RWS 200 (Monday/Wednesday/Friday)
Fall 2009
Office phone: (619) 594-6486
Cathy Hoffman, Instructor
Adams Humanities 3120
Office Hour: MWF 12-1
and by appointment
Syllabus for The Rhetoric of Written Arguments in Context
REQUIRED TEXTS
James Lester, Writing Research Papers, 13th ed.
Annette Rottenberg, Elements of Argument, 9th ed.
Jose Saramago, Blindness
SUGGESTED TEXTS
A good college dictionary (Webster's or Random House are good)
A good grammar handbook (such as Hodge's Harbrace College Handbook)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
For this course you will write two short essays with research (1500-1750 words), a critique essay,
some quizzes in response to your outside reading, be essay-tested on a novel, and you will write a
policy research paper in correct MLA documentation style (2500 words). You will also be
required to do the reading assigned for the course, and you will be graded/evaluated on your
responses to that reading. I will ask for group work from time to time, and your participation in
these kinds of activities is essential to your successful completion of this course.
Attendance is essential! You may have three absences--no questions asked--without effect on
your grade. I will lower the grade of a student who misses more than three classes. I really
dislike students coming to class late. Tardiness creates disruption and is unacceptable.
Therefore, habitual tardiness may also lower your grade.
You are expected to have appropriate classroom behavior. That means no eating in class, no gum
chewing, no sleeping, and no disruptive chatter whatsoever in class. I run a tight ship. In order to
learn and be able to produce the outcomes you need to be able to produce by the end of the
semester, there needs to be an environment conducive to learning. Your behavior reflects your
respect towards other students and to the instructor. This is extremely important.
The use of laptops in the classroom is not allowed as it creates a distraction.
You will type all work in MLA format (see this syllabus for an example). If you submit an essay
that does not adhere to the MLA format, I will not accept it. Your research papers will be done
according to MLA documentation style as seen in your text Writing Research Papers. I will ask
that you keep a notebook for this course. All drafts of your writing must be kept in this notebook.
Do not throw anything away! You will learn both from your failures and successes, and this
notebook will serve as your own "progress report" of this class.
Because this class is highly structured around students handing work in when it is required, I will
not accept any late papers unless they are accompanied by a doctor's note. “Late” is defined as
coming in more than fifteen minutes after the start of the period. This does not mean that if a
paper is late I will give it a lower grade; it means that I will not accept it. There will be no
exceptions to this rule. Equally important, I will not accept the work if it is not handed in to me
in person (i.e., no emailed papers, no dropping them on my desk or in a box, or having
friends hand in the work in). Any work that is not done in class due to absence cannot be made
up. This is a process-oriented class so attendance is mandatory.
If you, or I, are absent, you are still responsible for keeping to the schedule. If I am absent, the
assignment due the day I am out will be due the following class period.
Value essay
Fact essay
Critique essay presentation
Policy research paper
Exam on Blindness
Class Participation/quizzes
and other writings
GRADING
15%
20%
15%
25%
10%
15%
100%
FAILURE TO RECEIVE A "C" OR BETTER ON THE FORMAL RESEARCH PAPER
WILL RESULT IN A "D" OR "F" GRADE FOR THE SEMESTER.
FAILURE TO TURN IN THE FINAL, LONG RESEARCH PAPER AT THE DESIGNATED
TIME WILL RESULT IN AN “F” FOR THE SEMESTER.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
If for some reason you decide to withdraw, please do so officially. If you drop the class, follow
the guidelines in your class schedule for dropping. If you disappear during the semester without
dropping, expect to receive an “F” for the course. If you accumulate excessive absences after,
your grade in the class may be lowered one full grade for each absence. FAILURE TO HAND IN
FINAL RESEARCH PAPER WILL ALSO RESULT IN AN "F" FOR THE COURSE.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s words and/or ideas (with or without that
person's consent) as though they were your own. It, in effect, is theft, and the implications of such
theft are far-reaching, legally as well as ethically. Whether it is the result of deliberate dishonesty,
carelessness or ignorance, plagiarism cannot be tolerated at a college or university. A plagiarized
paper rates an “F” for the course. If your final paper contains plagiarized materials, the grade for
the course is "F" regardless of previous offenses, or lack of them. It is much to your benefit,
therefore, to take special care in learning the proper use of introductions, quotation marks,
paraphrasing, and bibliography. If I believe that you have submitted someone else's work,
whether a friend's work or a published work, it is your responsibility to provide me with
irrefutable evidence that the work is your own. Save all your handwritten and/or computergenerated rough drafts.
