RHET 1302, Fall 2009, Section 13

RHET 1302: Rhetoric

Rachael Sullivan Email: RLB081000@utdallas.edu

Fall 2009 Office Number: JO 4.120
Section 13 Office Hours: W, 4 – 5 and Th, 2:45 – 3:45
MW 2:30 – 3:45 Digital Office Hours: TBA
Class Location: JO 4.122 Office Phone: (972) 883-2050

NOTE: Any changes will be communicated to students in writing.

Course Description
Rhetoric 1302 will prepare you for college-level writing while helping you develop your critical thinking
skills. Rhetoric is the study of persuasion, not only in writing and speech, but also through visual and other
means. In this class, you will develop skills to analyze the way rhetoric, in its various forms, addresses
audiences. By paying attention to the strategies that good writers and speakers use to persuade their
particular audiences, you will learn to reason better and to persuade others in your own writing, both
through rhetorical appeals and through analysis of audience, purpose, and exigency that is at the heart of
the study of rhetoric. For Rhetoric 1302, you will read and reread texts and write multi-draft essays.
Practically speaking, you will learn skills that you can use in your future course work regardless of your
major.

Learning Objectives
• Students will be able to write in different ways for different audiences.
• Students will be able to write effectively using appropriate organization, mechanics, and style.
• Students will be able to construct effective written arguments.
• Students will be able to gather, incorporate, and interpret source material in their writing.

Required Texts

Hardin, Joe Marshall. Choices: Situations for College Writing. Southlake: Fountainhead, 2007. PDF file.

Rhetoric Program, UT-Dallas. Writing and Reasoning Across Disciplines: A Reader for RHET 1302.
McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, 2009.

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Calendar

Mon, Aug 24 Class plan: Welcome! Introduction to the course, overview of syllabus, class
expectations, and preparation for diagnostic essay
Wed, Aug 26 Class plan: Discuss student questions about the syllabus. Write an ungraded
diagnostic essay in class.
Preparation: Read the syllabus policies carefully. Sign the syllabus contract and
bring it to class. In your notebook, complete the third prewriting assignment posted on
the Blackboard homepage. You might also be interested in reading “Beginnings and
Endings,” posted on Blackboard.
Mon, Aug 31 Class plan: Discuss plagiarism and how to use source material. Set up homepage on
the Choices portal. Explain blog project and set up blogs.
Preparation: Read “Using Source Material and Avoiding Plagiarism” at
http://www.utdallas.edu/ah/students/rhetoric/source-material.html and “Historians
Rewrite History” by Timothy Noah at http://slate.msn.com/id/2091197/
Blog post (in class)
Wed, Sep 2 Class plan: Return diagnostic essays with comments; review areas for improvement.
Discuss Chapter 1, choices about process and rhetoric. Assign and explain Project #1.
Preparation: Read Choices Introduction (pgs. 3-7) and Chapter 1 (pgs. 9-19). Read
“Somewhere for Everyone” by John Grisham, pg. 14 in the Course Reader. Write blog
post.
Blog post (at home)
Mon, Sep 7 No class
Wed, Sep 9 Class plan: Discuss exigency, genre, and readership. Complete class activity on
rhetorical fallacies.
Preparation: Read Choices, Chapter 2 (pgs. 21-32) and “Rhetorical Fallacies” at
http://projects.uwc.utexas.edu/handouts/?q=node/30.
Watch two promotional videos: “You Wouldn’t Run a Business This Way”
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj0j0hfI8cY) and “NOM – Gathering Storm”
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp76ly2_NoI ).
Blog post (in class)
Mon, Sep 14 Class plan: Discuss assigned reading and practice summarizing an argument. Set up
Twitter accounts for use in class.
Preparation: Read Choices Chapter 3 pgs. 33-49 and Appendix 1, “A Short Guide to
Using Sources in MLA Style” pgs. 123-128. Read “Make Peace with Pot” by Eric
Schlosser at http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/26/opinion/make-peace-with-pot.html.
Wed, Sep 16 Due date: First draft of Project #1.
Preparation: Read “The Myth of the Latin Woman” by Judith Ortiz Cofer in the
Course Reader, pg. 68.
Blog post (in class)

