Course Syllabus RWS 305W: Writing in Various Settings
Description
Professor: Jill Holslin, Lecturer
Office: Adams Humanities, Rm. 3154 3rd Floor
E-mail: rwsjillholslin@gmail.com
Phone: 594-6264
Office Hours: Mon, 3-4, Tues 6-7 PM, Wed 6-7 PM and by appointment
In RWS 305W students learn to respond not only to academic tasks but also to 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.
In this particular course, we will focus on the production and circulation of civic
discourse. Civic discourse is defined in part by its location and purpose: it is public, and
its purpose in a democracy is to facilitate rational, open discussion and debate in order
to address and solve problems in society as a whole. Civic discourse distinguishes
itself from private or personal speech in the sense that the audiences for private
communications are more limited. The public sphere is an area in social life where
people can get together and freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through
that discussion influence political action. Civic discourse occurs in discursive spaces in
which individuals and groups congregate to discuss matters of mutual interest and,
where possible, to reach a common judgment.
My colleague Chris Werry has developed a wonderful definition of rhetoric that can help
us understand how civic discourse works. “Rhetoric refers to the study of spoken,
written and visual language understood as socially situated action. Rhetoric investigates
how language is used to organize and maintain social groups, construct meanings and
identities, coordinate behavior, mediate power, produce change, and create knowledge.
Rhetoric assumes that language is constitutive (we shape and are shaped by
language), dialogic (it exists in the shared territory between self and other), closely
connected to thought (mental activity as “inner speech”) and integrated with the social,
cultural and economic dimensions of life. Rhetorical study and written literacy are
understood to be essential to civic, professional and academic life.”
Learning Objectives
Student Learning Outcomes 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 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
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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 effective, flexible strategies for generating, revising, and editing texts
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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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Identify how different discourse communities employ particular strategies for
conveying, researching, and evaluating information
Analyze and address a range of audience expectations of conventions
Effectively integrate a variety of appropriate sources into their writings
Practice appropriate means of documenting 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, to
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Work cooperatively to achieve mutually defined goals, face-to-face in the
classroom and in other settings
Respect the diverse voices and perspectives that characterize life in a multicultural classroom and society
Critically analyze a variety of publicly and individually produced texts
Value free expression and participate confidently in public discussion on issues
of importance to the workplace and the community
Show initiative in problem solving situations
Required Materials
COURSE MATERIALS & READINGS All course readings & materials will be located
on the Blackboard Course Website. Please be prepared to print out specific readings
as the semester unfolds.
WAP Exam: You will not be allowed to “test out” of the course at this point. In other words,
you may not take the WAP exam in lieu of this course.
Grades and Requirements
4 writing projects 80% of final grade (20-10-30-20)
Attendance and In-class Participation
10% of grade
Homework
10% of grade
As a writing course, we will be focusing exclusively on producing good
written work. Thus, we will have four writing projects that constitute 80% of
your grade. Hope you're ready. Here they are:
1) Project 1: Mapping the Debate (20%) (Sept and early October)
2) Project 2: Fact Sheet (10%) (early October)
3) Project 3: Op-Ed (30%) (with first and second drafts) (Oct-November)
Classes will be cancelled for a week-long conferencing during the week of
Nov 11.
4) Project 4: Advocacy Letter (20%) (after Thanksgiving)
Note: You must earn at least a C (75%) in this class to pass the upper division
writing requirement.
Please use the Blackboard website to keep track of your status throughout the course. I
will be posting your grades as you complete assignments, and you can easily see the
value of each assignment posted there.
Note on grades: As your instructor, I reserve the right to examine and reconsider
individual grades based on student attendance, regular preparation for class,
collaborative effort, and punctuality to class.
Reading: Readings and/or writings are assigned for most class meetings. Plan on
reading each article before it is discussed in class. The depth and complexity of these
readings will demand that you also reread each essay a few times. Your success in this
course depends upon your ability to read consistently and carefully throughout the
semester, as all writing assignments are based on close analysis of assigned readings.
