Rhetoric 1302 – section 019

Fall 2005

INSTRUCTOR – Sarah Lynne Bowman

University of Texas at Dallas
School of Arts & Humanities

DAYS/TIME – T/TH 9:30-10:45

LOCATION -- JO 4.122

Syllabus website: found on Lingua MOO in Carthage

Office: JO 4.118

Office Hours: Tues. 12:30-1:30

Phone: 972-883-2018

Email: slb026000@utdallas.edu

UTD Rhetoric Website: http://lingua.utdallas.edu/rhetoric

Contains links to course syllabus, reference and research resources, LRO, and
Lingua Moo

Learning Record Online (LRO): http://lro.cwrl.utexas.edu

Course Description

The overall structure of this section of Rhetoric 1302 will involve arguments between
proponents of nature and nurture in order to explore the intricacies of human
behavior. This course focuses on critical thinking by using an integrated approach to
writing that teaches various rhetorical strategies for reading and constructing
arguments, both written and visual. You will learn to read texts critically according
to key components in argumentative discourse (i.e., claims, grounds, explicit and
implicit assumptions, fallacies, etc.) and to recognize the different purposes of
argument. You will write and revise three to four papers based on issues and
controversies raised in the various texts read during the semester. The assignments
will give you extensive practice in reading critically and writing according to the
rhetorical conventions of an argumentative essay.

Learning Record Online

Student work will be collected in an electronic portfolio called the “Learning Record
Online” (LRO) throughout the semester. Use of online technology will enhance the
level of feedback you receive, as well as give you experience in the kinds of
collaborative work that many organizations use routinely. Online interaction and
argumentative writing will comprise a large part of the evaluation in the course.
Other assignments will include interviews, observations, and notes, all of which will
be entered into your LRO. The LRO portfolio is your most important argument in the
course as it shows the sum evidence of your learning, including your own
observations and analysis of your learning. You will belong to a “work group” for
various collaborative activities (i.e., discussion of readings, peer critiques), and you
will participate in mid-term and semester-end moderation readings of your LRO
portfolio for feedback from your peers. Because learning to read critically and write
responsively entails mastery of a process, your work will undergo extensive revisions
in response to peer readings and collaboration as well as conferencing with your
instructor.

Required Texts & Supplies

Everything’s an Argument by Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters,

3rd ed.
Quick Access Reference for Writers by Lynn Troyka, 4th ed. Additional readings to be
provided by the instructor.

Also bring a floppy disk (PC-formatted if you use a PC, Mac-formatted if you use a
Mac) or CD/RW. The Rhetoric classroom uses Macintosh computers that can read
either format. Most documents will be produced in Microsoft Word. Whether you use
MS Word outside of the classroom or not, it is best to save your files as rich text
format (RTF) to insure compatibility between the word processing program you use
and the one in your classroom.

The following is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

Attendance Policy

Because participation is vital to successful completion of Rhetoric 1302, you should

attend every class. If you must be absent, check with your classmates or with me
for any work you missed that can be made up. Much of the work is done
collaboratively in class. Alternative assignments are generally not given, nor can the
instructor “re-teach” missed classes for individual students. If you miss more than
three classes, your grade will be negatively affected and/or you may be
encouraged to drop the class. Two tardies will count as one absence. Chronic
tardiness is unacceptable, as are coming to class unprepared, doing work that is not
for this course during class, sleeping in class, or using the computers or other
personal electronic devices for personal messaging, research, or entertainment.
Please turn off cellular/mobile phones, pagers, and other personal
electronic devices during class.
Drop Policy

See here for details on deadlines and procedures for dropping:

http://www.utdallas.edu/student/registrar/lookup/dropadd.html

Office Hours

Please note my regular office hours above. You also can arrange to see me at other
times that are mutually convenient. Office hours belong to you just as much as our
class time. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of my availability and the help I am
ready to offer. If you need to contact me outside of class time or office hours, it is
best to communicate with me by email rather than the office phone.