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Mon, Sep 21 Class plan: Discuss the Toulmin method of analyzing arguments. Apply method to
Amber Young’s argument.
Preparation: Read Amber Young’s “Capital Punishment: Society’s Self Defense,”
posted on Blackboard. Underline or write her claim in your notebook. Read Choices
Appendix 2 (pgs. 135-150).
Wed, Sep 23 Due date: Project #1: Rhetorical Analysis
Reminder: Turnitin.com
Class plan: Write postscript reflection on the writing process. Workshop on the twenty
most common errors among college students.
Mon, Sep 28 Class plan: Assign Project #2: Media Critique. Discuss Chapter 6 and project
guidelines. Introduce Fair Use and Creative Commons.
Preparation: Read Choices, Chapter 6 (pgs. 77 – 91)
Blog post (in class)
Wed, Sep 30 Class plan: Continue to practice skills related to Project #2.
Preparation: Read “The Mystique of Science in the Press” by Dorothy Nelkin, pg. 87
in the Course Reader. Read “JerkStrong” by Bill Gifford at
http://www.slate.com/id/2222407
Blog post (at home)
Mon, Oct 5 Class plan: Continue to practice skills related to Project #2.
Preparation: Read “In Defense of Hooters and the St. Pauli Girl” by Noah
Oppenheim and “Struggling for Perfection” by Amy Beck, both posted on Blackboard.
Wed, Oct 7 Class plan: Continue to practice skills related to Project #2.
Preparation: Read “Some Don’t Like their Blues at All” by Karyn M. Lewis, posted
on Blackboard. Read Choices “Finding and Evaluating Sources” pgs. 119 and 120.
Blog post (in class)
Mon, Oct 12 Mid-term conferences
Wed, Oct 14 We do not meet as a class this week. You are required to attend one conference as
credit for two class periods. Conferences will be held in the McDermott library lobby.
If you miss your conference, two class absences will be added to your record.
Write your conference date ________________ and time ___________________
Preparation: Complete pre-writing blog post, Choices pg. 88.
Blog post (at home)
Mon, Oct 19 Due date: First draft of Media Critique essay. Upload to Choices portal as a DOC file
before class.
Class plan: Peer review workshop
Wed, Oct 21 Class plan: Discuss how to best incorporate sources into your essay. Practice skills on
a sample essay.
Preparation: Review Choices Appendix 1, “A Short Guide to Using Sources in MLA
Style” pgs. 123-128. Read sample essay “A Call to Action” by Angela Daly (handout).
Thu, Oct 22 Last day to drop with a WP/WF

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Mon, Oct 26 Class plan: Drafts returned. Work on essays in class.

Wed, Oct 28 Due date: Project #2: Media Critique
Reminder: Turnitin.com
Class plan: Meet at the library information desk to attend a session on research
strategies. (I’ll collect Project #2 and assign Project #3 before the session begins)
Mon, Nov 2 Class plan: Discuss Chapter 8. Complete activity on audience analysis.
Preparation: Read Choices, Chapter 8 (pgs. 105-114). Read Barbara Jordan’s
“Statement on the Articles of Impeachment” in the Course Reader, pg. 10.
Wed, Nov 4 Class plan: Discuss assigned reading and practice strategies for persuasion. Review
the appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos) as King demonstrates them.
Preparation: Read “Statement from the Clergymen” on Blackboard and “Letter from
Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Course Reader, pg. 255.
Blog post (in class)
Mon, Nov 9 Class plan: Complete pre-writing blog post.
Preparation: Conduct research on a discipline that interests you (see Choices
pre-writing prompt, pg. 112).
Blog post (in class)
Wed, Nov 11 Class plan: Review MLA style and comment on classmates’ annotated bibliographies.
Preparation: Review Choices Appendix 1. Complete annotated bibliography blog
post. For additional citations and guidance, see the Purdue OWL at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
Blog post (at home)
Mon, Nov 16 Due date: First draft of Academic Essay. Upload to Choices portal as a DOC file
before class.
Class plan: Peer review workshop
Wed, Nov 18 Class plan: Review grammar and usage. Discuss unity and coherence issues.
Preparation: Re-read Appendix 2, Choices pgs. 135-150. Read Catalyst sections on
unity and coherence: go to http://mhhe.com/awr » Writing » Paragraph/Essay
Development. Bring your previous two graded projects to class.
Mon, Nov 23 Class plan: Drafts returned. Work on essays in class.
Wed, Nov 25 Due date: Project #3: Academic Essay
Reminder: Turnitin.com
Class plan: Write postscript reflection on the writing process. In-class workshop on
revision. Explain final portfolio assignment.
Mon, Nov 30 Class plan: Discuss assigned reading.
Preparation: Read “The Struggle to Be an All-American Girl” by Elizabeth Wong,
pg. 73 and “How I Learned to Read and Write” by Frederick Douglass, pg. 276, both
in the Course Reader. Read about the Reflexive Essay in Choices pg. 115.
Blog post (in class)