What gives writing its drive--its energy--is first, that humans have an intrinsic need to sort
through and understand their experiences, and second, that they need to share their perceptions
with others.
Stephen Judy
From "The Experiential Approach"
...the limits of my language stand for the limits of my mind.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Student Learning Outcomes for RWS 200
General Education Capacities/Goals & RWS Learning Outcomes
Our Learning Outcomes reflect the Goals and Capacities of the General Education Program.
RWS 200 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 200 establishes intellectual
frameworks and analytical tools that help students explore, construct, critique, and integrate
sophisticated texts.
Within this framework for four general capacities, the course realizes four closely related
subsidiary goals. These goals focus on helping students
1)
Craft well-reasoned arguments for specific audiences
2)
Analyze a variety of texts commonly encountered in the academic setting
3)
Situate discourse within social, generic, cultural, and historic contexts; and
4)
Assess the relative strengths of arguments and supporting evidence.
Our student learning outcomes for RWS 200 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 major writing projects or
"assignment types" for the course. Students will be able to:
1. Construct and account of an argument and identify elements of context embedded in
arguments, the clues that show what the argument is responding to--both in the sense of
what has come before it and in the sense that it is written for an audience in a particular
time and place; examine a writer’s language in relation to audience, context and
community;
2. follow avenues of investigation that are opened by noticing elements of context; research
those elements and show how one's understanding of the argument is developed, changed,
or evolved by looking into its context;
3. given the common concerns of two or more arguments, discuss how the claims of these
arguments modify, complicate or qualify one another;
4. consider their contemporary, current life as the context within which they are reading a
group of arguments; position themselves in relation to ongoing research and discussion in
order to make an argument, drawing on available key terms, concepts or frameworks of
analysis to help shape the argument.
Outcomes across the semester: The following points describe outcomes to work on throughout
the semester, to be attained over the 15 weeks.
5. Building on the work done in RWS 100, students will be able to: articulate what
argument a text is making; describe the work that is done by each section of the
argument; describe elements of the argument—claims, methods of development, kinds of
evidence, persuasive appeals; translate an argument into their own words;
6. understand and incorporate all aspects of the writing process--including prewriting,
drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading;
7. articulate what key terms, definitions, concepts, statements of a problem or issue are
established by a text;
8. investigate and articulate how an argument is positioned—based on certain kinds of
assumptions, located in a way of thinking and representing issues from a point of view;
9. work with multiples sources in a paper, deciding what to include and what to exclude,
choosing an effective structure, and creating significant relationships among sources;
10. analyze and assess arguments made by visual texts; incorporate visual images into their
documents;
11. craft a cohesive paper, and use effective metadiscourse to guide a reader through it;
12. describe their own papers and reflect on how they wrote them; differentiate between the
content of their texts and the language and rhetorical strategies they employ;
13. assign significance to the arguments they read;
14. revise their own work effectively, re-reading previous work and re-envisioning it in the
light of reflection, feedback, further reading and new sources of information;
15. edit their writing for the grammar and usage conventions appropriate to the project.
How Learning Outcomes are Achieved through the Course Assignments
Magazine advertisement assignment
By examining the messages both explicit and implied in an advertisement (considering both
language and image), students will
 Outcome 5: be able to articulate what argument the text is making: describe the work that
is done by each section of the argument; describe elements of the argument – claims
methods of development, kinds of evidence, persuasive appeals; translate an argument
into their own words
 Outcome 10: analyze and assess arguments made by visual texts; incorporate visual
images into their documents
 Outcome 15: edit their writing for grammar and usage conventions appropriate for the
assignment
Value essay
By formulating a claim of value argument, and developing a full-length paper with research,
students will:
 Outcome 3: find areas of common concern for two or more arguments, discuss how the
claims of these arguments, modify, complicate or quality one another
 Outcome 6: understand and incorporate all aspects of the writing process
 Outcome 7: article key terms, especially given that value-based arguments often rely
heavily on the definition of controversial terms
 Outcome 9: work with multiple sources in a paper
 Outcome 11: craft a cohesive paper and use a metadiscourse to guide a reader through it
