RHETORIC AND WRITING STUDIES 305W Fall 2013
Location/Time
Instructor:
E-mail:
Office Location:
Mail box:
Office Hours:
T/Th 12:30 – 1:45 at AH 3130
Monika Slater
mslater@mail.sdsu.edu
AH 3116
AH 3138 (DRWS main office)
By appointment (MWF 10-10:50, T/Th 11:30-12:15)
Course Description
Rhetoric and Writing Studies 305W is designed to help upper-level students develop the
communication skills needed for successful professional careers. The course builds on the
rhetorical model that students are introduced to in earlier 100 and 200-level courses:
attention to audience, purpose, presentation (genre and organization), evidence, and
language. In RWS 305W students learn to respond not just to academic tasks but a wider
variety of genres and settings that require diverse research methods and writing styles.
The course also contains a metacognitive component in which students learn to reflect on
and evaluate the effectiveness of their own writing style(s) within rhetorical contexts.
Prerequisites
Completion of 60 units, a qualifying score on the Writing Proficiency Assessment (WPA), or
a grade of C or higher in RWS 280 or 281, or LING 281 and completion of general education
requirements in composition and critical thinking.
Materials
Required:
Recommended:
John Trimbur, The Call to Write (5th edition)
A college-level dictionary
An e-mail account
Raimes: Keys for Writers
Note: Any other grammar, style, and usage handbook will do.
Course Learning Objectives
1.
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 characteristic texts,
evaluate their credibility and principles, and apply relevant aspects of 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, 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 writeraudience-subject-context.
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
 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;
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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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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.
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 multicultural 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.
Methods of Evaluating Student Performance
Students’ course grades will be based on
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course assignments (revised in- and out-of-class projects; see the prompts and the
course schedule for the types of assignments you will complete and their due dates).
If you do revise a paper, the higher of the two grades for a particular assignment will
be used in computing your course grade. Except for drafts written in class, all papers
must be typed.
exercises and quizzes (announced and unannounced).
class participation (attendance, in-class assignments, in-class and electronic
discussions, peer evaluations, etc).
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POINTS EACH
ASSIGNMENT
Prospectus/annotated bibliography
Project 1
Project 2
Project 3
Project 4
Reflection
Quizzes
60 pts
120 pts
120 pts
120 pts
120 pts
60 pts
TOTAL POINTS
600
100
Participation/Attendance
200
Course grades will be based on points earned and assigned according to the following scale:
A
B
C
D
F
Outstanding achievement; available only for the highest accomplishment
Praiseworthy achievement; definitely above average
Average; awarded for satisfactory performance; the most common undergraduate degree
Minimally passing; less than the typical undergraduate achievement
Failing
% Points
GRADE
100 - 95
A
94 - 90
A-
89 - 85
B+
84 - 79
B
78 - 74
B-
73 - 69
C+
68 - 63
C
62 - 55
C-
Note: As the instructor, I reserve the right to examine and reconsider individual grades in
terms of students’ attendance, collaborative effort, and punctuality.
Course Policies
 Participation
This is a class in communication, so your participation is essential. Get involved,
volunteer, question and probe. Share relevant ideas and observations. Offer your own
experiences. It is imperative that you attend class; three or more absences will
damage your grade. It is also important that you turn in informal exercises and come
to class prepared to discuss the day’s assignments. This is a case of mutual
preparedness and respect. In addition, much of the course is collaborative and depends
on you to regularly contribute your insights as well as for you to receive feedback. No
in-class work can be made up. It is your responsibility to contact a classmate to find
out what went on in class. Assignments, due dates, handouts, and other course
material is available on the class’s blackboard site.
 Grades
Each document you prepare reflects your knowledge and establishes your professional
image. Grades are determined by total points acquired. I will make every effort to
quickly evaluate formal written assignments. There is no curve other than the
standards generated locally and the standards made explicit and implied through the
instructor’s presentations and assignments.
 Writing Assignment Requirements
Specific requirements for assignments will be discussed in class. Assignments are
due on the date assigned. As the instructor, I reserve the right to deduct a
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significant amount of points (10 to 20%) for late work (also see below). All assignments
must be prepared with appropriate software and conform to the conventions of the
genre. Your papers must be typed and submitted as a hardcopy (no e-mails or memory
devices). If you submit revisions, all previous drafts must be attached. Final drafts must
show evidence of editing and proofreading. Keep a copy of all assignments you hand
in. Maintain a cumulative file that includes all your assignments. The documents in this
file will serve as a base for you to judge your improvement during the semester.
 Late Papers
All assignments for this course are to be on time, typed, and stapled. Try to avoid late
papers. However, you can receive an extension for good cause if you (1) contact me
before the assignment is due by means of a formal memo in which you explain the
reason for the delay and (2) propose in the memo a reasonable deadline (less than one
week), which you then keep. The memo is a contract. Failure to keep the new
deadline breaks the contract, and I will not accept your paper. You can use this option
no more than once in a semester. The visual presentation is excluded from this option;
it is due on the assigned date.
 Plagiarism
Any writing suspected of plagiarism may result in a failing grade, withdrawal, or in
extensive revisions. Plagiarism is a violation of Title 5, California Administrative Code,
Part 5, Section 4130(a) and is to be taken seriously.
 Come See Me for Help
You can always make an appointment to see me. You can email me with any question
or comment. Please arrange a specific time (to avoid crowds and to ensure that you
receive enough individual attention). Also, please make an appointment if you have
concerns, questions, or problems with any assignment or any other issue.
 Classroom Etiquette
I am open to ideas here. However, unless we as a class decide otherwise, class
participants are encouraged to:
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Bring books and notes to class.
Participate fully in classroom activities: discussions, peer revision and editing, etc.
Respect differing opinions, lifestyles, experiences, and worldviews.
Respect all speakers, whether the instructor or fellow class participants, by refraining
from side conversations, giving the speaker full attention, and treating each other
civilly.
Come to class on time and stay for entire class. Our class is a community. We work
together to build and make that community prosper. So, please do your share in
building this community by attending class and being prepared, by arriving in time
and bringing your books.
Ask for clarification of any confusing points on assignments or lectures.
Turn off cell phones and any other electronic devices.
 Needs
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that reasonable accommodations be
provided for students with physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, learning, and
psychiatric disabilities. Please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to
discuss any such accommodations for this course.
This syllabus and schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.
If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made
while you were absent.
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