Participation and Home Work: Regular attendance in class is, of course,
mandatory. In-class workshops and writing assignments may not be made up for
credit. For most readings assigned, you will complete a homework assignment of some
kind, assignments designed to make sure that you have read carefully and that you are
able to identify the arguments and the evidence used for support. They also prepare
you to contribute your ideas to class discussion. Occasionally you will write in-class
commentaries, analyzing the assigned reading, preparing to write a formal essay or
reflecting on your reading, writing and critical thinking skills.
Papers: You will write three (3) formal projects of varying length and worth including an
in-class reflection on the day of the final exam. Late papers will marked down one
letter grade per DAY late. If you do not hand a paper directly to me, take it to the
Rhetoric and Writing Studies office at the Adams Humanities, 3rd floor and have
someone sign and date it, so that I have verification of when you turned it in.
Workshops and Revision: Revision is a “ re-vision” of your paper, a global rethinking
of what you say and how you say it. Plan to write many notes, drafts, and revisions for
each assigned essay. All first drafts of essays will be reviewed by your peers in a Peer
Review Workshop and revised. If you receive a grade lower than a “C” you may revise
your essay. You will have one week to revise the essay and turn it into me with your
originally graded paper. You cannot receive a grade higher than a “C” on a revised
essay.
Grading Scale and Gradebook:
Your Grades will be visible to you all semester, and you can check your grades
easily. Please go to the “Course Tools” at the bottom left of the course menu, and then
find the “My Grades” link there. I will be posting grades immediately after grading your
papers, and you should check frequently to monitor your own progress.
Grading Scale:
The course is worth 100 points. This total score is divided into various categories,
which are spelled out more clearly on the chart at the top of the syllabus. But in
general, your paper grades are worth the most, 80% of the course grade, or 80 points
total. Homework and In-Class writing is worth 10% or 10 points, and Participation is
worth the remaining 10% or 10 points.
Late Papers and Homework:
You must turn in homework in class, and on the day it is due. I do not allow make-ups
for ANY in-class writing activities, and I reserve the right to refuse to accept late
homework in the event that you missed class the day that it was due.
All first drafts of major papers should be completed on time. For each day a first draft
assignment is late, one full grade will be deducted. There is a good reason for this: the
day the first draft is due is also the day you will participate in a Peer Review Workshop
in class. And so, please turn papers in on time.
Papers via Email
I do not accept papers via email except under extreme circumstances that have been
arranged in advance. Even if we arrange for you to send me your paper via email, you
will lose points automatically for not being present in class to hand it to me. I reserve the
right to make this decision myself. Please do not assume that sending a paper via email
is equivalent to being in class. If you have trouble printing, please find a solution to that
problem as quickly as you can.
Peer Review Workshops:
For most projects in this class, we will have peer review workshops for drafts. This is
required, and it is calculated as a homework assignment.
Absences and Attendance:
The value of your participation in class is priceless, of course, but I measure this at 10%
of your total grade, or 10 points. You get one “free” absence, and after this, for each
absence I will deduct points from your final participation score. I do not make a
distinction between excused and unexcused absences except in the case of SDSU
officially excused sports travel. I consider ALL absences the same, in other words: you
were not in class, and therefore you did not participate. Except for VERY unusual
circumstances, there are no “ excused” absences. You may use your three absences
for anything you want, but you may want to reserve them for true emergencies, for you
get the flu or a flat tire on the way to class. Once you have already used up your
absences, you will lose points, no matter what the reason. Please do not go AWOL
and expect me (or other professors) to understand.
If you feel you have one “very unusual” circumstance, please talk to me in advance and
we may be able to work something out. If you have a regular conflict, then you should
not be registered for this section of the course.
Plagiarism:
No plagiarism or cheating will be tolerated in my class. Using another writer’s work as if
it were your own is unethical, illegal and against SDSU university policy. Believe me, it
is very easy for the instructor to notice when a student has copied passages from an
outside source, and you will be penalized for it. If you plagiarize or copy another
students’ work, you will receive an “F” on the assignment, and the incident will go on
record with the Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies. You could face academic
probation, suspension or even expulsion from the university.