english 207. persuasive writing syllabus

ENGL 207. PERSUASIVE WRITING[ time + place ]

spring 2013

mwf 1:30-2:20TLC 139

[ contact ]Dr. Christa Teston

Brink Hall 208@christateston

[email protected]

[ office hours ]mwf 10:30-11:30

& by appt.

Course Description. This is an intermediate writing course. Our primary aim will be to explore and deploy sound rhetorical theory about how to persuade various audiences, using a wide

range of media, about certain positions. You’ll be introduced to more advanced theoretical constructs and principles in rhetoric and writing studies as a way to analyze and construct

persuasive prose. A good deal of your work in this course will include workshopping, peer review, and revision of prose.

Learning Objectives. By the end of this course, you should be able to articulate and respond to various world views surrounding particular issues. You should be able to ground your claims

while using a wide range of modalities (oral, print, visual). You should be able to successfully deploy classical and contemporary theories of argumentation (Aristotelian, Toulminian, Stasis Theory, Rogerian, Perelmanian) to analyze and invent arguments. You should be able to

meaningfully and ethically conduct and incorporate primary and secondary research in order to construct arguments that persuade readers. You should also find that your peer review and

revision skills have improved over the course of the semester.

Required Materials

• Fahnestock and Secor’s (2004) A Rhetoric of Argument (ISBN=0072938234)• a dropbox account

• a gmail account (we’ll be using google documents)• access to video editing software (iMovie, MovieMaker, etc.)

mailto:[email protected]


Genres You’ll Learn The genres we’ll work with in this class include several small-stakes writing exercises, editorials, academic essays,

intervention letters, oral histories, and debates.

Course Policies

Come to class prepared. And don’t be late. Be kind. Do your best. Ask for help.

Revision and Late SubmissionsBe prepared to be asked to revise a piece of writing multiple times. Do not take offense to this request. Do not see it as an insult to your abilities. Recognize that a college writing course like this is a safe place to take risks and fail. The stakes are

low. You won’t lose your job; your family won’t go hungry; wars won’t start or end. Rest assured that if you’re trying, if you’re revising, your writing will improve. Now is the safest time to take advantage of the opportunity to revise. While I’ll

allow you to revise your work, it is now my policy that I will not accept late submissions. Extensions must be negotiated well before the deadline.

PlagiarismDon’t do it. While much of what you do in here will be unique enough that you won’t really have the opportunity to lift

essays off the internet, you may be tempted to borrow sentences or phrases or have your older sister write it for you. Don’t do it. If you are under some kind of academic, personal, or familial pressure that tempts you to cheat, please come talk to me. If you don’t know what counts as plagiarism, come talk to me.

Accommodations

Please know that if you need specific accommodations in order to successfully complete this (or any) course, you should contact Disability Support Services (Idaho Commons Rm 306) by phone (208) 885.6307 or by email, [email protected]. If you need assistance taking this step, I’m available.

Attendance

You are expected to come to class on time and prepared. In the case of officially approved absences and upon your request, I am obligated to provide an opportunity for you to make up missed work. An absence is “official” if you are: (a) participating in an approved field trip or other official UI activity, (b) confined under doctor’s orders, (c) called to active

military duty during emergency situations, or (d) granted a leave of absence from UI for reasonable cause by his or her academic dean.

Please note that if you have three or more absences that don’t meet the above-stated “official” criteria, you should not expect to pass this course.

Assessment

The following table describes each of the assignments, or “deliverables,” you’ll be responsible for submitting over the course of the semester. It also indicates the maximum points available for each deliverable. Please note that some deliverables are assessed in an ongoing manner throughout the whole semester, whereas some deliverables have finite

deadlines.