Email Policy

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO UTD STUDENTS: As of August 1, 2004, all email

correspondence with students will be sent ONLY to the student's U.T. Dallas email
address. U.T. Dallas provides each student with a free email account that is to be
used in all communication with university personnel. This allows the university to
maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individuals corresponding
and the security of the transmitted information. The Department of Information
Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to forward email from other
accounts to their U.T. Dallas address and have their U.T. Dallas mail sent on to
other accounts. Students may go to the following URL to establish or maintain their
official U.T. Dallas computer account: http://netid.utdallas.edu/

Grading Policy

This class offers you an approach to learning that may be different from your past
experiences. Because the course is concerned with your development as a critical
reader and writer, the grading strategy will track and monitor that development.
Your work will be collected in an electronic portfolio called the Learning Record
Online (LRO). Your assignments will not receive individual grades, but will receive
individual attention from your classmates and me. Your mid-term and final grades
will be based on your portfolio of written observations and your work samples,
including collaborative work and your three major essays, as well as completion of
each component of your LRO. In the final step to completing your LRO, you will
argue for your grade by summarizing your learning and estimating the grade that
the evidence of your learning supports. In other words, you will directly apply what
you learn in this course, argumentative writing, by arguing for your own grade.
However, each component of the LRO is vital to a quality body of work: your
attendance, participation, promptness, level of writing. effective arguments,
creativity, collaboration, sound rhetorical skills, competent use of technology—all of
these things and more contribute to an outstanding portfolio.

Your goal is to demonstrate your development toward mastery of five course

strands (rhetoric, research, technology, collaboration, and critical thinking) and
development across five dimensions of learning (confidence and independence, skills
and strategies, knowledge and understanding, use of prior and emerging
experience, and reflectiveness). These goals will be discussed throughout the
course. Keep in mind that although we do give + and – grades at UTD, the general
criteria for grading your Learning Record is still based on the A-F scale.

The following grade criteria describe very general indicators that both you and
your instructor may take into consideration when assessing your work and
progress in the course. Your estimation of your mid-term and final grades should
be more detailed and specific and may include a ‘+’ or ‘–‘ if your work tilts above
or below the central grade for which you argue. But the final interpretation and
assessment of your grade remains the responsibility of your teacher.

A: Represents outstanding participation in all course activities (including

attendance and promptness); all assigned work completed on time, with very
high quality in all work produced for the course. Evidence of significant and
sustained development across the five dimensions of learning and five course
strands.

B: Represents excellent participation in all course activities (including attendance

and promptness); all assigned work completed on time, with consistently high
quality in course work. Evidence of marked and above average development
across the five dimensions of learning and five course strands.

C: Represents good (but average) participation in all course activities; all

assigned work completed, with generally good quality overall in course work.
Evidence of some development across the five dimensions of learning and five
course strands.

D: Represents uneven participation in course activities; some gaps in assigned

work completed, with inconsistent quality in course work. Evidence of
development across the five dimensions of learning and five course strands is
partial or unclear.

F: Represents minimal participation in course activities; serious gaps in assigned

work completed, or very low quality in course work. Evidence of development is
not available.
UTD Grading scale:
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/catalog/undergrad02/progress.html#Grading%20S
cale

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is the representation of another person’s work as your own, whether you
mean to or not. For example, copying or paraphrasing passages from another
writer’s work without acknowledging that you’ve done so is plagiarism. Allowing
another writer to write any part of your essay is plagiarism. Copying or purchasing a
paper from any source is plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a serious offense. The possible consequences range from failing the
assignment to failing the course, or worse. Each incident of plagiarism at UTD must
be reported to the administration. If you are not sure how to properly cite a quoted
or paraphrased source, or if you need help with the format of a citation, check with
the New Century Handbook and/or with your teacher. Although you can (and, in
fact, should) seek help and advice from friends, classmates, tutors, and others, be
sure that your written work is your own.

See the Undergraduate Catalog for information about the consequences of

Scholastic Dishonesty, or view the policy here (which is also a link on the Rhetoric
Program website):

http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html.

