McDermott ENG151, summer 2010

English 151: Rhetoric and Writing I

Summer session 1 2010

Ms. Lydia McDermott Section: A05/ #11603

Office: Ellis 344 Class: Gordy 109/ Ellis 14
Lydia.McDermott.1@ohio.edu Meets: M-F 3:10-5:00pm
740-593-2785 Office hours: 2:10-3:00 M-F

Texts:
Ramage, John, John C. Bean and June Johnson. The Allyn & Bacon Guide
to Writing. Concise Ed. New York: Longman, 2009.
Gresham, Morgan and Crystal McGage. Education Matters: Exploring
Issues in Education. Custom Ed. New York: Pearon, 2009 [ISBN-13:
978-0-558-34348-4]
Our class blog at <http://availablemeans.blogspot.com/>
Blackboard 9

Materials:
Reliable and fast access to the internet with a Firefox browser
(downloadable for free at <http://www.mozilla.com/en-
US/firefox/personal.html>)
A journal for in-class and out-of-class personal writing.
A notebook for taking notes in class.
A two-pocket flat folder for turning in assignments
Pens, pencils, anything else you like to write with.
Your brain and full attention in every class!
comfy sandals, coffee, water, anything else you need to feel
comfortable writing.
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Course Description:
1. Writing: n. the act of a person or thing that writes; n. any written or
printed paper; n. a literary composition; v. ("to write") to express or
communicate in writing; v. to fill in the blank spaces (my personal favorite);
v. to cause to be apparent or unmistakable.

2. Rhetoric: Plato: "the art of winning the soul by discourse"; Aristotle:

"the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of
persuasion"; Francis Bacon: The application of reason to imagination "for
the better moving of the will"; A. Richards: The study of misunderstandings
and their remedies; Andrea Lunsford: "the art, practice, and study of
human communication"; Covino and Joliffe: "Rhetoric is primarily a verbal,
situationally contingent, epistemic art that is both philosophical and practical
and gives rise to potentially active texts."

English 151 is designed to help you to write effectively for the academic
community, to equip you with rhetorical skills and to enhance your critical
thinking. (For complete list of course objectives per the English department,
see last page). You will be writing every day for this class. You will be
reading every day for this class. Be prepared.

Things to keep in mind: This class normally runs ten weeks. Because we
are meeting for a shortened amount of time (five weeks), you need to be
prepared for a lot of work outside of class. Though we meet the same
amount of hours as in a normal quarter, I cannot extend the amount of time
you have outside of class. So realistically, you are completing the same
amount of work as a normal quarter in half the amount of time. You cannot
fall behind.

In this course, we will be reading a variety of written and visual texts (and
combinations) that all in some way deal with the theme of our course:
education. The readings are meant to help facilitate conversation (aloud, in
writing and digital) that interrogates the theme of the course.

This course, however, is primarily a writing course. Your reading is meant to

fuel your writing, and some of what we read in and for class will be the texts
you produce. You will write in various genres for various purposes, and for
various audiences. You will be exposed to different rhetorical concepts and
strategies to inform your own writing and to help you analyze the writing of
others.
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Please note that disciplines have different discourse conventions and that
you must learn the discourse conventions of your field. Furthermore, this is
not a course centered on grammar, the sentence, or unified paragraphs in
any isolated sense. Matters of mechanics, sentence-level error,
paragraphing, and style will be addressed in context of your individual
papers and in mini-workshops.

Another caveat: Many of our class meetings will be run as workshops or

peer review days. This means that you will be sharing your writing with
classmates and not just with me. Additionally, you will sometimes be doing
this aloud. It is important to have all writing ready on each class day it is due
for sharing. Sharing is required.

Civil Discourse: Discussion and peer feedback is a crucial part of this class
and we must be careful to remain civil in our discourse and respect one
another's viewpoints and feelings. We need not agree, but we must respect
one another. At this university, students and faculty are afforded an
academic environment that allows for intellectual expression: provocative or
challenging ideas may arise, but no responses to such ideas should be
expressed in an inappropriate manner, either verbally or in writing. One of
the goals of a university education is to challenge us to think again about
what we know or accept as fact. In order to achieve this goal, we all must
share responsibility for creating and maintaining a democratic and civil
learning environment in the classroom and the larger university community.
This means that each of us should be conscious of how our words and
actions may affect others. We do not speak with harmful intent of or to
any group or individual of any religious, ethnic, political, or sexual
background. Period.

