RWS 100
Fall 2014 Course Syllabus
Instructor: Jen Roche
Class Meets: Tues. & Thurs. 8am – 9:15am, AH 2112
Office Hours: Thursday 9:30am – 11am and by appointment
Email: jroche@rohan.sdsu.com
Office Mailbox: RWS Main Office – Storm Hall West 141
Section: 71
Office: Storm Hall 116
“Let rhetoric be defined as an ability, in each
particular case, to see the available means of
persuasion” Aristotle
“Wherever there is persuasion, there is rhetoric. And
wherever there is ‘meaning,’ there is ‘persuasion.’”
Kenneth Burke
“I can win an argument on any topic, against any
opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at
parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they
don't even invite me.” Dave Barry
REQURED TEXTS AND MATERIALS:
1) Bullock, Richard, and Francine Weinberg, The Little Seagull Handbook. Norton 2014.
2) Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies. RWS 100 Course Reader: Fall 2014. San
Diego: Montezuma Publishing, 2014.
3) Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in
Academic Writing (3rd edition) W.W. Norton & Co., 2014.
4) Pen and paper for in-class writing.
5) Access to a computer, printer and paper. All outside work must be typed and reading on
Blackboard must be printed and brought to class.
*Additional course readings will be made available on Blackboard
RWS 100 Student Learning Outcomes
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: the ability to 1) construct, analyze and communicate argument, 2)
contextualize phenomena, 3) negotiate differences, and 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
1)
2)
3)
4)
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; and
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.”
Assignment Types: the following four outcomes describe the four main writing projects or
"assignment types" for the course. Students will be able to:
1. Describe and analyze an author’s argument, claims, project, support and rhetorical
strategies.
2. 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 their understanding of an argument.
3. 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 argument.
4. Assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of multiple assigned texts, including
discussion of rhetorical strategies, supporting evidence, audience, and text structure.
Outcomes across the semester: the following points describe outcomes to work on
throughout the semester, to be attained over the 15 weeks. Students will be able to:
5. describe elements of an argument--claims, methods of development, kinds of evidence,
persuasive appeals; annotate the work that is done by each section of a written
argument;
6. use all aspects of the writing process--including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing,
and proofreading;
7. choose effective structures for their writing, acknowledging that different purposes,
contexts and audiences call for different structures; understand the relationship between
a text's ideas and its structure;
8. 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 in their writing;
9. effectively select material from written arguments, contextualize it, and comment on it in
their writing;
10. 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
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
contexts, communities or cultures; examine the vocabulary choices a writer makes and
how they are related to context, community or culture, audience or purpose;
respond in writing to ideas drawn from various cultures and disciplines, using the
activity of writing to clarify and improve their understanding of an argument;
analyze and assess the relative strengths of arguments and supporting evidence
analyze and assess arguments made by visual texts; incorporate visual images into their
documents;
craft well-reasoned arguments for specific audiences
edit their writing for the grammar and usage conventions appropriate to each writing
situation;
assign significance to the arguments that they read;
reflect on how they wrote their papers, and revise arguments and findings based on
critical reflection.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
ESSAYS: You will write four formal essays of four to eight pages in length for this course. Each
essay will require at least one rough draft. All pre-writing and drafts are due in class on the day
specified.
Paper #1 Tuesday, September 30th
Paper #2 Thursday, October 28th
Paper #3 Tuesday, November 20th
Paper #4 Final day of class
READING RESPONSES: Reading Responses will be assigned periodically and must adhere
to MLA formatting. Responses will be 300 – 500 words in length and will be graded simply
credit or no credit.
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.
CLASS PARTICIPATION: Ours is a small interactive class and participation is vital! Active
participation means arriving on-time and prepared, paying attention, and getting involved in
class activities. We will engage in both small group and large class discussion activities, as well
as peer review, workshops and conferencing.
COURSE ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS:
Conference session
Attendance (promptness, no/few absences)
Readings
Homework assignments
In-class writings
4 essays (original work – no plagiarism)
Class participation
Presentation
GRADES
Each paper will receive a letter grade based on the quality of work it contains, as will your final
exam paper. The value of the letter grade corresponds to the recommended values in the SDSU
catalog (A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, etc.). Participation will be assigned a letter grade that takes into
consideration both your attendance and your level of involvement in class discussions and group
work. Your final grade will be determined by weighting those letter grades as follows:
Paper #1
Paper #2
Paper #3
Paper #4
Portfolio and Reading Responses
Participation
20%
20%
20%
20%
10%
10%
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
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. All prewriting and rough drafts are due in class on the day specified. Final drafts will be uploaded
to Turnitin on the date specified, and you will bring a hardcopy to class. Specific
criteria for each essay will be given along with the prompt. I will not accept late work. If
there are extreme circumstances or emergencies, they will be addressed on a case-by-case basis
before the due date.
Email: Please use your resources first (Blackboard, the syllabus, classmates), but feel free to
email me between 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. I will respond as quickly as possible, but please allow
me 24 hours to get back to you. Additionally, please include your full name on all emails,
especially if your email address does not contain your name.
Attendance/Missed assignments: Work is done in class as well as out of class. If you do not
come to class and fail to turn in an assignment or miss a task, you will receive a zero for that
item. Assignments done in class cannot be made up. If you foresee an absence and still want
credit for your work, email your homework to a classmate who can print it out and turn it in for
you. Note: More than two missed classes will result in a lower grade for participation.
Participation and Workshops: You will be working in groups with other students during
class activities as well as in editing workshops. Your effort and contribution to these
collaborative efforts will be taken into account as part of your assignment grades, as will your
individual participation throughout the semester.
