Rhetoric and Writing Studies 305W:
Writing in Various Settings
Professor Matt Costello
email: matthew.costello@sbcglobal.net*
Department Office: Storm Hall West 141 (mailbox)
Office: Storm Hall 106C
Office Hour: MW 3:30-4:30,
and/or by appointment
*the email address is NOT for submitting assignments
Required Text/Materials
R&W 305W: Writing in Various Settings (available at Cal Copy)
A Notebook for notes on readings and writing assignments, and in-class writings
*8½ x 11” loose leaf paper to complete 10-point assignments on
This Syllabus—it will be a much-needed reference throughout the semester
Course Description
This course was designed to ensure your proficiency in academic writing, as well
as in writing that goes beyond the university. In addition to academic writing, this class
emphasizes a wide range of writing contexts, such as personal writing, research about your
education and/or career, and writing for various applications, or for work. You will be
asked to engage in a number of different writing tasks, including formal essays (both
personal and academic) and shorter texts, including responses to the reading, and writing in
professional settings. This course provides access to different approaches for all the writing
situations mentioned above. The concept of purpose and audience, and how it changes
from project to project, is perhaps the most important element of this class. We will learn
to recognize how purposes and audiences change from personal, to academic, to
professional writing.
In addition, critical thinking is a vital component of the class. The academic essays
will rely to an extent on your own opinion and experience, and the professional texts will
demand good critical thinking in terms of your audience, and how to most effectively
address yourself to a particular audience. You can think of the course like this: Thinking
critically about the concepts of purpose and audience (the rhetorical situation) within
academic writing, is good preparation for recognizing your role as a thinker and writer in
contexts outside of your present studies, such as being a graduate student, being an
applicant for a job, school, or program, doing writing in your field/workplace, and perhaps
most importantly, being a culturally literate citizen.
We will write a total of five projects: 1) personal narrative, 2) argument (climate
change), 3) personal research (education and/or career), and professional texts—
4) resume, and 5) letter of application, or alternative project. These sequences involve
different sets of readings, including information about that type of writing, examples for
you to use as models for your own writing, and critical writing that you will analyze.
R&W also emphasizes the practical concerns of writing, such as organization,
grammar, and revision. Improving on your grammar and sentence structure is also
important, and much of this work will be handled on an individual basis. Please consult
the “Handbook” section in our Course Reader as directed, for rules and practice with
different writing problems. This class will be active, so it’s very important that you
come to class having carefully read the material, to participate in group discussion, small
group work, and evaluations of your classmates’ writing, for the purpose of revising.
Course Requirements
Attendance: You will be allowed four absences without a major penalty, but your final
grade will be reduced by 1/3 of a letter grade for each absence after four. These are
not excused absences—absences up to four will detract from your participation grade.
Participation: It is vital that you prepare in order to participate in class discussions and
quizzes. This means doing any assignments and essays on time. Attendance is another part
of the participation grade, as well as being on time, doing your work with effort and
integrity, and not missing any assignments. Do not sleep in class. Phones, headphones, or
any communication devices may NOT be used in class, and should be turned OFF in class.
No Plagiarism or Cheating!! Using another writer’s work as if it is yours is illegal and will
not be tolerated. It is very easy to tell when a student copies from a source or another
student. If you plagiarize material from a source, cheat by copying another student’s work,
or cheat on a quiz, the assignment will receive a zero, and the incident will go on record
with the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Take Notes!! They will help you as you construct your essays. They are a necessary part
of the writing process, and will lead to higher grades if you put the effort into them.
3 Essays—the culminating writing project of each sequence, except the fourth sequence.
These papers must be at least three full pages, and must be typed, double spaced, with
one-inch margins on all sides and 12-point font. No cover pages are needed. These papers
will go through two drafts. If you fail to have the complete first draft on time, you will
lose five points on the graded draft automatically. First drafts must reach the middle
of page three, minimum, with one-inch margins, or you will not receive credit for
them. Submit the graded draft with the evaluation sheet.
2 Professional Texts—you will write, and/or update your resume, and prepare it for
professional submission. The second of these texts is a letter of application, which can be
a cover letter to accompany the resume, or a specific letter/essay/personal statement, in
response to a specific application requirement. You may also do some kind of alternative
professional text, with professor approval. Like the essays, these will also be evaluated,
with a 3-point penalty for not having the complete first draft on the day it’s due.
Revisions of each project will be done before they are submitted for grades. Each first
draft will be evaluated in class, and the second draft will be graded. This gives you the
opportunity to rewrite until you have a polished graded draft.
1 Optional Revision: For extra credit, you may rewrite one of the projects after it’s graded
if you want to go for a higher grade. This revision will be due at the end of the semester.
