities and/or who will be unable to meet the attendance requirements for a particular section should move to another section where their activity schedules will not interfere with their classroom obligations (students can freely switch sections during the first week of the semester). To accommodate students who participate in university-sanctioned activities, the Writing Programs Office offers sections of this course at various times of the day and week. We have asked advisors across campus to help students enroll in appropriate sections. If you think that this course may conflict with a university-sanctioned activity in which you are involved—athletics or the debate team or another—please see me immediately.
| ATTENDANCE: FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES : |
According to university policy, students who are registered but do not attend any of the first week of classes may be dropped.
- Students enrolled in hybrid/online courses must make every reasonable attempt to attend class or contact the instructor during the first week. After the first week those who do not show up either in person or by calling or e-mailing the instructor may be dropped.
If I need to cancel class because my car broke down, or if I am ill, etc., I will try to get someone to post a sign. I also will try to email you all, before class. However, if you come to class and I am not here by the time 15 minutes has elapsed (from when class is to start) , please assume that class is cancelled.
Grading for Writing Projects will follow English Department standards, which are based on content, organization, expression, and mechanics. To compute final course grades, the following values are assigned to the standard letter grades of A through E:
| A+ |
4.3 (only used internally at ASU) |
| A |
4.0 |
| A- |
3.7 |
| B+ |
3.3 |
| B |
3.0 |
| B- |
2.7 |
| C+ |
2.3 |
| C |
2.0 |
| D |
1.0 |
| E |
.3 |
No paper = 0 |
A student who is chronically late to class, leaves early, or is not prepared to participate in the day's class work will not receive attendance and participation credit.
PROJECT GRADING: |
| Responses |
10% |
| First Paper |
20% |
| Second Paper |
30% |
| Class participation |
15% |
| Hybrid Class Work & Participation |
20% |
| Semester Reflection |
5% |
Brief Description of Major Papers
- Responses: 4 critical response papers (2-3 pages) in which you explore class discussions and readings in some detail, working through ideas, frustrations, and epiphanies that we can then further explore in class. Responses are due (posted to blackboard) by noon on the Mon or Wed before the reading is to be discussed in class.
- First Paper:4-5-pages in which you analyze a public speech we have not discussed in class. In this paper you should present a coherent argument and adequately develop it with evidence from our readings.
- Second Paper: 8-10-pages in which you develop a carefully crafted critical or theoretical essay that focuses on/is grounded in a rhetorical artifact, event, or text(s) of your choice or a theoretical question. The final essay will be due in my office on final exam day. Writers should follow the scholarly and writing conventions outlined in the current MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (you may negotiate the use of an alternative style manual if you are not an English major).
I will provide detailed information about each project as it is assigned. All major writing projects must be completed to pass the course.
All work must be prepared in Word or a compatible word processing program. If submitted electronically, papers must be saved as .doc or .rtf format only). Put your name, my name, and the date in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. Double space. Use standard fonts and standard, 1” margins. Projects must adhere to the style guidelines of the Modern Language Association in terms of formats for citing sources within the text internally, citing sources correctly and including a correctly formatted, complete works-cited page. Given that this is a 400-level writing class, I am working from the assumption that you are already familiar with MLA style. If you’re not, you might want to purchase The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (available at just about any book store).
I will happily review early drafts and ideas with you, but once a grade is awarded, it is final. You may not rewrite to improve your grade. Further, there may be opportunities for receiving some extra credit, which will be offered to the class as a whole. Example: Attending a relevant lecture or performance that deals with issues we have discussed.
Also:
- Do not email me your assignments if they are to be brought to class.
- Do not let your printer or your roommate’s printer break down. If it does, go to the Computing Commons or elsewhere and print out your work before class.
- Put money on your ASU card before the semester is in full swing.
The use of Blackboard is an important part of this class. You will need to be familiar with several functions of the system including Assignments, Discussion Board, Group Pages, MyGradebook and Email. You are responsible for taking the brief tutorials on all major functions and/or troubleshooting by using the Blackboard tutorial site, https://wiki.asu.edu/help/index.php/BB8_Blackboard_for_Students or by calling the helpdesk at (480) 965-6500. You will always be given more than adequate time to post required documents. For this reason technical difficulties will not be accepted as excuses for late work. Should the ASU site experience technical difficulties I will provide an extension for the period of time that it is down. For example if System Health indicates that Blackboard was down from 5-10pm the night before an assignment is due at noon I will post an announcement to extend the deadline to 5pm of that day. Any technical difficulties resulting from outages outside of the ASU system will not be given extensions therefore it is imperative that you plan accordingly.
All electronically submitted documents must be formatted as Word 2003 or 2008 documents. Most non-Word software (such as Apple Pages) is Word-conversion capable. It is your responsibility to learn to format your work so that it is Word compatible BEFORE you submit your assignments. If you post it in any other format I will not be able to read it. When you save your document to post it, you should see a .doc at the end of the file name. If you don’t you haven’t saved it properly. If I have to email you asking you to repost a document that for one reason or another is unreadable I reserve the right to dock you one letter grade.
