RWS 100: The Rhetoric of Written Argument
Fall 2014 Syllabus
Instructor: Tishna M. Asim
Office: TA Office SH 116
Class: Section 35, MWF 11:00-11:50am
Place: AH 3113
Email: tasim@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours: W 2:30-4:30pm (and by appt)
Office Mailbox: RWS office – SHW 141
Course Prerequisites: All RWS 100 students must have satisfactory completion of the Lower Division
Writing Competency Requirement.
What’s the big idea?
You will practice interpreting, analyzing, evaluating and producing written argument, as argument is central to
academic literacy, critical thinking, professional and civic life. You will learn to write and revise papers in
which you address complex arguments effectively, use source materials responsibly and make sound decisions
about audience, context, structure, and purpose.
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS:
1) RWS 100 Course Reader. Available at SDSU under RWS 100.
2) Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (3rd
edition) W.W. Norton & Co., 2014.
3) Bullock, Richard, and Francine Weinberg, The Little Seagull Handbook. Norton 2014.
4) Additional readings will be made available on Blackboard.
5) Access to a computer, printer and paper. All additional readings from Blackboard must be printed and
brought to class.
5) Pen and paper for in-class writing.
6) Folder or notebook to store handouts and portfolio work.
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REQUIREMENTS

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ESSAYS: Four formal essays between 4-8 pages depending on the assignment (discussed in detail
below)
PORTFOLIO: You will compose a number of informal, shorter texts: homework, in-class writing,
reflections, reading responses, quizzes and peer reviews. Altogether, this is your “portfolio.” Most of
this work will help you draft the 4 major papers.
You will thus: a) do a lot of writing in this class, and b) need to keep track of your portfolio work, as
items will be due at different times during the semester and the completed folder will be submitted to me
at the end of the semester.
QUIZZES: On occasion, you’ll do short quizzes to check you’ve read the texts closely and understand
key concepts. The quizzes will be unannounced. If you read the texts closely and pay attention in class
the quizzes will be really easy.
POSTS & PRESENTATIONS: You will occasionally be asked to post to the class wiki. You may also
be asked to give a brief presentation in class, either individually or as part of a group.
PARTICIPATION: You are expected to participate. Active participators will arrive prepared, pay
attention, and get involved in class activities. We will engage in both small group and large class
discussion activities, as well as peer review, workshops and conferencing. Your participation in class,
peer review and during scheduled conferences is important and counts for 10% of your grade.
GRADING
ASSIGNMENTS
%
Due Date
PAPER 1: Construct/Analyze an Account of an
Argument
20
9-22-14
PAPER 2: Gathering Information and Managing Sources
20
10-22-14
PAPER 3: Explaining Rhetorical Strategies
20
11-10-14
PAPER 4: Evaluating & Comparing Multiple Texts
20
12-15-14*
Portfolio: Quizzes, responses, in-class writing, etc.
10
ongoing
Participation: individual and group work,
conferences
10
ongoing
Total
100
You will generally receive graded papers within two weeks; that is subject to change depending on the amount
of commentary I feel is necessary to help you with the writing process.
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Due Dates: Subject to Change
Rough Draft
Conferencing
Final Draft
PAPER 1:
9-15
9-17 & 9-19
9-22
PAPER 2:
10-13
10-15 & 10-17
10-22
PAPER 3:
11-3
11-5 & 11-7
11-10
PAPER 4:
12-1
12-15*
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance: There is no substitute for attending class. Since this is a discussion-oriented course, your
attendance is crucial, and key to doing the portfolio work that we will do in class. Regular attendance will
greatly elevate your chances of performing well. Simply showing up for class, however, will not be enough.
Active, attentive and engaged contributions to our class discussions are required for your success…and your
Participation grade!
If you are absent, you are still responsible for knowing what was covered in class, what the homework is, and
when it is due. I suggest you exchange phone numbers and/or emails with at least two of your classmates. In
addition, check Blackboard and the course wiki regularly. If these resources fail, you may contact me.