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Wed, Dec 2 Class plan: Review strategies for beginning, ending, and titling your paper.
Afterwards, guest speaker Donna Srader from the UTD Career Center will talk about
writing in the work world.
Preparation: Read “Beginnings and Endings” posted on Blackboard.
Mon, Dec 7 Due date: Final Portfolio
Class plan: Complete course evaluation forms and make closing comments.

Assignments and Percentages

Peer reviews of essays (2 sets) 15%

Project 1: Rhetorical Analysis + first draft 10%
Project 2: Media Critique + first draft 15%
Project 3: Academic Essay + first draft 25%
Final Portfolio 15%
Blog Project (12 posts) 10%
Participation 10%
Total 100%

Grading
The familiar A – F grading scale will be used for essays, along with + and – (an A+ is not on the scale).
When I read your papers, I’ll be looking for certain qualities which fall into the following five main
categories, in order of importance:
• Ideas and analysis
• Thesis statement
• Development and support
• Organization
• Language (grammar, spelling, phrasing)
Notice that the emphasis is more on the “interior” of your essay, i.e. the content, rather than exterior
mechanics like grammar and syntax. However, I expect you to have a college-level understanding of basic
grammar. Although I have only one category for scoring grammar (language), your essay will suffer greatly
for serious and consistent surface errors as well as failure to meet the assignment, no matter how
sophisticated your ideas are.

I maintain grades on Blackboard. Go to My Grades from the course homepage to view your grades at any
time. There is also a “Student Grade Calculator” spreadsheet posted in the Resources folder so that you can
calculate your overall grade at any time. Letter grades are entered as numbers for my own calculation
purposes. 12=A, 11=A-, 10=B+ and so forth until 1=F.

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Course Requirements

1.1: Attendance. The Rhetoric Department has specified an attendance policy. Each student is allowed
three (3) missed classes, no questions asked. Save them for when you really need them. Each
additional absence above the noted three will cause 4% to be deducted off your final grade for the
semester. The following are three exceptions to this requirement:
• All students participating on UTD competitive teams (athletic and intellectual) must bring an
official Intercollegiate Competition Memo signed by John Jackson prior to any sanctioned
absences. Students must inform the instructor of the impending absence at least two weeks
prior to the absence. If this does not occur, it is at the instructor’s discretion to excuse or not
excuse the absence.
• Any anticipated absence arranged through Disability Services must be shared with the
instructor at least two weeks prior to the absence. (Also see Section 3.7)
• Students observing a holy day must inform the instructor before the class day to be missed
(Also see Section 3.8)
If you are having a problem attending class, communication with me is key. UTD also has a
non-academic withdrawal policy for students with extenuating circumstances. You can read
about this policy at http://www.utdallas.edu/student/registrar/sixdrop.html.

1.2: Punctuality. As a sign of respect for me and other students, I ask that you come to class on time. Near
the beginning of each class, I will pass around a sign-in sheet. If you arrive after the sign-in sheet has
circulated back to me, you are officially late. Upon your third late arrival and/or early departure, one
class absence will be added to your record. N.B. If you arrive after the sign-in sheet has circulated, I
do not take responsibility for counting you present. You must sign in to receive credit for a class.

1.3: Class Participation. Your level of engagement during class time directly affects your success in this
course. Because most class periods consist of a mixture of discussion and group work, your
participation is essential and will form a significant portion of your grade. It is also essential that you
complete all assigned reading and writing before coming to class. You cannot participate in class if
you have not read the assignment for discussion that day. I will also take note of students who
consistently forget to bring their textbooks to class (also see Section 1.8).