Under no circumstances are you allowed to engage any electronic

devices such as phones, MP3 players or laptops. (There will be some
alotted computer time, which will be used strictly for class material). It is
rude and will result in a lower grade or dismissal from the class for
the day.

Attendance: We have precious little time this summer to work together,

and every minute of class time counts. Therefore, if you miss more than 4
hours (two class periods) of class your grade will be lowered by for
each hour missed beyond that limit. Tardiness accrues to count as absence.
Any work missed because of an absence is your responsibility. Email several
classmates before attempting to contact me. If you are sick, you have my
sympathy, but any missed time counts toward that four hours. There is no
such thing as an excused absence.

A note about email: I am not surgically attached to my computer. Do not

expect that because you have emailed me, I have immediately read your
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message. If you have not heard back from me, I have not received your
email. When I am not teaching and in office hours, I am busy with my life. I
will be happy to meet with you during office hours and to arrange meeting
times outside that hour whenever you need, but email is not immediate
communication.

Assignments and Grade Distribution: (total 1000 pts)

A detailed assignment sheet will be handed out for each formal assignment.
All formal assignments will be turned in on Blackboard (we will review how in
class) as well as in a folder to me including drafts, peer reviews, and
relevant informal writing. I utilize a tool on blackboard that scans documents
for plagiarism, so be aware of that.

Participation: (100 pts [4pts a day]) 10%

This is an admittedly slippery category for grading, so I will define it here. Let
me reiterate: Attendance and Participation are NOT the same
thing!!!!! To receive full participation credit, you must complete all informal
writing assignments and all reading ON TIME. Additionally, you will be
required to share your writing with peers, sometimes reading it aloud in a
"workshop" format. You must actively respond to your peers' work in class
and on the blogs. You must make an effort to speak in class about the
reading. I know that some people are shy and some people are naturally
assertive and talkative. Those of you who are shy will need to try to
comment in class regularly. Those of you who tend to talk a lot must try to
keep yourselves from dominating the conversation so that those who are
more shy feel the opportunity to chime in. Be respectful. Watch your peers.
Usually people give bodily clues that they want to talk.

Blog and informal writing: (100 pts) 10%

You will be setting up a personal blog for this class, on which you will
respond to prompts I post on our class blog at
<http://availablemeans.blogspot.com/>. Additionally, we will be doing a lot
of small writing assignments that we will share in class; they fall under this
category.

Formal Papers:
Summary/Critique Series (200 pts) 20%
In the communication and rhetorical triangles above, the focus in this
assignment is on analysis of another's writing (the logos and
informative part of triangle) as well as on persuasion (audience and
pathos). This paper must be revised from within the sequence.
Exploratory Essay (250 pts) 25%
In the communication and rhetorical triangles above, the focus of this
assignment is on subject matter (logos/ exploration) as well as on the
writer (self/expressive). This paper can be substantially revised for a
better grade by the end of session.
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Researched Classical Argument (250 pts) 25%
[Research Proposal with annotated bibliography (100 pts) 10%]
Here the focus is heavily on persuasion and logos as a means for
persuasion.

**Every formal paper will be returned to you with grammatical mistakes

noted. You must correct your mistakes on the paper and give it back
to me the next day to receive your grade. This is not revision, but
practice in proofreading.

Grading scale:
94-100 A 87-89 B+ 77-79 C+ 67-69 D+
90-93 A- 84-86 B 74-77 C 64-66 D
80-83 B- 70-73 C- 60-63 D-

An A paper

Shows, tells, or teaches the reader something s/he didnt know before.
Fulfills the assignment.
Is interesting and/or creative in terms of style: sentence variation, paragraph
structure, etc.
Is spelling, punctuation, and grammar error free.
Is very well organized, developed, and focused.
Shows very thoughtful attention to revision (which can mean not needing much
revision).
Supporting sources are well presented and documented.

A B paper

Meets the assignment.