Major Assignments

First Essay: An essay that presents a definition or evaluation argument using

the principles and criteria in Everything’s an Argument (Chapter 9 or 10).
First draft due: June 27
Final draft due: June 29

Second Essay: An integrated textual and visual essay that examines and analyzes
the argument of a visual image (or images) using the criteria in Chapter 14 of
Everything’s an Argument. This essay may be created and archived in Lingua MOO
or the WWW, or it may be a traditional Word document that simply displays the
image(s) in the body of your essay. Your image may come from the visuals in
Everything’s an Argument, other publications, Internet, or other media.
First draft due: July 6
Final draft due: July 11
Third Essay: An essay that presents a causal or proposal argument using the
principles and criteria in Everything’s an Argument (Chapter 11 or 12).

First draft due: July 18

Second draft due: July 20
Final draft due: July 25

Learning Record Online: This is an online resource for managing and

documenting the work and learning you do in this class. Various assignments will be
due throughout the semester, and all observations, drafts, and essays must be
included in the LRO on the date due.
Parts A.1 and A.2 are due: June 16
Parts B.1 and C.1 are due: July 4
Parts B.2 and C.2 are due: July 27

Remember: all drafts and final drafts must be recorded online in your LRO
and turned in to me in hard copy (using MLA format and citation and
including a Works Cited page) on the dates they are due.

Syllabus Itinerary (subject to change)

[Assignments are due by the next class period unless noted otherwise].
[Assignments from Everything’s an Argument textbook will be denoted by EA;
assignments from Quick Access Handbook will be denoted by QA].

Thurs 8/18: IN-CLASS: Intro to course, LRO, and Rhetoric Program website.
Lecture on Rhetoric, freestyle debate.

A ssignment: Record an observation in your LRO. Read EA Ch. 1-5 and QA Ch. 1-
3. Find Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on google.com and
do a Toulmin Analysis. Record the analysis in your Work Samples.

Tues 8/23: IN-CLASS: Lecture on Toulmin Method and Quick Access and its
resources. Group workshop on Toulmin Analysis project.

Assignment: Read Peach’s “Types of Feminism” and Lorber’s “Night to His Day.”
Record an observation in your LRO containing a brief summary of the main
arguments of the articles and your response to them. Read EA Ch. 5-8.
Complete LRO parts A.1 and A.2 by Tues 8/30.

Thurs 8/25: IN-CLASS: Lecture on Feminist theory.

Assignment: Read Stone’s “Empire Strikes Back” and record an observation in
your LRO containing a brief summary of the main arguments of the article and
your response. Read Ch. 9-10 in EA.

Tues 8/30: IN-CLASS: Due: LRO A.1 and A.2. Mock panel on gender theory.

Assignment: Read Stone’s “Empire Strikes Back” and record an observation in

your LRO containing a brief summary of the main arguments of the article and
your response. Read Ch. 9-10 in EA.

Thurs 9/1: IN-CLASS: Lecture on sexuality and deviance.

Assignment: Record an observation in your LRO. Decide on your essay topic,

create a rhetorical prospectus/outline, and paste into your Work Samples.
Review chapters on MLA citations, Internet research, and grammar in QA.

Tues 9/6: IN-CLASS: Lecture on ideology, hegemony, and class. Class

presentations of paper topics and prospectuses.

Assignment: Read bell hook’s “The Oppositional Gaze” and record an observation
in your LRO containing a brief summary of the main arguments of the article and
your response. Write first draft of essay. Read Ch. 15 in EA.

Thurs 9/8: IN-CLASS: Lecture on grammar, format, and mechanics (bring Quick
Access book). First draft of essay #1 due today. Teacher/student conferences,
in-class writing, and peer reviews.

Assignment: Read Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure in Narrative Cinema” and

record an observation in your LRO containing a brief summary of the main
arguments of the article and your response. Finish final draft of Essay #1 by
9/20.

Tues 9/13: IN-CLASS: Lecture on communications theory and historiography.

Final draft of Essay #1 due.

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Watch a movie from the

assigned list found under Divine Instructions in Carthage. Read bell hook’s “The
Oppositional Gaze” and record an observation in your LRO containing a brief
summary of the main arguments of the article and your response.

Thurs 9/15: IN-CLASS: Group work on the music industry.

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Decide on your image for Essay
#2 and bring it with your paper prospectus to class on 9/26. Image must be
linked to the Internet; post the link in your LRO Work Samples. [If you are
linking to the image elsewhere on the Internet, BE SURE TO NOTE EXACT
SOURCE OF THE IMAGE and OBTAIN PERMISSION TO LINK TO IT IF IT IS NOT
A PUBLIC SITE]. Read Ch. 11 and 16 in EA.