If you are absent and missed in-class work, you will receive a zero. Assignments done in class simply cannot
be made up. More than 3 unexcused absences will result in a lowering of your participation grade. Students
who leave during class will be marked absent. Students who are distracted and disruptive (texting, surfing, etc.)
will be marked as absent and/or asked to leave.
Essays: You will be required to write 4 essays (4-8 pages depending on the assignments) for this course.
Each essay will require at least one rough draft that will be turned in on the date specified and possibly used for
peer reviews. Final drafts will be uploaded to Turnitin on the date specified, AND you will bring a
hardcopy to class. Emailed papers will not be accepted. Specific criteria for each essay will be given along
with the prompt.
Final drafts must include first drafts and revisions, and the ultimate paper grade will be lowered one full letter
grade if there is no first draft included or if the revision has been inadequate, particularly if the revision consists
primarily of grammatical corrections.
No re-writes are allowed or accepted. Given the drafting and revision process that we will use this semester, rewrites should not be necessary in any event.
Formatting & Citation: All essays (drafts and final versions) must be typed, double-spaced using 12-point
Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins, and be stapled. The citations and bibliographic information must
adhere to MLA format.
Late Paper Policy: For each late class period, you will lose one-third of a letter grade. For example, if
your paper is due on Monday and your grade would have been a B+, you will get a B- if you turn it in on
Friday. I will not accept papers more than one week late. If there are special circumstances or anticipated
absences, please address them with me in advance. I will review extreme cases and unanticipated emergencies
on a case-by-case basis.
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Workshops: You will be working in groups with other students during class activities for discussion and
editing workshops, both giving and receiving feedback on your drafts. Your effort and respectful contribution
to these collaborative efforts will be taken into account as part of your Participation grade, as will your
individual participation throughout the semester.
Conferences: You are required to meet with me individually for your first three essays. Our final paper
conferences will occur during class time. Each conference will take approximately ten minutes, but if you feel
you need more time, please let me know and we can set up a time to accommodate a longer session.
CLASSROOM POLICIES
RESPECT: During this course, we will be covering controversial and debatable subjects. Since this is a
discussion-based class, it is vital that you listen and speak respectfully to others at all times. Discriminatory,
disrespectful, and/or threatening remarks will not be tolerated. I encourage you to express your opinions, of
course – they will often inspire good discussions—but please do so consciously with tact and professionalism.
Please be on time to class, as well. It’s only 50 minutes long, and any disruptions caused by latecomers are a
disservice to me and your colleagues.
TECHNOLOGY: Please be courteous to me and your fellow students by turning off cell phones, music
players, etc. No laptop use will be allowed. If I see inappropriate use of electronic devices, I will mark you
absent.
PLAGIARISM: Any assignment that is plagiarized will receive a zero. Any student found to have plagiarized
may be subject to discipline under University policies. Visit http://studentaffairs.sdsu.edu/SRR/cheatingplagiarism.html for more info. SDSU’s library has an excellent tutorial on avoiding plagiarism.
Turnitin Policy: Turnitin (integrated within Blackboard) will be used in this course for submission of the four
essay assignments. Students in this course agree that papers are subject to submission for textual similarity
review to Turninit.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source
documents in Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.
Students may submit their papers in such a way that no identifying information about them is included.
Alternatively, a student may request, in writing, that her/his papers not be submitted to Turnitin.com. However,
this option requires the student to provide documentation and original source material(s) to substantiate that the
papers are the original work of the student and do not include any plagiarized material.
EMAIL: Please use your resources first (Blackboard, the syllabus, classmates), but feel free to email me
between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM M-F. I will respond as quickly as possible, but please allow me 24 hours to get
back to you. Additionally, please sign all emails, especially if your email address does not contain your name.
In some cases, your question will not be easily answered by email so please come see me during office hours or
by appointment if you need specific questions answered about your papers or the writing process, etc. (I
strongly suggest that you do not wait to ask questions until the night before your papers are due.)