DELIVERABLES POINTS

S e m e s t e r - L o n g

Attendance 100

Preparedness and Participation (workshop days; reading quizzes, etc.) 100

O n e - T i m e

Aristotelian Exercise: Editorial 25

Toulminian Exercise: Academic Essay 100

Rogerian Exercise: Intervention Letter 25

“What is it?” Argument 50

“How did it get that way?” Argument 50

“Is it good or bad?” Argument 50

Oral History Project 400

Debate Deliverables 100

TOTAL 1000

Tentative Course Schedule

W E E K 1 . I N T R O D U C T I O N S

m1/07

w 1/09

Distribute syllabus; Introduce course; Assign David Foster Wallace’s “Kenyon Commencement Speech”

f1/11

Discuss persuasive appeals in David Foster Wallace’s “Kenyon Commencement Speech;” Introduce Editorial Assignment; Assign Mike Rose’s “Blue Collar Brilliance”

W E E K 2 . A R I S T O T E L I A N A R G U M E N T A T I O N

m1/14

Discuss persuasive appeals in Mike Rose’s “Blue Collar Brilliance”

w1/16

What is Rhetoric?; Peer Review: Editorial Assignment (bring 3 copies) DUE: Editorial Assignment

f1/17

Discuss Fahnestock & Secor Ch. 1

W E E K 3 . T O U L M I N ’ S M O D E L F O R A R G U M E N T A T I O N

m1/21

NO CLASS: MLK DAY

w1/23

Discuss Fahnestock & Secor Ch. 2; Introduce Academic Essay

f1/25

Workshop Academic Essay

W E E K 4 . T O U L M I N ( C O N T ’ D )

m1/28

Discuss Fahnestock & Secor Ch. 4

w1/30

Marijuana Legalization Exercise

f2/01

Library Day (Research for Academic Essay)

W E E K 5 . R O G E R I A N A R G U M E N T A T I O N

m2/04

Discuss Fahnestock & Secor Ch. 3; Introduce Intervention Letter

w2/06

Political Speeches and Fallacies Exercise

f2/08

Introduce Oral History Project


W E E K 6 . S T A S I S T H E O R Y : D E F I N I T I O N

m2/11

Library Day (Research for Oral History Project) DUE: Intervention Letter (on google docs)

w2/13

Discuss Fahnestock & Secor Ch. 6; Introduce “What is it?” Argument

f2/15

Peer Review: Academic Essay (bring 3 copies) DUE: Academic Essay

W E E K 7 . S T A S I S T H E O R Y A N D C A U S A L I T Y

m2/18

NO CLASS: PRESIDENTS DAY

w2/20

Discuss Fahnestock & Secor Ch. 7; Introduce “How did it get that way?” Argument

DUE: “What is it?” Argument

f2/22

Lead Levels and Crime Exercise DUE: Academic Essay Final

W E E K 8 . S T A S I S T H E O R Y : Q U A L I T Y

m2/25

Discuss Fahnestock & Secor Ch. 8; Introduce “Is it good or bad?” Argument

w2/27

Peer Review “How did it get that way?” Argument (bring 3 copies) DUE: “How did it get that way?” Argument

f3/01

Story of Stuff Exercise

W E E K 9 . S T A S I S T H E O R Y : P O L I C Y

m3/04

Discuss Fahnestock & Secor Ch. 9;

w3/06

Peer Review “Is it good or bad?” Argument (bring 3 copies) DUE: “Is it good or bad?” Argument

f3/08

Piers Morgan and Gun Control Exercise

W E E K 1 0 . S P R I N G B R E A K ( N O C L A S S )


W E E K 1 1 . D E B A T E P R E P A R A T I O N , R E V I E W W E E K

m3/18

w3/20

f3/22

W E E K 1 2 . C O N F E R E N C E S

m3/25

CONFERENCES

w3/27

CONFERENCES

f3/29

CONFERENCES

W E E K 1 3 . D E B A T E S : L O C A L I S S U E S

m4/01

w4/03

f4/05

W E E K 1 4 . D E B A T E S : N A T I O N A L I S S U E S

m4/08

w4/10

f4/12

W E E K 1 5 . D E B A T E S : G L O B A L I S S U E S

m4/15

w4/17

f4/19


W E E K 1 6 . O R A L H I S T O R I E S

m4/22

Oral History Viewing

w4/24


f4/26


W E E K 1 7 . O R A L H I S T O R I E S

m4/29


w5/01


f5/03


english 207. persuasive writing syllabus

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