Is somewhat creative and interesting in terms of style.
Is almost completely spelling, punctuation, and grammar error free.
Is well organized, developed, and focused.
Shows thoughtful effort at revision from previous drafts.
Supporting sources are well presented and documented.

A C paper

Shows a competent effort at meeting the assignment.

Teaches the reader nothing new.
May not be very interesting over all.
May be creative but perhaps not in a way that supports the assignment.
Has some consistent spelling, punctuation, and/or grammatical errors.
Is competently, but not well, organized, developed, and/or focused.
Supporting sources are presented or documented.
Still needs significant revision.

A D paper

Has little relationship to the assignment.

Is dull, not interesting, informative, or creative.
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Has serious spelling, punctuation, and/or grammatical errors which interfere with
the readers understanding of the paper.
Is poorly organized, developed, and/or focused.
Uses no supporting evidence of revision from previous drafts.

An F paper

Has no relationship to the assignment.

Is not informative, interesting, or creative.
Has serious spelling, punctuation, and/or grammatical errors which interfere with
the readers understanding of the paper.
Shows no effort at organization, development, and/or focus. Is incoherent.
Uses no supporting sources and/or documentation.
Shows no evidence of revision from previous drafts.
Is lacking in other requirements of the assignment (eg. length).

A F Paper

1. Make sure your title is suitably vague. If possible, use a fragment

like Life or Memory, which gives readers no idea of what you
really mean. This will keep them guessing.

2. In todays modern information society, do makes sure to fill your

writing with cliches. Better yet, use a clich and misspell ita
double score! For example, it is interesting to use a clich about
people having low self-esteem, but how much better to write
about a persons low sofa steam!

3. Make sure that you have plenty of sentences that seem to but dont
really go anywhere though its possible, but end abruptly. Let the
reader figure out where you were going. Better yet, make sure that
sentence fragments never quite.

4. Just make sure readers are paying attention, try leaving out a or
two. It keeps them on the ball.
******Is This Plagiarism? (The following information was borrowed and adapted
from Professor Catherine Taylor, Ohio University)

Lets assume that youve encountered the following text on the Internet during the
course of research on Virginia Woolfs novel, The Waves:
Each of the six characters creates a space for being through the exclusion
of or, alternately, the engulfment of the difference that threatens his
or her space. Louis carves out a hollow for himself through the
practice of rigorous accounting. He becomes the colonizer of
difference, a reductive force that dilutes everything to a common
denominator of similitude. Neville locates his I in its relation to a
youa chosen beloved with whom he can expose himself to
himself. Jinny dances herself into being, pirouetting to the tune of her
body, believing exclusively in the presence of flesh as both form and
substance for identity. Susan, needing to escape from the rigors and
 McDermott ENG151, summer 2010
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rules of the city and school, plants herself in the country through her
function as reproducer, as a mother. Rhoda, who seems to have no
coherent personality, nevertheless constructs her self-perception in
terms of its possibility, consistently betraying her belief that the others
have a solidity that she alone lacks. Lastly, Bernard is the phrase-
maker who invests his funds in language, hoping for a fixed ontological
return.

In this course, the following acts are considered to be acts of conscious plagiarism.
If you engage in these practices, you will fail the course.
1. Retyping (or cutting and pasting) ANY exact language from another text
without:
a. Using quotation marks or setting the language apart from your own
text through indentation, AND
b. Citing the source parenthetically within your text using MLA style,
AND
c. Including the source in a Works Cited page.
2. Retaining the general order and sentiment of this passage but changing a
few words here and there with the help of your brain or a thesaurus. A
typical example of this practice would look something like the following with
regard to the passage above:

Each of Wolfs six characters makes space for his or her being by excluding or
swallowing the difference that endangers his or her space. Louis digs a hole for
himself through the act of accurate record-keeping. He becomes an imperialist
of difference, a force of subtraction that waters everything down to a common
denominator of likeness. Neville finds his I in its relation to a youa
selected lover with whom he can expose himself to himself. Jinny waltzes
herself into being, spinning to the song of her body, believing only in the
presence of skin as both form and matter for identity. Susan, who needs to
escape from the difficulties and restrictions of the city and her school, plants her
self in the country by being a mother, a reproducer. Rhoda, who appears to lack
a consistent personality, nevertheless builds her self-perception in terms of its
possibility, always informing on her notion that the other characters maintain a
solidness that only she lacks. Lastly, Bernard is the writer who invests his
money in language, hoping for a definite return with regard to belief and
being.
This is PLAGIARISMeven if you cite your source!!!!