Electronics: Your active participation is required in this course. As such, our classroom will be
an “electronic-free zone.” Please turn off your cell phones, iPods, and similar electronic
equipment when you come to class. Because we will be interacting often, the use of laptops will
also be prohibited. Students who would like to use laptops are encouraged to discuss the specific
need with me in advance. If you are in class listening to music, texting, on social media or
instant messaging, I will mark you absent.
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 and disrespectful 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.
Printouts: You will be required to print readings and other materials from Blackboard
Late work: Late work will not be accepted. If you have an extenuating circumstance, you are
welcome to discuss it with me.
Re-Writes: Students may choose to re-write ONE of the first three essays after receiving
a grade for the assignment if that grade is lower than a C. Essay re-writes may be
submitted up to one week after I hand back your graded essays. In order to qualify for a
re-write, your paper MUST HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED ON TIME. Late papers
relinquish this right. Re-Writes must show significant progress and edits to the writing.
Simple grammar corrections do not count as a re-write and will not result in an increased grade.
Format of Written Work: All essays and assignments are due as a hard copy in class on the
date specified. All assignments must be typed (Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1” margins)
AND STAPLED. Please adhere to MLA format when citing and for all bibliographic information.
Essay pre-writing and drafts will not be graded; however, evidence of pre-writing and at least
one rough draft is required to receive a grade on the final essay. Late assignments will not
be accepted. In an emergency, late work may be accepted up to one week following the printed
deadline with prior approval from me and will be subjected to a grade penalty.
Plagiarism: All work in this course must be original. Plagiarism will result in serious
consequences ranging from grade reduction to failure in the class to expulsion from the college.
For more information on the university cheating and plagiarism policy, please visit:
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/senate/ policy/pfacademics.html. SDSU’s library also has an
excellent tutorial on how to avoid plagiarism.
Turnitin Policy: Turnitin (integrated within Blackboard) will be used in this course for
submission of 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. Another option is that 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 to substantiate that the papers are the
original work of the student and do not include any plagiarized material.
Problems: If you run into problems or emergencies, talk to me as soon as possible
COURSE ASSISTANCE SERVICES
Office hours: I encourage all students to attend office hours, especially if you have any
questions or concerns about reading, writing, rhetoric, or the structure or requirements of the
course. Office hours are Thursdays 9:30am – 11am, or by appointment.
Disabled students: Every attempt will be made to offer reasonable accommodations for
students with disabilities in this course. Students with disabilities who may need
accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the instructor privately and to contact
Student Disability Services (SDS) as soon as possible. SDS staff are available in the Capulli
Center in Suite 3101 or by phone at (619) 594-6473 (voice) or (619) 594-2929 (TTD/TTY).
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 in the Capulli Center, Room 4401.
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 StudentAthlete Support Services (SASS) to help you excel in this course. For more information on SASS’
academic advising and tutoring services, please call (619) 594-4743.
RESOURCES FOR SDSU STUDENTS:
Academic Advising Center
SSW 1551
Counselling and Psychological Services
Calpulli 4401
Student Disability Services
Student Health Services
Public Safety
Public Safety Escorts
594-6668
594-5220
888-724-7240 (after hours)
Calpulli 3101
594-6473
Calpulli
594-5281
594-1991
9-1-1 (emergency)
594-6659
OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES
1. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/
2. SDSU Writing Center, located in Love Library Room LA 1103, open M-W 9am – 8pm,
Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am – 2pm
http://writingcenter.sdsu.edu/
COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE
Please note that the following schedule is approximate, as dates and topics may shift as the
semester continues. Please refer to Blackboard for current information..
Week 1
8/26 & 8/28
Syllabus; What is Rhetoric?
Key Terms and Concepts
PACES, Identifying Claims and Evidence
Introduction to the first project
Apply concepts to short texts
Week 2
9/2 & 9/4
Ethos, Logos, Pathos
Charting and pre-reading strategies
How to cite, paraphrase and quote
Begin discussion of Thompson
Week 3
9/9 & 9/11
Analyzing Thompson
Rhetorical précis and/or drafting the introduction
Body paragraphs; quotation sandwich (They Say)
Week 4
9/16 & 9/18
Analyzing Thompson – Language, structure and strategies
Rough Draft Due 9/18; Workshop (bring 3 copies to class)
Peer workshop
Week 5
9/23 & 9/25
Conferencing – meet professor individually to work on draft, revise and workshop
Week 6
9/30 & 10/2
Paper #1 DUE September 30th
Introduction to the second project – College Inc.
Analyzing Carey – charting, PACES
Discussing connections between texts
Week 7
10/7 & 10/9
Library Orientation
Research Literacy
Research project
Week 8
Working with multiple sources
10/14 & 10/16 Drafting introduction and body paragraphs
Week 9
Paper #2 Rough Draft Due October 21st
10/21 & 10/23 Workshop and Conferencing
Week 10
Paper #2 DUE October 28th
10/28 & 10/30Introduction to the third project
How to identify and analyze strategies; locating claims and strategies in Carr
Carr and rhetorical strategies
Week 11
11/4 & 11/6
Evaluating Carr; identifying strengths and weaknesses
How to write about strategies
Draft introduction and body paragraphs
Week 12
11/11 – Veteran’s Day NO CLASS
11/11 & 11/13 Paper #3 Rough Draft Due 11/13
Peer Workshop and Conferencing
Week 13
Paper #3 DUE November 20th
11/18 & 11/20 Unit 4 – Evaluation and Analysis
Week 14
Unit 4 – Evaluation and Analysis
11/25 & 11/27 11/27 – Thanksgiving Holiday NO CLASS
Week 15
12/2 & 12/4
Paper #4 Rough Draft Due 12/2
Workshop (bring 3 copies to class)
Week 16
12/9 & 12/11
Final paper due
Wrap Up