Generally speaking, I expect all work to be turned in on time except in the most extreme circumstances. However, as a rule, I try not to penalize students for late work when something unexpected prevents completion of a particular assignment on time. However, I accept no unexcused late work.
Also note that I will never give permission to turn in paper late on the day it is due. So if you come across a problem, talk to me ahead of time; in that instance, you will be granted a three-day extension with no penalty. This “late paper option” may only be used once. Students who don’t contact me, or who take longer than the three-day extension period, will be penalized one full grade (i.e. an A becomes a B, etc.) for each day the paper is late. Also, you may not email me a copy of your paper unless prior permission from me has been received. All papers will be submitted in class or via BlackBoard’s Digital DropBox and saved as instructed using a specific file name set for each.
Late homework, activities and participation will not be accepted and cannot be “made-up.” Hybrid class activities and assignments: These assignments cannot be "made up" under any circumstances, since they are only meaningful when conducted in the context of specific readings and lessons. Late posts will result in an absence being recorded, and will be penalized or receive no credit depending on how late they are submitted.
| KEEP ALL COPIES OF YOUR WORK: |
A writer never gives her or his only copy of a text to anyone. Save both a hard copy and an electronic copy of each draft of each text you write for this course. This means you will need to form the habit of duplicating a document before making changes to the new version. Keep hard copies of your work for this course, along with any comments you receive on it, in a binder or folder. Save electronic copies of all drafts of all your writings on a usb drive or back-up disk, or learn how to post them to your personal space on the ASU servers. You will need these copies to complete your work for this course—since when you turn in a revised version of an essay, I will ask you to track and reflect on the changes you have made in moving from one draft to the next.
| THE PUBLIC NATURE OF THE CLASS WRITING AND DISCUSSION: |
Please consider every piece of writing you do for this class to be "public property." Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and criticisms of others, and in this course our purpose is to come together as a writing community. Remember that you will often be expected to share your writing with others, so avoid writing about things that you may not be prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or things you feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. This does not mean that you are not entitled to an opinion but that you adopt positions responsibly, contemplating the possible effect on others.
The questions that we will grapple with have no easy answers. There will be points where you may disagree with someone else. This is appropriate and, to some degree, desirable. Arguments will happen in this class—frequently. At times our discussions may become heated. If (when) this occurs, I expect all of us to treat one another with courtesy and respect. The political theorist Chantal Mouffe encourages citizens to think of participants in civic argument as agonists rather than antagonists. Agonists have a stake in an argument, of course, but they realize that those who disagree with them have equally important stakes in the outcome. Rhetorical theorist Janet Atwill reminds us that argument does not actually occur unless all parties treat one another with respect; if this condition is not present, something other than argument is going on—most likely competition, threats, or even coercion. These will not be tolerated in class.
Please read all assigned articles before coming to class, and bring these and your notes to class every day we meet. Please bring A History and Theory of Rhetoric to class every day that we discuss work contained therein.
The class calendar is subject to change; changes will be announced and discussed in class.
Email etiquette:
It is often difficult to use email appropriately. Here is some advice:
- Start your message with a salutation, such as Dear (or Hello) Dr. Heenan (or Katherine). "Hi" or simply omitting a salutation is rude.
- Identify yourself clearly, either in the message or in your signature.
- Put English 472 in the subject line, so that your message is not mistaken for spam.
- Use standard spelling, grammar, and usage in your emails. Although I will naturally not be grading your email prose, it makes it very difficult for me to respect your intelligence if your email correspondence is filled with errors, uses no capital letters, and phrases like "okay! OMG, and lol!"
- Be patient. Although I will check my emails over the weekend, I cannot always respond extremely quickly.
| All writing for this class must be written for this class: |
To pass this class all major writing assignments must be completed, and note that all writing for this class must be written for this class. Reusing a paper you wrote for another class, or back in high school, constitutes academic dishonesty.
In the “Student Academic Integrity Policy” manual, ASU defines plagiarism as “using another's words, ideas, materials or work without properly acknowledging and documenting the source. Students are responsible for knowing the rules governing the use of another's work or materials and for acknowledging and documenting the source appropriately.” Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing and any other form of dishonesty. Click here for the University Academic Integrity policy.
Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing and any other form of dishonesty.
Withdrawals: University deadlines
| Course Withdrawal Deadline |
April 9th (in person) April 11th (ASU Interactive & Sundial) |
| Complete Withdrawal Deadline |
May 4th |
| DISABILITY RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS: |
ASU complies with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for equal access to education at ASU, please contact Disability Resources for Students at 480-965-1234. Please feel free to discuss the special accommodations with all of your teachers.
All of us struggle with our limits, and I sometimes suspect that no one is more conscious of that than students in writing courses. Keep in mind, as you set your priorities, that I am very moved by students who visibly struggle with their limits.
I encourage you to see me during office hours, e-mail me, or make an appointment anytime you wish to discuss issues connected with this class and/or your performance. Students frequently tell me that the most helpful feature of the class was coming to my office and discussing their writing projects and/or classroom concerns. Please discuss concerns with me while we still have options. I tend to be generous with students who take the initiative to consult with me about concerns while they are still `situations,' i.e., not-yet-crises, and downright testy with those who permit things to slide until a crisis is unavoidable. |