 Outcome 12: during the group editing session for the value paper, students describe their
own papers and reflect on how they wrote them and differentiate between the content of
their texts and the language and rhetorical strategies
 Outcome 13: assign significance to the arguments they read
 Outcome 14: revise their own work
 Outcome 15: edit their writing for grammar and usage conventions appropriate for the
assignment
Critique Essay
By critiquing a sophisticated argument written in an academic journal, students will:
 Outcome 1: Discern elements of context embedded in arguments, the clues that show
what the argument is responding to—both in the sense of what has come before it, and in
the sense that it is written for an audience in a particular time and place; examine a
writer’s language in relation to audience, context, and community
 Outcome 8: Investigating and articulating how an argument is positioned
 Outcome 9: work with multiple sources in a paper
 Outcome 11: craft a cohesive paper and use a metadiscourse to guide a reader through it
 Outcome 12: during the group editing session for the value paper, students describe their
own papers and reflect on how they wrote them and differentiate between the content of
their texts and the language and rhetorical strategies
 Outcome 14: revise their own work
 Outcome 15: edit their writing for grammar and usage conventions appropriate for the
assignment
Fact Essay
By formulating a claim of fact argument, and developing a full-length paper with research,
students will:
 Outcome 2: Follow avenues of investigation that are opened by noticing elements of
context; research those elements and show how one’s understanding of the of the
argument is developed, changed or evolved by looking into its context
 Outcome 6: understand and incorporate all aspects of the writing process
 Outcome 9: work with multiple sources in a paper
 Outcome 10: craft a cohesive paper and use a metadiscourse to guide a reader through it
 Outcome 11: during the group editing session for the value paper, students describe their
own papers and reflect on how they wrote them and differentiate between the content of
their texts and the language and rhetorical strategies
 Outcome 12: revise their own work
 Outcome 13: edit their writing for grammar and usage conventions appropriate for the
assignment
Quizzes on the Novel and Two Classic Essays
By taking written examinations on a novel and two classic essays, students will
 Outcome 1: Discern elements of context embedded in arguments, the clues that show
what the argument is responding to--both in the sense of what has come before it and in
the sense that it is written for an audience in a particular time and place; examine a
writer’s language in relation to audience, context and community;
 Outcome 4: Consider their own current life as the context within which they read a group
of arguments
 Outcome 7: article what key terms, definitions, concepts, statements of a problem or issue
are established by a text.
 Outcome 15: edit their writing for grammar and usage conventions appropriate for the
assignment
Policy Essay
By formulating a claim of policy argument, and developing a full-length paper with research,
students will:
 Outcome 4: Consider their contemporary, current life as the context within which they are
reading a group of arguments, position themselves in relation to ongoing research and
discussion in order to make an argument, drawing on available key terms, concepts or
frameworks of analysis to help shape the argument
 Outcome 6: understand and incorporate all aspects of the writing process
 Outcome 7: article what key terms, definitions, concepts, statements of a problem or issue
are established by a text.
 Outcome 9: work with multiple sources in a paper
 Outcome 10: analyze and assess arguments made by visual texts; incorporate visual
images into their documents
 Outcome 11: craft a cohesive paper and use a metadiscourse to guide a reader through it
 Outcome 12: during the group editing session for the value paper, students describe their


own papers and reflect on how they wrote them and differentiate between the content of
their texts and the language and rhetorical strategies
Outcome 14: revise their own work
Outcome 15: edit their writing for grammar and usage conventions appropriate for the
assignment
Four Major Writing Projects by Outcome:
Outcome 1 – Critique Essay
Outcome 2 – Fact Essay
Outcome 3 – Value Essay
Outcome 4 – Policy Essay
RWS 200
Catherine Hoffman
COURSE CALENDAR
Assignments are always due the next class meeting unless otherwise specified.
DAY
CLASS ACTIVITY
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Aug. 31
Intro. to course
Organize roster
Buy texts
Sept. 2
Discuss thesis
WRP Ch. 7(d), pp. 97-102
(Plagiarism)
Sept. 4
Discuss on WRP
Hand out Pedagogy packet
Read Ch. 1, EOA (important chapter!)
(“Understanding the Structure of
Argument”)
Sept. 7
Labor Day -- No class
Sept. 9
Discuss Pedagogy packet
Hand out “On Abortion”
Discuss Ch. 1 in EOA
Hand out Value topics
Read Ch. 2, EOA (“Reading and
Listening Critically”)
Read "On Abortion"
Sept. 11
Discuss "On Abortion" article
Assign magazine ad
Type up magazine ad assignment
Read WRP, Ch. 11, pp. 169-80
(Blending Materials)
Sept. 14
Magazine ad due
Discuss WRP
Read Ch. 4, EOA (“Writing about)
Argument”) –important!
Sept. 16
Discuss EOA, Ch. 4
(important chapter!)