The long and the short of it: If I can Google language from your writing that does
not have quotation marks around it (whether or not it is cited) and find wording
and/or reasoning akin to wording and/or reasoning in your writing, you will fail the
course.
The best way to keep from plagiarizing when summarizing or paraphrasing is
to close the source, write the ideas in your own words, then write it again, and then
check it to see how similar or dissimilar it is to what you are paraphrasing. If in
doubt, quote it and cite it.
If I suspect you of plagiarism, I reserve the right to keep your work until my
suspicions are verified or proven inaccurate.
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Tentative Schedule: *Remember corrections to formal assignments due
the next class day after I have returned them to you.

Date In-Class Homework due next period

Week 1 Rhetorical analysis and
summary
M 6/21 Introduction to class; rhetorical
analysis of syllabi exercise;
rhetorical triangle
T 6/22 Discuss summary/analysis and
thesis statements/ Second hour
computer lab: set up blogs
W 6/23 Film
H 6/24 Part 1 due / Share aloud and
refine thesis statements.
F 6/25 Part 2 due/ Levels of abstraction
Week 2 Reflexive Writing and
Research
M 6/28 Part 3 due/ Reflexive writing and
revision
T 6/29 Sharing revisions aloud and
applying levels of abstraction/
discuss EM reading
W 6/30 #1 Summary/analysis series
due/
In class writing (literacy
narrative)
H 7/1 Interviews/ Discuss revision of
research questions
F 7/2 Share bios/ Discussion
Week 3 Rhetorical Research
M 7/5 Research question due/ Discuss
rhetorical research strategies
and documentation
Reading: A&B pp. 49-60, EM
257-273
Writing: Take notes on
questions you have while
reading.
Reading: A&B pp. 41-48, EM
274-283
Writing: Post a visual rhetorical
analysis to your blog. (Include
image and at least two good
paragraphs)
Reading: A&B pp. 117-123
Writing: Part 1 of Assignment 1
Reading: A&B pp. 67-74
Writing: Part 2 of Assignment 1
Reading: EM pp. 49-55,
Writing: Part 3 of Assignment 1
+ personal reading blog
response.
Reading: EM pp.117-130
Writing: Begin revision of Part 1
Reading:
Writing: Finish revision of Part 1
and write reflective statement.
Reading: Choose one reading
from Ch. 3 or 4 in EM
Writing: Post a summary of
chosen reading to blog.
Reading: Read each other's
summaries on blogs and post a
positive comment or question.
Writing: Write 1-2 page
biography of interview partner.
Reading: A&B 147-158
Writing: Develop a good
research question and post to
blog.
Reading: Look for a reading in
EM that might inform your topic.
Writing: Refine research
question.

