ENG 591 Modern and Contemporary Theories of Rhetorical Invention
Spring 2002
Maureen Daly Goggin  Office Hours: Mon. 3:00-5:00
Office: LL 202D  Wed. 1:00-3:00
Office Phone:  5-1804 Other times by Appointment
Email: maureen.goggin@asu.edu URL: http://www.public.asu.edu/~mdg42

Wisdom begins in Wonder.
  --Socrates

Discovery, like surprise, favors the well-prepared mind.
       --Jerome Bruner

Novelty is achieved by means both of the refashioning of the old and of the unanticipated advent of the new or, more accurately if more paradoxically, that the advent of the new is a particular refashioning of the old.
      --Derrick Attridge

There are five separate [and contradictory] strands in our modern usage of the term ‘genius’ . . . only one of which can be utilized for feminist ends. [That is,] The genius is the person whose work (a) marks the boundary between the old ways and the new within the tradition, and (b) has lasting value and significance.
      --Christine Battersby



Course Description: Rhetorical invention refers both to a theory of creation and an art of creation in composing discourse. Historically, multiple rhetorical traditions have given rise to multiple, competing theories and practices of invention. Indeed, one way to distinguish among rhetorics is by examining their treatment and/or neglect of the canon of invention. Furthermore, differing definitions of invention bring some groups and their contributions to the center, while marginalizing or simply rendering invisible the practices and works of other groups. In this course, we will examine some of the underlying theoretical assumptions and practices that have been advocated through time, beginning with ancient rhetorics but then focusing especially on a variety of modern (nineteenth––twentieth-century) and contemporary theories and arts. The purpose of the course is to provide you with an understanding of some of the major theories of rhetorical invention, their role in modern and contemporary rhetoric, their history, and their influences in theories, arts, and pedagogies of composing as well as their potential for giving voice to some while silencing others.

Required Books:
Battersby, Christine. Gender and Genius: Toward a Feminist Aesthetics. London: Women’s P, 1994.
Crowley, Sharon. The Methodical Memory: Invention in Current-Traditional Rhetoric. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1990.
LeFevre, Karen Burke. Invention as a Social Act. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1987.
Young, Richard E, and Yameng Liu, eds. Landmark Essays on Rhetorical Invention in Writing. Hermagoras P, 1995.
Selected Readings (SR)

Requirements:
Detailed descriptions of the following assignments will be distributed:

Annotated Bibliography 15%
Seminar Paper   25%
Oral Presentation  10%
Scholarly Log    25%
Heuristic Paper  15%
Attendance & Participation 10%
Attendance:  Because much of what is to be learned in this course occurs in class, regular attendance is expected. The course is so constructed that even a few absences will create serious problems.

Assignments:  Except for the scholarly log, papers are to be typed or computer printed and double spaced. Papers not turned in on the due date will be marked down a half grade for each week the paper is late.

Scholarly Log:  Your scholarly log provides a space for you to: respond to each reading (an average of a page per reading, though some readings may give rise to more than a page and others to less), make observations on readings and class discussions, draw connections among assigned and out-of-class readings, pose questions, explore issues, topic ideas, research questions and so on. Thus, your log will serve as a valuable resource for grappling with both the readings and the seminar project. Bring your scholarly log to each class; you will be reflecting on your responses in class, and we will use these at times as a jumping off point for discussions and activities.

Incompletes:  Please do not assume that an incomplete will be given upon request. University and departmental policy on the handling of incompletes will be followed; only in the case of verified emergencies and illnesses will an incomplete be given.

Syllabus

January 14

Introduction to course
January 21   MLK Holiday ***No Classes***

January 28

Read Chapters 1-5 in The Methodical Memory
February 4
 Read Chapters 6-9 in The Methodical Memory
February 11
Read Chapters 1-8 in Gender and Genius
February 18
Read Chapters 9-16 in Gender and Genius
February 25
 Read Young’s “Concepts of Art and the Teaching of Writing,” pp. 193-202;
 Perelman’s “Rhetoric and Philosophy,” pp. 51-58; and Burke’s “The Five Master
 Terms,” pp. 1-12 in Landmark Essays

 Due: Two-sentence proposal on a topic or research question(s) for seminar paper

March 4
 Read Bilsky et al’s “Looking for an Argument,” pp. 13-20; Hughes’ “The
 Contemporaneity of Classical Rhetoric,” pp. 37-40; Halloran’s “on the End of
 Rhetoric, Classical and Modern,” pp. 79-90 in Landmark Essays
 SR: Schnakenberg; Halloran
March 11 *** Spring Break March 11-15 *** No Classes

March 18

 Read Booth’s “The Rhetorical Stance,” pp. 21-28; Corder’s “Varieties of Ethical
 Argument, With Some Account of the Significance of Ethos in the Teaching of
 Composition,” pp. 99-134; Kinneavy’s “Kairos: A Neglected Concept in Classical
 Rhetoric,” pp. 221-239 in Landmark Essays
 SR: Kinneavy & Erskin
March 25
 Read Gage’s “An Adequate Epistemology for Composition: Classical and Modern
 Perspectives,” pp. 203-220; Emig’s “Writing as a Mode of Learning,” pp. 91-98;
 Pike’s “Beyond the Sentence,” pp. 29-37 in Landmark Essays
April 1
 Read Chapters 1 and 2 in Invention as a Social Act; Rohman’s “Pre-Writing: The
 Stage of Discovery in the Writing Process,” pp. 41-50; Britton’s “Shaping at the
 Point of Utterance,” pp. 147-152; Miller’s “Everyman with a Blue Guitar:
 Imagination, Creativity, Language,” pp. 69-78 in Landmark Essays

Due:  Annotated Bibliography

April 8
 Read Chapters 3 and 4 (pp. 48-62) in Invention as a Social Act
April 15
 Read Chapter 4 (pp. 62-94) in Invention as a Social Act; Consigny’s “Rhetoric and
 Its Situations,” pp. 59-68; Park’s “The Meaning of ‘Audience’,” pp. 181-192 in
 Landmark Essays
 SR: Bitzer; Vatz

Due:  Heuristic paper

April 22
 Read Chapters 5 and 6 in Invention as a Social Act; Ong’s “Literacy and Orality in
 Our Times,” pp. 135-146; Hayes and Flower’s “Identifying the Organization of
 Writing Processes,” pp. 153-180 in Landmark Essays
 SR: Flower; Vitanza

Oral Presentations

April 29
 Oral Presentations

 Due:  Reader Response Journal and Reflections

Seminar paper due on or before Monday, May 6.
 
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