Participation does not include doing work unrelated to this course during class, sleeping in class, or
distracting your classmates. Your participation grade will suffer if you use the class computers or
personal laptops/cell phones for emailing, Facebooking, checking your fantasy football roster, and the
like. I don’t mind if you browse the internet during class, as long as you are browsing topics relevant
to our coursework. We will also use Twitter occasionally as a backchannel during class discussions.
Students are encouraged (not required) to use Twitter outside of class to give feedback on readings and
the effectiveness of class sessions.

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1.4: Blog Project (12 Posts). You will complete a blogging project over the course of the semester. The
project consists of twelve posts and three comments on other students’ blogs. Blog posts are 300- to
400-word responses to a particular reading, current event, or prompt. Blog posts are written at home
or in class, according to the syllabus. Comments on blogs are brief—about 100-200 words.

We will use the Choices blog. I usually offer prompts, but don’t feel limited by those. Use videos,
images, links, and sound clips as long as they are licensed for such use. You should view the blog as a
space to play and write in your personal voice. Keep in mind, though, that a blog is a public forum.
See more guidelines in Choices Chapter 2.

I will grade posts on how well you understand the text or topic (comprehension), your level of
engagement with the text or topic (analysis), and spelling/grammar.

1.5: Essay Projects (3). Three essay projects are required in this course. The first project asks you to
summarize and analyze a written argument of your choice (3 to 4 pages). The second project asks you
to write a critique of a media text, such as an advertisement (4 to 5 pages). The third project asks you
to write an academic argument to convince readers of a claim within your chosen discipline (5 to 6
pages). Project #1 requires only one draft of an essay. Projects #2 and #3 require you to turn in a first
draft, a set of two peer reviews, and a final draft. Peer reviews have a separate grade, but grades on
essay drafts are bundled with the final draft. Thus, a sloppy first draft can bring down your grade on
the final draft.

Use your two-pocket folder to turn in all three projects. Each project has a detailed assignment sheet
that I will explain in class and publish on the Choices portal.

MLA is the required paper format and citation style for all assignments. You will lose points for
failure to follow MLA guidelines, outlined in Choices Appendix 1 and the Purdue OWL –
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/.

1.6 Portfolio Project. In addition to the three essay projects, you will turn in a final portfolio. The
portfolio includes revised version of one paper and a Reflexive Essay designed to be a capstone
summary of your progress in the class. See further details on the Choices portal.

1.7: Conferences. I hold a one-on-one midterm conference with students. Conferences are required, just
as class attendance is required. You will sign up for one 10-minute conference time slot a week in
advance. Look for conferences marked on the syllabus, and be sure to write your conference date and
time in the blank spaces so you don’t forget. Conferences are an important way for me to talk with
you personally about your writing. You also have the opportunity to ask me specific questions or get
help with an issue.

1.8 Textbooks and Materials. The textbooks listed on page 1 of the syllabus are not optional. Your
presence in this class means that you agree to buy the required texts. You must purchase a new
Choices flashdrive in order to access the course web site (which includes the blog and peer review
programs). You must also bring your textbook PDF file and the Course Reader to class when
indicated in the calendar (also see Section 1.3). Bring a notebook and a pen or pencil to every class.

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Course Policies

2.1: Late Work. Late work qualifies as any assignment turned in at any time after the class period it was
due. I accept late work only once throughout the semester. To request an extension, you should print,
fill out, and submit an Extension Form, available at Blackboard » Handouts. Use of the form entails a
full letter grade deduction on the assignment. After you use the form once, I will no longer accept late
work from you. Extensions are a maximum of two weeks.

Keep an eye on assignment due dates and pace yourself. Don’t leave things until the last minute.
Standards tighten up as the course progresses, and writing a paper for this class while trying to study
for a test in another class is a bad idea. If you are struggling to keep up with deadlines, talk to me.

2.2: Emailing Assignments. I ask for printed copies of essay projects, but I do accept work via email when
you cannot attend class on a due date. Email the assignment, but bring a stapled hard copy to the next
class for my review. I will also review essay drafts via email if you need help. If you email a draft for
my review, it must be sent at least two full days before the deadline. It must also be a complete
draft—not a scattered collection of thoughts. Email all work in RTF (rich text format) or DOC format.
Do not email assignments in DOCX format. See Section 3.3 on UTD email correspondence.