Student Athletes: Student-athletes have demanding, dynamic schedules. As an instructor, I am committed to
helping you succeed in the course. To do so, regular and effective communication is needed. While exceptions
will not be made for attendance, assignment deadlines, or exams, I’m happy to work with all student-athletes in
conjunction with Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) to help you excel in all your endeavors. For more
information on SASS’ academic advising and tutoring services, please call (619) 594-4743. If you are a student
athlete with away games scheduled during the semester, let me know by the end of the first week of class, and
present me with a copy of your team travel schedule. We will then make appropriate scheduling arrangements.
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Support Services: Research materials are regularly available at the SDSU library. Additionally, drop-in RWS
tutoring services are also available. Tutor times vary per semester so check the schedule early on in the course
for availability.
Blackboard: We will be using Blackboard for assignments, readings, and other course-related activities,
including grades.
Class Wiki: We will be conducting research and utilizing multiple texts for Papers #2 and #4. You will be
required to acquire outside sources, synthesize materials and evidence, and provide an annotated bibliography.
Working in groups, you will post your research to the class wiki so students can see and use their colleagues’
insight. The wiki (currently in development) can be found at: tasim.pbworks.com.
COURSE ASSISTANCE SERVICES
OFFICE HOURS: I encourage all students to attend office hours, especially if you have any questions or
concerns about reading, writing, our course, or even college in general. If you need assistance but cannot make
it to office hours, please email me and we can try to schedule an appointment. Please bring all of your portfolio,
pre-writing, drafts, and final drafts of your essays with comments to office hours and conferences. It will assist
me in answering any questions you may have on the assignments.
COURSE TUTORING: If you would like additional assistance and encouragement, SDSU has an excellent
staff of tutors to assist students in all courses. Students who need assistance with course concepts or writing
assignments in English or ESL are encouraged to contact the department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies at
(619) 594-6515 for more information on drop-in tutoring hours.
The Writing Center is also a great resource available to you. It is located in Love Library, Room LA 1103 next
to the Circulation desk. For more information, visit: http://writingcenter.sdsu.edu.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need
accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473.
To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as
soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon
disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from
Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated. Disability Discrimination Prohibited: No
otherwise qualified handicapped person shall, on the basis of handicap, be excluded from participation in, be
denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any academic or other postsecondary
education program receiving federal funds. If you are registered with Disabled Student Services (DSS), I am
happy to work with you to accommodate your learning needs.
COUNSELING: There are many events and situations that put additional stress on being a student. SDSU has
an excellent center for Counseling & Psychological Services that is open to students Monday through Friday
from 8am-4:30pm. To set up an initial consultation, call (619) 594-5220. For immediate or emergency help, you
are welcome to use San Diego’s free 24-hour counseling access line at (800) 479-3339. C&PS on campus also
has a “Center for Well-Being” with multiple stations for relaxation if you are feeling stressed. C&PS is located
in the Calpulli Center, Room 4401.
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Resources for SDSU Students:
Academic Advising Center:
SSW 1551
619-594-6668
Counselling and Psychological Services:
Calpulli 4401
619-594-5220
619-888-724-7240 (after hours)
Student Disability Services
Calpulli 3101
619-594-6473
Student Health Services
Calpulli
619-594-5281
Public Safety
619-594-1991
9-1-1 (emergency)
Public Safety Escorts
619-594-6659
GENERAL EDUCATION CAPACITIES/GOALS & RWS LEARNING
OUTCOMES
Our “Learning Outcomes” reflect the goals and capacities of the General Education Program. RWS 100 is one
of several courses in the area of general education defined as “Communication and Critical Thinking.”
Focusing particularly on argument, this course emphasizes four essential general education capacities:
1) the ability to construct, analyze and communicate argument,
2) contextualize phenomena,
3) negotiate differences,
4) apply theoretical models to the real world.
This course advances general education by helping students understand the general function of writing,
speaking, visual texts, and thinking within the context of the university at large, rather than within specific
disciplines. In addition to featuring the basic rules and conventions governing composition and presentation,
RWS 100 establishes intellectual frameworks and analytical tools that help students explore, construct, critique,
and integrate sophisticated texts.
