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Professor: Dr.

Will Kurlinkus
Time: MWF: 11:30-12:20 pm
Location: BURT 0119
Email: wkurlinkus@gmail.com
Office: Gittinger 307A
Office Hours: MWF 12:30-1:30; TR 1:30-2:30
Course Website: www.english1113a.wordpress.com







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2.

Course Description

01. Exigence
This course asks you to write, think about your writing, and think about what it means to write.
Along the way we will be asking: How does your writing style, your organization, and your
method/mode of delivery change both the information you choose to compose and how your
composition is received by an audience?

In this course we will be using rhetorical principles (persuasion, argument, manipulation) to
recognize and analyze verbal and visual texts (our readings) as well as produce such texts (our
writing). My overall goal for this course is to get you to realize and respond to rhetorical
situationsthat writing usually means producing something for a specific audience, in a specific
context, with a specific goal in mind. By meeting this goal you will leave the course with the
ability to both adapt your writing to specific rhetorical audiences and push audiences to adapt to
you.

02. Objectives
More generally, the learning objectives of this course are to:
Audience analysis and adaptation
Research (analysis of sources/interviewing) and citation practices
Several major genres of writing
Critical analysis of culture and texts

Required Texts and Equipment

The majority of course reading will be provided online through our course website.
Cheap folder or envelope to hold papers
Notebook or three ring binder.
Large thumb drive ~16G

Participation & Professionalism

I want to hear from you, in any and all forms you're comfortable with. And, perhaps more
importantly, I want you to hear from each otherto know what one another think of the
readings, course topics, etc.

Just as you would in any business setting, I expect you not only to come to class meetings but
also to contribute in a professional, respectful, and engaging manner to our meetings by bringing
questions, comments, and criticisms of readings and assignments. Youll have time every class-
period to say something, so make sure you do as participation and professionalism is 10% of
your grade. Beyond speaking in class discussions, youll also be expected to use in-class working
and group-meeting times wisely.

3.

Course Policies

01. Access
Students requiring academic accommodation should contact the Disability Resource Center for
assistance at (405) 325-3852 or TDD: (405) 325-4173. For more information please see the
Disability Resource Center website http://www.ou.edu/drc/home.html

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully
demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can
discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational
opportunities.

02. Attendance
Attendance is an important part of your ability to understand the class material. Therefore, each
unexcused absence after three will result in the lowering of your participation grade by a half a
letter grade. Six unexcused absences will automatically result in failing the course.
Excused absences, such as those for documented illness, family tragedy, religious observance, or
excused travel for intercollegiate athletics, will not affect your grade. If you plan to be absent,
however, please contact me beforehand.

There will be an attendance sheet passed around each day of class. It is your responsibility to
sign the attendance sheet to indicate your presence in class each day. Whether you are excused or
not, if you miss a class, you are expected to make up the work. This means, if you miss on a day
that involves an in-class exercise, you must make arrangements to complete the exercise on your
own time. Additionally, I will count you as absent if you are more than 20 minutes late to class,
sleeping, or if you come to class unprepared to discuss the days assigned readings. I reserve the
right to hold quizzes to spot check for preparedness.

03. Student Work
Must be completed and submitted on time.
Late submission of a final graded assignment will result in the deduction of one third of a
letter grade for each day past the due date (for example, a B+ would go to a B).
Missing class or encountering technological misfortunes are not acceptable excuses for
failing to meet a deadline. Save early and save often, and be sure to back up your work. I
recommend that you save your work in two separate locations (e.g., save one copy to your
external hard drive, and another copy on a flash drive or CD-ROM).
The grade will not be affected when an assignment is late for reasons that would result in an
excused absence. Students who know they will miss the class when the assignment is due
must contact the instructor as soon as possible in advance of class to arrange for submission
of the assignment.

04. Copyright and Plagiarism
All students are expected to conform to college-level standards of ethics, academic integrity, and
academic honesty. By enrolling in this course, you agree to be bound by the Academic
4.
Misconduct Code published in The University of Oklahoma Student Code
(www.ou.edu/studentcode/OUStudentCode.pdf). For further clarification please see:
www.ou.edu/provost/integrity-rights/.