Tues 9/20: IN-CLASS: Group exercise on the movie industry. Presentation of

images and prospectuses for Essay #2.

Assignment: Record an observation in your LRO. Begin work on first draft of

Essay #2, due 9/27.

Thurs 9/22: IN-CLASS: Introduction to Lingua MOO (integrated and interactive

visual and textual argument).

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Finish your MOO characters and
rooms.

Tues 9/27: First draft of Essay #2 due. Teacher/student conferences, in-

class writing, and peer reviews.

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Finish Essay #2, due 10/3.

Thurs 9/29: Group work on the news media and “bias.”

Assignment: Read Mook’s “A Brief History of Motivational Concepts” and record

an observation in your LRO containing a brief summary of the main arguments of
the article and your response.

Tues 10/3: Final draft of Essay #2 due in class and on the MOO. Lecture
on motivational psychology.

Assignment: Research the list of psychoanalytic terms in Divine Instructions on

the MOO. Bring notes with definitions for the next class. Begin work on
B1/C1, due Sun 10/9.

Thurs 10/5: Lecture on psychoanalysis.

Assignment: Research Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and John Bowlby’s stage
theories on the Internet. Record an observation in your LRO stating what
questions you think these theorists were attempting to answer and your own
response. Record notes in Work Samples on each theorist for class on Mon
10/11. Finish B1/C1 by Sun 10/9.
Tues 10/11: IN-CLASS: Group work on stage theory.

Assignment: Record an observation in your LRO. Read Ch. 12 and 14 in EA.

Thurs 10/13: IN-CLASS: Group chat on disciplinary methods and repression.

Assignment: Research “creation narratives” from different religions: Islam,

Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto. Research “creation” according to the
Big Bang theory and evolution. Record an observation in your LRO analyzing
your findings.

Tues 10/18: IN-CLASS: Lecture on evolutionary psychology, Darwin, and

natural selection.

Assignment: Read David Buss’ “The Evolution of Happiness” and record an

observation in your LRO containing a brief summary of the main arguments of
the article and your response.

Thurs 10/20: IN-CLASS: Lecture on sexual selection.

Assignment: Read Joseph Campbell’s “The Impact of Science on Myth” and “The
Emergence of Mankind.” Record an observation in your LRO containing a brief
summary of the main arguments of the articles and your response.

Tues 10/25: This American Life program on testosterone.

Assignment: Record an observation in your LRO. Research the list of comparative

religion terms found in Divine Instructions. Bring notes with definitions for the
next class.

Thurs 10/27: Lecture on comparative religion.

Assignment: Decide on paper topic for Essay #3; suggestions are located under
Divine Instructions in Carthage on the MOO. Create outline/prospectus for Paper
#3 for class on 11/1.

Tues 11/1: Class presentations of prospectuses for Essay #3. Group work on
comparative religion.

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Begin working on first draft of

Essay #3, due 11/8.

Thurs 11/3: Screening of The Blue Lagoon.

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Continue work on Essay #3.

Tues 11/8: First draft of Essay #3 due. Finish screening of The Blue
Lagoon. Teacher/student conferences, in-class writing, and peer reviews.

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Outline the two (or more)
theories you’ll use in your paper and bring to class on Tues 11/10.

Thurs 11/10: Group work on paper theories.

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Work on second draft of

Essay #3, due 11/15.

Tues 11/15: IN-CLASS: Second draft of Essay #3 due today.

Teacher/student conferences, in-class writing, and peer reviews.

Assignment: Record an observation in the LRO. Work on third draft of Essay #3.

Thurs 11/17: IN-CLASS: Teacher/student conferences, in-class writing, and

peer reviews.

Assignment: Record an observation in your LRO. Work on third draft, due

Tues 11/22.

Tues 11/22: IN-CLASS: Third draft of Essay #3 due . Work on B.2/C.2 in

class.

Assignment: Record an observation in your LRO. Finish B.2/C.2 by Thurs

11/24.

Thurs: IN-CLASS: Wrap up, surprise movie day.