Within this framework of four general capacities, the course realizes four closely related subsidiary goals. These
goals focus on helping students:
·
·
·
·
craft well-reasoned arguments for specific audiences
analyze a variety of texts commonly encountered in the academic setting
situate discourse within social, generic, cultural, and historic contexts
assess the relative strengths of arguments and supporting evidence
Our student learning outcomes for RWS 100 are closely aligned with these goals and capacities, and reflect the
program’s overall objective of helping students attain “essential skills that underlie all university education.”
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Assignment Types
Our four main writing assignments will require you to apply these ‘essential skills’ to thought-provoking texts.
You will analyze the arguments presented in the course texts, as well as those of your peers. You will be
challenged to continually form, edit, and express your own arguments in an effective manner. The goals of the
writing assignments are for you to practice and demonstrate the ability to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe and analyze an author’s argument, claims, project, support and rhetorical strategies.
(Paper #1)
Construct an account of an author’s project and argument and carry out small, focused research
tasks to find information that helps clarify, illustrate, extend or complicate that argument; use
appropriate reference materials, including a dictionary, in order to clarify your understanding of
an argument. (Paper #2)
Analyze and evaluate an author’s project and argument and explain rhetorical strategies that this
author – and by extension other writers – uses to engage readers in thinking about her/his
argument. (Paper #3)
Asses the relative strengths and weaknesses of multiple assigned texts, including discussion of
rhetorical strategies, support evidence, audience, and text structure. (Paper #4)
Course Objectives
Throughout the semester, you will engage in reading and writing assignments and discussions, which will
encourage mastery of the following learning outcomes. In addition to the three learning outcomes specific to the
three assignments, by the completion of this course you should be able to:
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Describe elements of an argument—claims, methods of development, kinds of evidence,
persuasive appeals—and to annotate the work that is done by each section of a written argument;
Analyze and assess the relative strengths of arguments and supporting evidence.
Use all aspects of the writing process—including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and
proofreading;
Choose effective structures for your writing, acknowledging that different purposes, contexts and
audiences call for different structures; understand the relationship between a text's ideas and its
structure;
Identify devices an author has used to create cohesion or to carry the reader through the text; use
metadiscourse to signal the project of a paper, and guide a reader from one idea to the next;
Effectively select material from written arguments, contextualize it, and comment on it in your
writing;
Determine when and where a source was published, who wrote it and whether it was reprinted or
edited; understand that texts are written in and respond to particular contexts, communities or
cultures; examine the vocabulary choices a writer makes and how they are related to context,
community or culture, audience or purpose;
Craft well-reasoned arguments for specific audiences.
Respond in writing to ideas drawn from various cultures and disciplines, using the activity of
writing to clarify and improve your understanding of an argument;
Analyze and assess the relative strengths of arguments and supporting evidence;
Edit your writing for the grammar and usage conventions appropriate to each writing situation;
Assign significance to the arguments that they read; and
Reflect on how you wrote papers, and revise arguments and findings based on critical reflection.
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ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
*Please note that this schedule is subject to change regarding content and dates; additional short readings and homework assignments not currently
on the schedule will be periodically announced in class. You will be notified of all changes.*
WEEK 1:
Introduction to Rhetoric
M 8/25/14
Syllabus, Introductions
Homework: Course Reader p. 1-9; They Say/I Say p. 1-15 & 163-66
Writing Questionnaire (due 8/27)
What is rhetoric? Basics, PACES, Identifying the elements of argumentation
Homework: CR 11-15; Little Seagull 49-53 & 75-78
Rifkin: “A Change of Heart About Animals,” CR 37-38
Outline claims in Rifkin
Applying PACES to Rifkin
Homework: Thompson: “Public Thinking,” CR 42-52
Reading Response # 1 (due 9/3)
Unit One
No class: Labor Day—enjoy!
W 8/27
F 8/29
WEEK 2:
M 9/1
W 9/3
F 9/5
WEEK 3:
M 9/8
W 9/10
F 9/12
WEEK 4:
M 9/15
W 9/17
F 9/19
WEEK 5:
M 9/22
W 9/24
F 9/26
Discussing Thompson: analyzing/evaluating evidence
Methods of development, charting Thompson, writing as process
Homework: CR 23-27; They Say/I Say 30-51; Little Seagull 113, 123, 146-57
Introduction to Paper #1: content and form (citations, MLA, etc.); analyzing the prompt
Homework: CR 17-21 & 75-76; They Say/I Say, 129-38; Little Seagull 97-108
Sample body paragraph
Rhetorical précis & metadiscourse
Homework: CR 29 & 75-76; They Say/I Say, 105-120
Sample introduction paragraph
Analyzing evidence
Make conferencing appointment!
Rough draft of Paper #1 due and Peer Workshop
Make conferencing appointment!
Conferences for Paper #1: No class meeting
Conferences for Paper #1: No class meeting
Unit Two
Final Draft of Paper #1 due. In-class: College, Inc.
Homework: Carey: “Why Do You Think They’re Called For-Profit Colleges?” CR 53-55
Reading Response # 2 (due 9/24)
CR 77-78
Introduction to Unit 2: Discussing Carey & Research Literacy
Homework: Little Seagull 66-70 & 80-95
Library Tutorial visit
Homework: begin identifying questions/avenues for research, develop 3 sources
Little Seagull 71-78 & 95-97
Continued…
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WEEK 6:
M 9/29
W 10/1
F 10/3
WEEK 7:
M 10/6
W 10/8
F 10/10
WEEK 8:
M 10/13
W 10/15
F 10/17
WEEK 9:
M 10/20
W 10/22
F 10/24
WEEK 10:
M 10/27
W 10/29
F 10/31
WEEK 11:
M 11/3
W 11/5
F 11/7
WEEK 12:
M 11/10
W 11/12
F 11/14
Research Literacy continues
Homework: Post sources to the class wiki; Little Seagull 9-29
Research Literacy continues: Group Research
Homework: write an introduction and conclusion
Choose one of your selected research pieces for discussion at next class meeting
Research Literacy continues: discussion selected research pieces
Homework: They Say/I Say 55-67
Drafting
Homework:
Drafting
Homework:
Drafting
Homework:
Rough Draft of Paper # 2 due and Peer Workshop
Make conferencing appointment!
Conferences for Paper #2: No class meeting
Conferences for Paper #2: No class meeting
Unit 3
Introduction to Unit 3: Strategies
Final Draft of Paper # 2 due.
Homework: Carr: “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” CR 58-64
CR 65-71
Rhetorical strategies continue
Homework: Reading Response # 3 (due 10/27)
Drafting
Homework:
Drafting
Homework:
Drafting
Homework:
Rough Draft of Paper # 3 due and Peer Workshop
Make conferencing appointment!
Conferences for Paper #3: No class meeting
Conferences for Paper #3: No class meeting
Unit 4
Final Draft of Paper # 3 due. Introduction to Unit 4 & identifying research questions
Homework:
Kinds of research & sources
Homework: Reading Response # 4 (due 11/17)
Gathering evidence
Homework:
Continued…
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WEEK 13:
M 11/17
W 11/19
F 11/21
WEEK 14:
M 11/24
W 11/26
F 11/28
WEEK 15:
M 12/1
W 12/3
F 12/5
WEEK 16:
M 12/8
W 12/10
FINAL:
M 12/15
Choosing evidence from multiple texts, relationships between texts
Homework:
Creating an outline using multiple texts
Homework: Work on annotated bibliography (due 11/24)
Evaluating research from multiple sources
Homework: Revisit CR 77-78
Group work: reviewing evidence and outlines
Homework: Work on your rough draft of Paper # 4
No class: Thanksgiving—enjoy!
No class: Thanksgiving—enjoy!
Rough Draft of Paper # 4 due and Peer Workshop
(Conferences remain mandatory but will occur during class time.)
Drafting & Peer Workshops continue, in-class conferencing with small groups
Drafting & Peer Workshops continue, in-class conferencing with small groups
TBD: Portfolio due
Last day: final reflections
Final draft of Paper # 4 due by 11:00 am.