Clovis West High School
AP Language and Composition
2015 – 2016
Instructor: Andrew Dominguez
Email: andydominguez@cusd.com
Google Docs: cwcomp99@gmail.com
Course Websites: www.turnitin.com / cwcompositon.weebly.com
Introduction
In The Philosophy of Literary Form, Kenneth Burke attempts to characterize the nature of academic writing with the
following:
Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are
engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In
fact, the discussion had already begun long before any of them got there, so that no one present is qualified to
retrace for you all the steps that had gone before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the
tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your
defense; another aligns himself against you, to either the embarrassment or gratification of your opponent,
depending upon the quality of your ally's assistance. However, the discussion is interminable. The hour grows
late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress.
Although diverse academic disciplines (i.e. biology and history) each have their own subject matters and epistemologies,
they are all organized around ongoing conversations where scholars contribute to the formation of knowledge. We read
the writings of others, work to understand the nature of the conversation, and then find ways of “putting in our oar.”
In order to help you develop this capacity, Burke’s “conversation metaphor” will serve as an organizing principle for the
writing and work that we do in this course. In fact, you will notice that most of our instructional units have been designed
around topics and conversations that we will work to enter through writing: Education, Popular Culture, Language, Sports
and Fitness, and Science and Technology. By learning to locate and synthesize information in support of rhetorically
effective arguments, you will have an opportunity to master the most fundamental aspects of academic discourse.
Course Outcomes
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Analyze the unique rhetorical features of arguments that demonstrate how language performs social action that accomplishes
particular purposes or intents. Such features include appeals (e.g., ethos, pathos, logos), structural choices (e.g., inductive vs.
deductive reasoning, author’s purpose), and argumentative moves (e.g., concession, rebuttal).
Analyze images and other multimodal texts for rhetorical features.
Write for a variety of purposes.
Examine the appropriateness of using different kinds of evidence to support a claim. Such evidence could include anecdotes
and observations, facts and statistics from experts in a variety of fields of study, arguments of respected authorities, other
outside sources, or personal experience.
Assess the critical role of audience in writing an effective argument. Students need to learn to challenge their own assertions
and to provide substantial evidence to explain and justify a position to an often skeptical audience.
Effectively synthesize information and perspectives from research sources to enter an intellectual conversation and develop
one’s own position on the topic.
Develop the habit of thinking about argument as a way to participate in a conversation of an unresolved question, instead of
engaging the issue as an adversary.
Construct a clear, rhetorically sound argument that supports an assertion with convincing evidence, using a structure that
advances the argument logically and persuasively.
Demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources.
Gain control over various reading and writing processes, with careful attention to inquiry (research), rhetorical analysis and
synthesis of sources, drafting, revising/rereading, editing, and review.
Classroom Texts
Losh, Elizabeth M., Jonathan Alexander, Kevin Cannon, and Zander Cannon. Understanding
Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide to Writing. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2014. Print.
Rice, Jeff. Writing about Cool: Hypertext and Cultural Studies in the Computer Classroom. New York: Pearson
Longman, 2004. Print.
Shea, R.H., Scanlon, L., & Aufses, R. D. 2008. The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric.
New York, New York: Bedford St Martins, 2008. Print.
Course Schedule
Unit Topic/Conversation
Readings
Major Assignments
1
Language of Composition:
Chapters 1 and 2
Formal Rhetorical Analysis
(1000 Word Minimum)
Final Draft Due September 21st
Introduction to
Rhetorical Analysis
2
Introduction to Synthesis
and Argumentation:
Entering the
Conversation
3
Education
4
Popular Culture
Understanding Rhetoric:
Introduction and Chapters 1/3
Language of Composition:
Chapter 3
Understanding Comics:
Chapter 1
“Teaching English in N. Korea”
Understanding Rhetoric:
Chapter 4 (Argument)
Language of Composition:
Chapter 4
Understanding Rhetoric:
Chapter 6 (Revision)
Language of Composition:
Chapter 11
Mini-Synthesis Essay (in Lang. of Comp.)
(1200 Words Minimum)
Final Draft Due October 19th
Formal Synthesis Essay
(1500 Word Minimum)
Final Draft Due November 30th
Formal Research Paper
(2000 Word Minimum)
Final Draft Due January 19th
Understanding Rhetoric:
Chapter 5 (Research)
End of Semester One
5
Language
Language of Composition:
Chapter 9
“Discourse Communities” Gee
“Tense Present” D.F. Wallace
Language of Composition:
Chapter 8
Analytical Literacy Narrative
(1200 Word Minimum)
Final Draft Due February 22nd
6
Sports and Fitness
7
Science and Technology
Language of Composition:
Chapter 10
Formal Research Paper
(2000 Words Minimum)
Final Draft Due May 2nd
8
Rhetoric of Remix
Rip: A Remix Manifesto (film)
Rhetoric of Cool: Readings
Lethem “Ecstasy of Influence"
Documentary/Remix Film
Due June 3rd
End of Semester Two
Formal Synthesis Essay
(1500 Words Minimum)
Final Draft Due April 4th
Potential Videos
Rip: A Remix Manifesto: Brett Gaylor (NR)
This documentary explores the complexities of intellectual property in the era of peer-to-peer file sharing. It examines the
way that new media (i.e. the internet) is dismantling the distinction between users and producers and paving the way for a
future of collaborative knowledge production. It is intended to give students an understanding of the way that
contemporary media epistemologies that are changing the nature of academia and the world at large.
Transcendent Man: Raymond Kurzweil (PG)
Technology will accelerate exponentially. Within 25 years, computers will have consciousness. Humans will soon be
bionic. These predictions make bestselling author Ray Kurzweil (The Singularity Is Near) a prophetic genius to some, and
a highly sophisticated crackpot to others. There is no question, however, that he has predicted the future with more
accuracy than anyone else in history. This film supports the Science and Technology unit.
Wordplay: Will Shortz (PG)
Wordplay is a documentary that examines the unique subculture surrounding the New York Times crossword puzzle.
This film is used to help students understand how discourse communities function and to give them a perspective on how
one becomes “literate” in various contexts.
Grades
Grades will be assigned according to a traditional percentage scale:
A (90%) B (80%) C (70%) D (60%) F (59% or lower).
Semester Assignment Weights (approximate):
Essays
70%
Homework/Classwork
30%
Point Values:
Formal Essays: 300 Points
In-Class Essays: 100 Points
Annotated Bibliographies: 50 Points
Homework/Classwork: 10 – 40 Points
Late Policy:
Late work submitted within 1-week of the due date will receive no more than 75% of the maximum score.
Late work submitted more than 1-week after the due date will receive no more than 50% of the maximum score.
Turnitin.com
We will regularly use Turnitin.com for submission of written work during the school year. Please take note of your class
period’s registration information below. You will use these codes to register for our class:
Class ID:
Password: