Wrtg 1150: First Year Writing and Rhetoric
Instructor: Jennifer Stewart Fueston
Sections: 040, 801
Class Time: MWF 1-1:50, 2-2:50
Location: CLUB 10, EDUC 143
Office: ENVD 1B30B
Office Hours: MWF 12-1 p.m. or by appointment
Office Phone: 303-735-4673
Email: jen.stewart@colorado.edu
Course Goals and Aims:
Wrtg 1150: First Year Writing and Rhetoric is a rhetorically informed introduction to college writing. The course
focuses on critical analysis, argument, inquiry, and information literacy. Wrtg 1150 is taught as a writing workshop;
the course places a premium on invention, drafting and thoughtful revision.
As explained in Knowing Words pg 15 - 17, the aims of the course are to:
 refine and reflect on your writing process, engaging in substantial revision as you give and receive feedback
from your peers and from the instructor

develop rhetorical awareness, making informed choices as you adapt your writing to the needs of your
readers, to a specific context and situation, and for a particular purpose

become a critical reader, approaching texts with a writer’s awareness of craft and a critic’s ability to interpret
and respond to a text’s meaning and effects

develop strategies of research using a variety of research tools that will enable you to read and evaluate the
work of others and then integrate your research into your own writing in a thoughtful and ethical manner

understand and apply conventions of standard language use, including proper grammar, syntax, and
punctuation, as you compose, revise, and edit your writing across a range of rhetorical tasks and genres .
Required Texts:
Knowing Words (the PWR’s self-published writing handbook)
“They Say, I Say”: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing with Readings
(Graff, Birkenstein & Durst, 2008)
Various texts as assigned via online reserves and handouts
A writing handbook of your choice
Required Tools:
Regular access to online class information and materials at Desire2Learn
(https://learn.colorado.edu)
Email communication via your CU email address
Resources for writing and grammar skills:
The Purdue University OWL (on-line writing lab): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl
The Colorado State University Writing Center: http://writing.colostate.edu
The Oregon State Resource Center: http://cwl.oregonstate.edu/Webresourcespage.html
The CU Boulder Writing Center:
If you want additional help with your writing, the Writing Center in Norlin Library is a great place to go to talk about
ideas, improve your thesis or essay organization, or just generally work on your writing skills. Check the Writing
Center website for more information about hours and services, or request an appointment online at:
http://www.colorado.edu/pwr/writingcenter.html
Attendance:
You are permitted three absences during the semester. The fourth time you are absent, I will begin to deduct points
from your final grade for the course – for each day of absence, your final grade will be penalized by one grade level
(for example, if your final grade is a B+, an absence would result in a B). The reasoning for this is that if you are
absent more than three times, you have missed a significant amount of the course material and it will be difficult for
you to achieve the goals of this course. Of course, there are always exceptions. If you have a valid reason for being
absent for more than three class periods, contact me and we can discuss the situation. If you are absent, you should
contact a classmate for the information and assignments you missed. I do not allow work to be turned in late
except in cases of significant extenuating circumstance (health, family emergency, personal crisis, injury). Please talk
with me if you are having difficulty meeting deadlines for any reason.
Conferences:
During the course of the semester, I will schedule several conferences (either individually or in groups) to discuss
your writing. Conferences are regarded as a class period and I typically cancel a class day during the week of
conferences. If you don’t show up for your scheduled time, it will be counted as an absence. If you are unable to
attend and you know beforehand, please contact me to reschedule.
Grading:
30%
20%
25%
25%
Short (1 – 2 page) written assignments, midterm exam, RIOT, quizzes, daily preparedness and participation
Unit 1: Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Unit 2: Research Project, including 1) Research Proposal, 2) Annotated Bibliography, and 3) Research Essay
Unit 3: Persuasive Texts #1 and #2
Guidelines and expectations for these essays and projects will be given out at the beginning of each unit and posted
online at the class site http://learn.colorado.edu. Grading and evaluation of papers will also be discussed in detail
prior to each deadline. Short written assignments and readings are listed in the following schedule, as well as posted
to the online calendar.
Fall 2011 Schedule: First Year Writing and Rhetoric
(please note: dates and activities are tentative and subject to revision as determined by instructor)
Date
Mon, Aug 22
Wed, Aug 24
Fri, Aug 26
Mon, Aug 29
Wed, Aug 31
Fri, Sept 2
Mon, Sept 5
Topics and Activities
Introduction to the course
Homework for following class day
- Read Knowing Words (KW)
chapters 1 &2
What is good writing?
- Bring 2 copies of “literacy
Investigating what has shaped our own literacy
biography”
Genre and expectations: what do we expect of narratives?
- Read chp. 6 in KW
Workshop literacy biographies (Turn in one copy to instructor)
- Read p. 73 – 77 in KW
- Revise literacy biography
Discuss “Learning to Read” (p 73 – 77 in KW)
- Read syllabus
What does it mean to be literate? What kinds of writing will you
- Read chp. 4 in KW
encounter in university?
Review syllabus polices and unit assignments
Unit 1: “Learning the Language” (see unit assignment sheet)
- Find a persuasive text and
How do writers get our attention?
write a 1-page analysis of its
Discuss chp. 4 of Knowing Words
“appeals”
(Turn in typed, final copy of “Literacy Biography)
Types of persuasive texts: where do we encounter them, who
- Read “Ships in the Desert” (on
are their audiences, how can we begin to critically engage them?
class site)
- Answer critical reading
SHARE the persuasive text you found, discuss in groups
questions about “Ships”
- Revise your analysis of
persuasive text
ETHOS and LOGOS at work in texts
- Read “Political Language” and
Reading persuasive texts critically
“Pep Talk” handouts (on class
Logical Fallacies
site)
(Turn in typed copy of 1-page analysis of persuasive appeals)
- Find another persuasive
political text and write a 1-page
No Class: Labor Day Holiday
analysis of how it “works”
using the given frameworks
Wed, Sept 7
Fri, Sept 9
Mon, Sept 12
Wed, Sept 14
Fri, Sept 16
Mon, Sept 19
Wed, Sept 21
Fri, Sept 23
Mon, Sept 26
Wed, Sept 28
Fri, Sept 30
Share examples of political texts and your analyses of them
Discuss the political language frameworks from readings
Analyzing political messages in images
What is the difference between political language and
propaganda?
How do political messages use appeals in texts?
Persuasiveness in Commercial texts and Advertising
(Turn in typed, final copy of 1-page analysis of political language)
Investigating advertising appeals
Design as an aspect of appeal
Discuss your writings on products with iconic status
Reviewing types of persuasive texts
How can we analyze texts?
Choosing a “fruitful” text for analysis, reviewing writing from the
unit
(Turn in typed, final copy of 2-page “Iconic Product” paper)
Bring ROUGH DRAFT of Rhetorical Analysis paper to class (2
copies) for Workshop
Developing a rubric for evaluating good analysis papers
Discuss “Regan’s ‘Bear Parable’”
(Turn in 1 copy of Rough Draft to instructor)
Structuring and unifying analysis papers
Addressing grammar and mechanical concerns
Wrap up Unit 1
Final revision strategies & questions
Reviewing concepts for midterm exam, Oct 14th
Rhetorical Analysis Paper DUE
Unit 2: “Listening to the Conversation” (see unit assignment
sheet)
“The Academic Parlor” – What are the conversations in your
field?
30 min for PWR Facilitated Observation
Summarizing Skills
Discuss Herbert & Dowd essays
Research Questions
Summarizing articles accurately
The necessity of broad reading
Forming fruitful Research Questions
Mon, Oct 3
Creating a Research Proposal from initial research
Begin to narrow down topics for research paper
Wed, Oct 5
Evaluating and Analyzing types of sources
Creating a useful Annotated Bibliography
- Read “Cause” and “Election”
rhetoric (on class site)
- Revise your political text
analysis
- Read “Advertising” and “30second Spot Pitch” (on class
site)
- Read “I-pod” article from
Beyond Words (on class site)
- Write about a product you
own that held “iconic status”
and why it appealed to you so
strongly (2 pages)
CHOOSE one of your three
texts (persuasive, political,
commercial) as basis for your
Rhetorical Analysis paper
- Read “Regan’s ‘Bear Parable’”
in KW p159-163 as example
- Write ROUGH DRAFT
- Revise your Rhetorical
Analysis paper using feedback
gained from the workshop
- Revise your Rhetorical
Analysis paper for any structure
and grammar concerns
- Finalizing your Rhetorical
Analysis paper. Due by class
time Monday
-Read “They Say, I Say” Intro
and chp. 1, Herbert & Dowd
essays
- Make a list of hot topics in
your area of study/ or in public
discourse
-Read “They Say, I Say” chp 2, 3,
Friedman and Zakaria essays
- Do some research, summarize
TWO sources that address TWO
different hot topics on your list
(4 sources total)
- Complete Library Tutorials 1 &
2 “Think” and “Find”
- Work on draft of research
proposal
- Complete Library Tutorials 3
& 4 “Evaluate” and “Cite”
- work on finding sources for
Annotated Bibliography
THURS, Oct 6 (NOTE:
Not our usual class day)
Individual Conferences with instructor (attendance required):
Bring at least ONE annotated source for your paper, and draft of
Research Proposal
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH DAY: No regular class period
(use time for own research, visit Writing Center or Norlin
Research Center)
In-Class Workshop on Research Proposals and Annotations
(bring 2 copies)
- Revise research proposal and
annotations, bring to class Oct
10th
Wed, Oct 12
Library RIOT (Research Instruction Online Seminar) – go directly
to Norlin Library room E303
Continue to read and annotate
useful sources for paper
Fri, Oct 14
MIDTERM EXAM
(covering Unit 1 and content from the library tutorials)
Mon, Oct 17
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH DAY: No regular class period
(use time for own research, visit Writing Center or Norlin
Research Center)
Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography DUE
Summarizing and Explaining a “conversation”
Critical Reading
Fri,
Oct 7
Mon, Oct 10
Wed, Oct 19
- Finalize Research Proposal
and Annotated Bibliography
-Read Berman, Amr and Cohen
in “They Say, I Say”
- Write up a 1 page summary of
YOUR research findings
- Read Knowing Words p 107 –
114 “Makeover Feminism”
- Read “They Say, I Say”
chapters 4, 5 & 6
- Begin draft of essay
Fri, Oct 21
Discuss all “They Say, I Say” essays thus far
Grouping different positions within a conversation
Mon, Oct 24
Presenting Research effectively (Structure of Research Essays)
Revising Research Question
Wed, Oct 26
Principles to Using the Words & Work of other writers
Presenting your conclusions appropriately
Fri, Oct 28
Introductions and Conclusions
Short In-Class Workshop on short draft
Mon, Oct 31
Individual Conferences with instructor (attendance required):
Bring complete draft for review
Wed, Nov 2
In-Class workshop on full draft
- Revise as needed
Fri, Nov 4
Creating a rubric for evaluation of research papers
Grammar and mechanics issues
Final Draft of Research Essay
due MONDAY
Mon, Nov 7
Research Paper Due
Unit 3: “Shaping the Conversation” (see unit assignment sheet)
Re-Envisioning your research as a persuasive text for another
audience/purpose
Discuss student essays and their use of research information
Identifying an audience for your persuasive text
Read student essays in Knowing
Words: “Cultural Chameleon,”
“Harry Potter…,” “Corporate
Political Power.”
- Research some
publications/community orgs.
or sites that address your issue
- Answer short “rhetorical
situation” questions about an
ideal publication/site for your
persuasive text
Wed, Nov 9
Fri, Nov 11
Types of Claims
Shaping your text as a particular genre
- Draft of essay, bring 2 pages
of draft Friday
- Read “They Say, I Say”
chapters 7 & 8
- Read chapters 8, 9 & 10 of
“They Say, I Say”
- FULL DRAFT for Mon.
- Make revisions as needed
Mon, Nov 14
Creative writing techniques in persuasion
Conventions of non-academic texts
Wed, Nov 16
Structure and fluency in persuasive writing
THURS, NOV 17th (NOTE:
not our usual class day)
Individual conferences with instructor (attendance required):
Bring a complete draft of your persuasive text #1
Mon, Nov 21 – Fri, Nov
25
Thanksgiving Break – Enjoy your holiday!
Mon, Nov 28
In-Class Workshop on persuasive text 1
Wed, Nov 30
Complete Course FCQs
Looking at alternative genres and forms for persuasive text 2
Group brainstorming on options for text 2
Fri, Dec 2
Using other “composing” tools (guest lecture)
- Create/write draft of
persuasive text 2
Mon, Dec 5
Discuss conventions of other non-academic genres – what will
allow your text to “work” in this context?
- revising persuasive text 2
Wed, Dec 7
Create rubric for evaluation of persuasive texts
Final grammar & fluency revisions of text #1 & #2
- final revisions to persuasive
text 1
Fri, Dec 9
Last Day of Class
Persuasive Text #1 DUE
In-Class workshop on persuasive text #2
Final Exam (Time and place to be determined. Check mycuinfo
for details)
Present your final version of Persuasive text #2 (5 – 10 min.
presentation)
- finalize persuasive text #2
Week of Dec 12 – 16
- “They Say, I Say” chapters 8,9
and 10
- Draft your persuasive text #1
- continue work on persuasive
text #1 draft
- draft persuasive text 1
- consider and sketch out some
options for text 2
- Read “Searching for Zion” and
“Pearls Before Breakfast” (on
class site)
- Answer short “rhetorical
situation” questions about an
ideal publication/site for
persuasive text 2
Notice of CU Boulder Campus Policies
Disabilities
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a
timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on
documented disabilities. 303-492-8671, Willard 322, www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices
Religious Observances
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly
with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments, or
required attendance. In this class, I ask that you contact me at least one week ahead of the date(s) that you will be
absent so that we can discuss any assignments/class material that you will miss.
Classroom Behavior
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail
to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are
especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics,
sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. See policies at
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at
http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
Discrimination and Harassment
The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and Harassment, the University of Colorado policy on
Sexual Harassment and the University of Colorado policy on Amorous Relationships apply to all
students, staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of
discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual
orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or
the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH, the above referenced policies and the
campus resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at
http://www.colorado.edu/odh.
The Honor Code
All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic
integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic
dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be
reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation
of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and nonacademic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information
on the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at
http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/
CU Boulder Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
C-
92 – 100%
90 – 91 %
88 – 89 %
82 – 87 %
80 – 81%
78 – 79%
72 – 77 %
70 – 71 %
D+
D
DF
68 – 69 %
62 – 67 %
60 – 61%
59% and below