All members of the community recognize the necessity of being honest with themselves and with
others. Cheating in class, plagiarizing, lying, and employing other modes of deceit diminish the
integrity of the educational experience. None of these should be used as a strategy to obtain a
false sense of success. The need for honest relations among all members of the community is
essential.

06. Class Cancellation
Class cancellation is a possibility in the unlikely event of an emergency. I will contact you via
email and request that a note on department letterhead be placed on the classroom door. In
addition, I will contact you as soon as possible following the cancellation to let you know what
will be expected of you for our next class meeting.

07. Changes to the Schedule
Changes are a possibility, even likely. Our topic is constantly growing and changing so a
particular issue might arise that Id like us to cover. I will notify you of any changes in class and
I will post on the course website. If we should need to rearrange the syllabus, I will also post a
revised syllabus to the course website.

08. Writing Style
Some basic things to check for before you turn in your assignmentswell go over most of these
during the course of the semester.

! #$%&' ()*+, Repetition of the same word over multiple sentences. Topics that have been written
about millions of times, that dont make me think, and that arent beautiful. Complete rejection
of an opposing side. Generality and vagueness. Empty conclusions. Lack of citation. Dictionary
definitions. Repetitive sentence openings. Exclamation points.

! ()*+, Specificity. Self-reflective asides in footnotes (and footnotes in general). Thoughtful use
of visuals, comics, videos, sounds, etc. Experimentation with sentence structures and
punctuationuse semicolons, em dashes, etc. Tangents. Limitations of what you are and are not
talking about. Subtlety. Inside jokes. Extended metaphors and callbacks.

Project List/Grade Breakdown
Professionalism and Participation 10%
Journal (Free Writing, Quizzes, etc.) 10%
Assignment 1: Memoir 15%
Assignment 2: Evaluation 15%
Assignment 3: Rhetorical Analysis 15%
Assignment 4: Researched Argument 15%
Assignment 5: Ethnography 20%
5.

Grading Scale
A 100-90 D 69-60
B 89-80 F 59-below
C 79-70


Schedule
Date Readings Due In Class Writing
Due


Unit 1. Memoir


Objectives: Attention to the craft of writing: showing vs. telling, detail, dialogue,
description, pacing, plot structure, subtlety. Writing across modes. Editing.

M 8.18 Intro to course: What is Rhetoric: Ethos,
Pathos, Logos.
Review Syllabus
Listen to Sedaris
Santa Land
Diaries;
Scattegories.

W 8.20 Rhetorical Choices: 1-18.
Sedaris: Me Talk Pretty One Day.
Hyperbole and a Half: Menace.

Introduction to
Memoir

F 8.22 Rhetorical Choices: 19-32.
Carver: What We Talk About When We
Talk About Love.

Grammar 1
Saul Williams

M 8.25 Hemingway: The End of Something; The
Three Day Blow.
Alexie: The Lone Ranger and Tonto
Fistfight in Heaven.

W 8.27 Student Examples: Bartolome Home; Igo
Open Packet, Add Seasoning, Stir, and
Relate; Wise: The Beach or Why I Cant
Write.
Proposal Due
F 8.29 Graphic Memoirs: Sartrapi Persepolis;
Shrag Shit; Chapman Never Go Home.
Klosterman
Grammar 2
Comic Creation

6.
M. 9.1 Labor DayNo Class
W 9.3 Gilyard: Four Grammatical Approaches to
Description.
Salinger: A Perfect Day for Banana Fish

F 9.5 Peer Review


Unit 2. Evaluation


Objectives: Establishing criteria of evaluation, illustrating exigence, critical
comparison, using evidence, working with/refusing audience expectations, avoiding
clich. Stylistics. Illustrating expertise.