Grades will only go up if the project is truly improved. By doing the optional revision, you
are trying to earn whatever points were deducted from the graded draft. Submit the
graded draft with the optional revision, so I can see the changes.
3 10-Point Assignments: These are handwritten answers in response to the readings, and
should be at least two full pages long using 8½ x 11” paper—front and back of one sheet.
Because these assignments are worth 10 points, they should be seen as formal assignments
which need to be carefully edited.
3 Quizzes will be given on the readings. They will be unannounced, and usually given at
the beginning of class. If you come in as we’re going over the answers, you’ve missed the
quiz and may not make it up.
1 5-Point Outline: Your plan for the Personal Narrative, and to practice writing process.
Additional Information and Rules
NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES WILL BE GIVEN.
NO UNSTAPLED OR UNTYPED PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED, except for your one extension.
**TURN OFF LAPTOPS, PHONES, i-Pods, ETC. AND DO NOT USE THEM IN
CLASS. Texting/looking at a device will cost 5 pts. off the participation grade.
STUDENT CONFERENCES: These are important student/teacher consultations about
your writing, upcoming assignments, grades, etc. Missing them counts as an absence.
Grade Breakdown
Participation
3 Essays (3x30)
2 Professional Texts (Resume 15; Letter 15)
3 10-point Assignments (3x10)
3 Quizzes (3x5)
1 5-point Outline
Total
Grade Scale
186-200 A
180-185 A-
30
90
30
30
15
5
200
174-179 B+ 154-159 C+ 136-139 D+
166-173 B
146-153 C
131-135 D
160-165 B- 140-145 C- 126-130 D- 0-125 F
General Course Calendar (to be supplemented by detailed daily calendars)
Weeks 1-4: Active Reading; Writing Process (Personal Narrative)
Weeks 5-9: Argument; Claims; MLA Rules (Climate Change)
Weeks 9-14: Personal Research
Weeks 14-16: Professional Texts (Resume and Letter)
LEARNING GOALS FOR RWS 305W
Rhetorical Knowledge
RWS 305W will help students to analyze writing in different contexts by introducing them to the
concept of rhetorical situations: the complex interplay among writer, audience, subject, and
context. Students will learn how to
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Respond effectively in writing to issues and arguments raised in a variety of disciplinary,
popular, and professional texts and/or contexts
Identify individual discourse communities and find and analyze their characteristic texts,
evaluate their credibility and principles, and apply relevant aspects of their information to other
contexts and arguments
Analyze the details of a wide variety of writing situations (textual elements such as tone,
evidence, organizational patterns, diction, even visuals) according to the author’s purpose as
well as the audience’s needs and tastes
Understand the concept of rhetorical situations: the relationship among writer-audience-subjectcontext
Critical Thinking and Reading
RWS 305W will provide students with strategies to understand the function of reading and writing
in cultural, academic, and professional communities. Students will learn how to
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Use “language about language” that enables a writer to reflect on the use of rhetorical strategies
as well as strengths, difficulties, and progress as a working writer
Apply critical reading strategies to a variety of publicly and individually produced texts
Work with demanding readings and learn to interpret, incorporate, and evaluate these readings
Use writing as a way to learn—to think about, question, and communicate ideas
Understand the relationships among language, knowledge and power
Writing Processes
RWS 305W will enhance students’ abilities to develop writing processes that reflect invention,
inquiry, revision, and editing. Students will learn how to
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Develop successful, flexible strategies for generating, revising, and editing texts
Understand the collaborative and social aspects of the writing process
Critique their own and others’ texts
Knowledge of Conventions
RWS 305W will provide students with strategies to analyze the writing conventions of different
discourse communities and to begin to write effectively within these communities. Students will
learn to
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Understand the ways various discourse communities use different strategies for conveying
information, researching information, and evaluating and analyzing information
Analyze audience expectations about conventions and address them in critical ways
Effectively integrate a variety of sources into their writings
Practice appropriate means of documenting their sources
Sustain reasonable correctness in grammar and mechanics to perform well in a variety of
writing contexts and professional settings
Attitudes, Values, and Preparation for Life Beyond the University
RWS 305W reflects the values of a liberal arts education, namely,
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Working cooperatively with others to achieve mutually defined goals, face-to-face in the
classroom and in other settings
Respecting the diverse voices and perspectives that characterize life in a multi-cultural
classroom and society
Applying critical reading strategies to a variety of publicly and individually produced texts
Valuing free expression and the ability to participate confidently in public discussion on issues
of importance to the workplace and the community
Showing initiative in problem solving situations