2.3: Blackboard. This course utilizes Blackboard (eLearning) often. You must familiarize yourself with
Blackboard immediately, if needed. I use Blackboard to post handouts, forms, class activities,
updates, class news, and resources. Sometimes, we use Blackboard for group activities in class. I also
maintain your grade using the Blackboard grade book so that you can access your record at any time.

2.4: Turnitin.com. Most assignments must be submitted to www.turnitin.com, in addition to the hard copy
you give to me. This web site checks for plagiarism by comparing student writing with worldwide
web content and other student essays across the country. I do not assign grades until assignments have
been turned in. Submit assignments to Turnitin.com from the Blackboard homepage for this class.
Also see Section 3.2 on academic integrity.

2.5: Room and Equipment Use. If you intentionally damage any of the computers, printers, modems, or
wiring in the classroom, you will have to answer to the Dean of Students’ office. Please don’t do this.
Also, hacking a door code and entering a classroom without my permission constitutes criminal
trespass. You can’t be in a classroom without an instructor present.

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University Policies
3.1: Student Conduct and Discipline. You are expected to behave courteously and professionally in your
interactions with your peers as well as with me. Please remember that the classroom is not the place
for taking naps, eating meals, conversing with friends, checking voice mail, or working on assignments
for other classes. Turn off cell phones during class time. Also, I respect the opinion of each student in
my class, and I expect you to do the same for me and your classmates. Common courtesies include not
interrupting someone else, respecting the opinions of others, and not speaking out of turn or off topic
during class discussions. Distracting and disrespectful behavior will impact your grade in this class.

UTD administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due process.
Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The UT System,
Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the
university's Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to
students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in
interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or
she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents' Rules, university
regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of
conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are
also imposed for such conduct.

3.2: Academic Integrity. The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic
honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work
done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of
individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one's own work or
material that is not one's own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following
acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of
academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other
source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university's policy on plagiarism (see general
catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for
possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective. (see Section 2.4).

3.3: Email Correspondence. UTD requires that faculty and staff use UTD email accounts to email students.
I will not send emails to personal accounts, and I ask that you only email me using your UTD student
account. The Department of Information Resources at UTD provides a method for students to have
their UTD mail forwarded to other accounts.

3.4: Withdrawal from Class. The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any
college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Administration procedures must be followed. It is your responsibility to handle withdrawal
requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the
proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of “F” in a course if you choose not
to attend the class once you are enrolled.

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3.5: Student Grievance Procedures. Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on
Student Services and Activities, of the university's Handbook of Operating Procedures. You can read
more about this policy at www.utdallas.edu/disability/policies/grievances.html. Before filing a
grievance, make a serious effort to resolve the matter with me.

3.6: Incomplete Grade Policy. As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work
unavoidably missed at the semester's end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An
incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long
semester. If the required is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed
automatically to a grade of “F.”

3.7: Disability Services. The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational
opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in
the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You can call the office at (972)
883-2098 (voice or TTY). Please talk to me if you need modifications due to a documented disability.
You can view the complete university policy at www.utdallas.edu/disability/index.html.

3.8: Religious Holy Days. UTD will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel
to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from
property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the
absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the
exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the
length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and
completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails
to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that
exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing
a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a
reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the
instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her
designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC
51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or
designee. Also see Section 1.1 on absences.

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I have read the policies for Rhetoric 1302.013 and I understand them. I agree to comply with the policies for
the Fall 2009 semester. I realize that failure to comply with these policies will result in a reduced grade the
course.

Signature: ______________________ Date: ________________________

Name (print): _______________________________

The use of student work during Rhetoric class allows instructors to demonstrate writing concepts with
examples specifically tailored for this course. Use of a sample paper or an excerpt from a paper benefits
students by allowing them to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in others’ writing and to apply what’s
learned to their own work. If you agree to allow your instructor to share your writing samples, your name
and other identifying information will be removed from writing samples. Your work will be treated
respectfully by instructors, who also expect that students demonstrate such respect. All students are expected
to participate in peer review. If you agree to share your work for class demonstration and exercises, please
sign the following statement:

I allow my instructor to use samples of my writing for demonstration during this class and for other sections
of Rhetoric. I may revoke my permission by letting my instructor know I no longer wish my work to be
shared.

Signature: ______________________ Date: ________________________

Name (print): ______________________________

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