T 7/6 LIBRARY Alden 323/bring
research question
W 7/7 LIBRARY Alden 323/ find four
good sources
H 7/8 Workshop on introductions and
conclusions
F 7/9 Rough draft of exploratory
essay due/ workshop in small
groups
Week 4 Classical argument
M 7/12 #2 Exploratory Essay due/
Discuss research proposal and
ano. bib. (review
documentation)
T 7/13 Introduction to classical
argument
W 7/14 Individual conferences (bring
one paragraph describing what
you think your argument will
be).
H 7/15 Individual conferences (bring
one paragraph describing what
you think your argument will
be).
F 7/16 *Research proposal and
annotated bibliography
due/More classical argument
and common fallacies and
unstated assumptions
Week 5 Refining Skills
M 7/19 Composing skills workshop 1:
nutshelling and STAR criteria
T 7/20 Composing skills workshop 2:
topic sentence and paragraph
McDermott ENG151, summer 2010
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Reading: A&B 331-338. Find and
read sources
Writing: Take double-entry
notes on sources and practice
documentation
Reading: Find and read sources
Writing: Begin your draft: Bring
to class a possible introduction or
conclusion and a Works Cited list
Reading: A&B pp.280-7
Writing: Finish a good rough
draft (at least 3 pages).
Reading: A&B pp. 272-278
Writing: Revise your essay
Reading: A&B pp. 231-240
Writing: Post on blog
Reading: Research
Writing: Begin proposal and
annotated bib
Reading: Research
Writing: Continue proposal and
annotated bib
Reading: Research
Writing: Finish proposal and
annotated bib
Reading: A&B pp.242-250,
choose a reading from Ch. 1 of
EM, and select quotes to post to
blog, with your comments on the
quotes beneath.
Writing: Post to blog.; Prepare a
nutshell of your argument (A&B
p. 297-8)
Reading: A&B pp. 304-309, pp.
309-315
Writing: Prepare one good
support paragraph for your
argument. (bring 7 copies to
class)
Reading: A&B pp. 303-304, 289-
303
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unity Writing: Outline/diagram/chart
the structure of your argument in
some way.
W 7/21 Composing skill workshop 3: Reading: A&B pp.325-327
Structure and titles Writing: Rough Draft. (at least 4
pages)
H 7/22 Rough Draft due Reading: Your writing to revise
well
Writing: Revise/finish draft.
F 7/23 #3 FINAL DUE, Classical
argument

English Department First Year Competencies

Students who successfully complete English 151, 152, or 153 should be able to practice each of the following
activities competently:

Write rhetorically, which means that students should be able to:

Write in various genres (both formal and informal, including summary microthemes, peer critique, focused
freewriting, textual and rhetorical analyses, thesis-driven essays, source-based writing, dialogue journals,
dialectical notebooks, etc.) while enacting appropriate rhetorical strategies that employ metacognitive
processes such as summary, analysis, response, critique, and synthesis.
Compose original arguments that evaluate, analyze, and synthesize primary and secondary texts (including
visual texts) and their structural framework (thesis statement, evidence, and support) as well as their
rhetorical purposes, audiences, and situations.
Engage in multiple drafting and revision.
Practice and control rhetorical stylistics such as effects of grammar, diction, mechanics, font, arrangement,
etc.

Read rhetorically, which means that students should be able to:

Evaluate, analyze, and synthesize primary and secondary texts (including visual texts) and their structural
framework, rhetorical purposes, audiences, and situations.
Identify, analyze, and employ the language of rhetorical analysis and argument while discussing texts. This
language includes ethos, pathos, logos, audience, tone, voice, evidence, etc.
Examine and evaluate in-text documentation.
Identify and analyze various genres, their conventions, and how they respond to rhetorical situations.
Identify and analyze rhetorical stylistics such as effects of grammar, diction, mechanics, font, arrangement,
etc.

Research rhetorically, which means that students should be able to:

Identify appropriate sources through databases (electronic and more traditional)

Evaluate sources for quality and appropriateness
Paraphrase and summarize material accurately
Synthesize sources
Integrate quotations, visuals, etc. appropriately and with correct style and citations
 McDermott ENG151, summer 2010
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Use attributive tags, in-text citations, documentation, and style sheets in appropriate ways
Understand plagiarism and its consequences

Respond to and assess student writing rhetorically, which means that students should be able to:

Understand writing as a recursive process that is also collaborative and socially constructed.
Learn to develop their own ideas in relation to the ideas of others.
Employ the languages of rhetorical analysis (ethos, pathos, logos, evidence, support, etc.) and of genres and
metacognitive processes (summary, analysis, response, critique, and synthesis) to critique their own and
others' ideas.
Identify and understand their peers' rhetorical purposes, audiences, and situations and the relationship
among these throughout the drafting and revision process.
Identify correct documentation and sentence-level conventions throughout the drafting and revision
process.

Student/ Teacher Contract

I, _________________________________________, have read the syllabus for Lydia

McDermott's ENG 151 class in Summer 2010, call #11603. I understand and agree
to the terms presented in the syllabus with regards to grading, plagiarism,
attendance, assignments, and participation. I understand that failure to abide by
these terms will affect my grade negatively, and may result in failure.

Signed ____________________________________________

Date ________________________________
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