Introduce Value thesis packet
Sign up for Value thesis packet
Conference
Type a value thesis for your value paper
Sept. 18
Furlough Day – No class
Sept. 21
Value thesis packet conferences
in office (1/3rd of class)
(Collect value essay requirements)
Finish WRP, Ch. 11, pp. 180-92
Sept. 23
Value thesis packet conferences
in office (1/3rd of class)
(Collect value essay requirements)
Finish WRP, Ch. 11, pp. 180-92
Sept. 25
Value thesis packet conferences
in office (1/3rd of class)
(Collect value essay requirements)
Finish WRP, Ch. 11, pp. 180-92
Sept. 28
Finish discussion of WRP, Ch. 11
Read EOA, Ch. 5 (“Defining Key Terms”)
Sept. 30
Discuss EOA, Ch. 5
Hand out MLA sheet
Read WRP, pp. 226-238 (Sample MLA
Paper) & read Ch. 14, pp. 239-81.
(Works Cited MLA Style)
Work on Value essay
Oct. 2
Sample student essay
Finish Value essay
Read EOA, Ch. 7 (“Providing Support”)
(important chapter!)
Oct. 5
Value essay due
Sign up for conferences
Discuss EOA, Ch. 7
(important chapter!)
Handout on fact topic ideas
Oct. 7
Furlough Day – No class
Oct. 9
Conferences on Value essay in office
(1/3rd of class)
Oct. 12
Conferences on Value essay in office
(1/3rd of class)
Oct. 14
Conferences on Value essay in office Read EOA, Ch. 8 (“Analyzing Warrants”)
(1/3rd of class)
Oct. 16
Hand out critique assignment
Journal handout
Discuss EOA
Prepare critique
Oct. 19
Oral critiques due
Critique presentation
(1/4th of class)
Oct. 21
Critique presentations
(1/4th of class)
Oct. 23
Critique presentations
(1/4th of class)
Oct. 26
Critique presentations
(1/4th of class)
Oct. 28
Fact thesis packet conferences in office
(1/3rd of class)
Oct. 30
Fact thesis packet conferences in office
(1/3rd of class)
Nov. 2
Fact thesis packet conferences
in office (1/3rd of class)
Read “Politics and the English Language”
Orwell, EOA p. 406
Nov. 4
"Politics" quiz
Discussion of Orwell
Mini-lecture on Inference
Go over Fact Essay requirements
Work on Fact essay
Read EOA, Ch. 10 (“Choosing Fair
and Precise Language”)
Nov. 6
Discuss Sample Fact Essay
Read “A Modest Proposal,” by
Swift, EOA, p. 354. Bring Blue Books
To class (open book quiz)
Nov. 9
Quiz on "A Modest Proposal"
(open book – bring Blue Books
Finish Fact Essay
Nov. 11
Veteran’s Day – No class
Nov. 13
Furlough Day – No class
Nov. 16
Fact essay due
Sign up for fact paper conferences
Discuss EOA, Ch. 8
Go over Policy paper requirements
Sign up for Policy thesis packet
Conference
Read EOA, Ch. 9 (“Avoiding Flawed
Logic”)
Type a policy thesis for your policy essay
Nov. 18
Policy thesis packet conferences
Read novel
Type a fact thesis for your paper
in office (1/3rd of class)
Nov. 20
Policy thesis packet conferences
in office (1/3rd of class)
Read novel
Nov. 23
Policy thesis packet conferences
in office (1/3rd of class)
Read novel
Nov. 25
Furlough Day – No class
Nov. 27
Post-Thanksgiving Holiday – No class
Nov. 30
Conferences for Fact essay
in office (1/3rd of class)
Read novel
Dec. 2
Conferences for Fact essay
in office (1/3rd of class)
Read novel
Dec. 4
Conferences for Fact essay
in office (1/3rd of class)
Start long research paper on policy
Bring Blue Books for exam on novel
Dec. 7
Blindness exam
Continue work on research paper
Review EOA, Ch. 11 (“Planning and
Researching an Argumentative Paper”)
and Ch 12 (”Writing An Argumentative
Paper”)
Dec. 9
Sample student essay for policy
Student evaluations
Continue work on research paper
Dec. 11
Final Research Paper due in my office!
No late papers accepted.
Final Exam Week:
If your class meets at 10:00 am, your final paper will be returned to you in my office, along with
your grade in the course, during the final exam period on Fri, Dec. 18, at 8:30 am, unless you are
notified otherwise.
If your class meets at 11:00 am, your final paper will be returned to you in my office, along with
your grade in the course, during the final exam period Mon., Dec. 14, at 10:30 am, unless you are
notified otherwise.