M 9.8 Selzer: Introduction to Evaluation
Klosterman: Toby Over Moby
Intro to
Evaluation
Assignment 1
Due
W 9.10 Elbow: Ranking, Evaluating, and Liking:
Sorting Our Three Forms of Judgment
Links: On Cinema at the Cinema vs. Siskel and
Ebert
The Onion: Area Woman Judges Everything By
Whether Its
Intro to intros
F 9.12 Schilb: Rhetorical Refusals 1-10
Read/Evaluate 3 reviews online and be prepared
to talk about them in class
Intro to
Conclusions

M 9.15 Klosterman: The Lady and the Tiger
Selzer: Steps to Writing an Evaluation
Grammar 3 Proposal Due
W 9.17 Everythings an Argument: The Burden of
Laughter; With Friends Like These
Practice
Evaluation

F 9.19 Student Examples: Delaney: A Professional Set
of Arguments about Why Pokmon Is the
Greatest Game; Garger: Feathers, Perfection,
Unkempt Beds
The Onion: Cat Fancy Magazine Blasts Area
Kitten

M 9.22 Roberts: How to Say Nothing in 500 Words
Wysocki: Building Ethos in Introductions

W 9.24 Contemporary Review Reading Set
F 9.26 Peer Review


Unit 3. Rhetorical Analysis

7.

Objectives: The rhetoric of everyday objects, design theory, critical analysis,
visual rhetoric and arguments. Choosing an arguable and complex topic; balancing
point, evidence, an analysis; introduction to research and citation.

M 9.29 William Covino and David Jollife: What is
Rhetoric
Assignment 2
Due
W 10.1 Norman: Three Levels of Design Rhetorical
Scavenger
Hunt

F 10.3 No ClassWill Gone
M 10.6 Brummett: Gun Culture Style and Its Rhetoric in
the United States

W 10.8 Nodder: Evil By Design Pride
Andersen: Why Seductive Interactions?
Proposal Due
F 10.10 Jenkins: Buying Into American Idol
M 10.13 Morris: Death on Display 204-224
W 10.15 Sturken: The Wall, The Screen, and the Image:
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

F 10.17 Peer Review


Unit 4. Argument


Objectives: Assuming an intelligent opposing side, rebuttal, research, rhetorical
fallacies, contextual framing, illustrating exigency, call to action.

M 10.20 Glenn: Making Sense, Introduction to
Argument
Klosterman: All I Know is What I Read in the
Papers
Assignment 3
Due
W 10.22 Carr: Is Google Making Us Stupid
Delpit: Other Peoples Children: 5-20
Infographics
F 10.24 Glenn: Casebook: College Athletics 654-673 Penn and
Teller

M 10.27 Glenn: Casebook: Vegetariansim 674-707 Rhetorical
Fallacies
Proposal Due
W 10.29 Delpit: Other Peoples Children: 21-47 John
Stewart/Bill
OReilly
Debate

F 10.31 Berube: Citizenship and Disability
Wysocki: Logos and Reasoning
Visual
Argument

8.
M 11.3 Student Examples: Hartson: Water, Water
Everywhere; Bucholtz The Case of Food vs.
Thought; HaasAnd This Little Piggy Was
Let into the Dorm
Delivery
culture,
jamming, love
notes, etc.

W 11.5 Shepard: Hunting and Human Values
F 11.7 Peer Review





Unit 5. Ethnography


Objectives: Primary Research: Interviews, critical observation, critical analysis of
a community, ethics. Analyzing community memory. Preparing for a poster session.

M 11.10 Jenkins: Spoiling Survivor: The Anatomy of a
Knowledge Community
On Ethnography, Language, Culture, and
Learning
Assignment 4
Due
W 11.12 Turkle: Alone Together, Always On
John Swales: The Concept of Discourse
Community
Locating a
communitys
god memories

F 11.14 Jenkins: Why Heather Can Write: Media
Literacy and the Harry Potter Wars
On Ethnography, The Ethnographers Field
Entry
Ethnographic
Film; audience
participation

M 11.17 Turkle: Alone Together, Growing Up Tethered Resource
Mapping
Proposal Due
W 11.19 Turkle: Alone Together, No Need to Call Ethnography
for
participatory
design

F 11.21 Modan: Sketching the Landscape
M 11.24 Moss: A Community Text Arises, Creating a
Community Within the Sermons

W 11.26 Thanksgiving Vacation
F 11.28 Thanksgiving Vacation
M 12.1 Orr: Community Memory in a Service Culture
W 12.3 Peer Review
F 12.5 Last Day of ClassPoster Session Final Paper
Due

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