Instructor : James Jasinski
404D Jones Hall
879-3463 (office direct line)
761-1591 (home; no calls after 8pm) e-mail address: jjasinski@ups.edu
Office hours: M and W 1-4pm, and by appointment
Course Assistant : Marie Kyle
Overview of the course :
Comm 244
Rhetorical Criticism
Spring 2010
Comm 244 is designed to deepen your understanding of the logic of critical inquiry and introduce you to the specific form of critical inquiry known as rhetorical criticism. We will begin the course by exploring the meaning of the two terms in the course title: rhetoric and criticism . By examining each term, and their relationship, we will develop an initial orientation to the domain of scholarly practices referred to as rhetorical criticism.
After the initial orientation, the course focuses on the basics of critical analysis and proceeds incrementally. We will begin by locating the object of rhetorical criticism--the text or message --within its situation. A premise of much contemporary rhetorical criticism is that all discursive practice is situated and, therefore, the rhetorical text should be read as a response to its situation. We will examine different types of situations and the way texts or messages respond to those situations. Our attention then shifts to three pivotal concepts: message texture (or “form”), message structure , and message substance
(or “content”). We will examine each of these in turn. Our examination of message texture will start with the most basic element of prose or rhetorical discourse: the word.
We will discuss different types of words and then trace the way words are combined into phrases, clauses, sentences, and other patterns, exploring the functions and effects of these different language patterns as we go. Our investigation of message structure will be less intense. Our discussion will focus on some common organizational strategies and patterns, giving special attention to the way narrative serves as an organizational framework for many messages. Our investigation of message substance will begin with attention to language. We will examine the traditional denotation/connotation distinction, the concept of “ultimate terms,” and the nature of specialized linguistic “codes,”
“idioms,” or “registers.” We’ll conclude our examination of language by considering the way speakers and writers organize or coordinate the different voices and idioms which inhabit any text. Our investigation of message substance will conclude with a preliminary examination of argument structures, strategies, analytic concepts. The course concludes with (a) an overview of the basic mechanics of the finished critical essay and (b) a discussion of how to pull the various threads of analysis together into a finished piece of criticism.

The primary objective of the course is to introduce you to a range of basic terms and concepts--a vocabulary if you will--for critically analyzing prose/rhetorical discourse.
The course does not attempt to introduce you to the entire field of rhetorical criticism.
Mastering this analytic vocabulary, understanding the meaning of the terms and concepts, is the essential first step in learning to do rhetorical criticism and, by the end of the semester, you should have begun to master this vocabulary.
But criticism is more than just learning the meaning of terms just as learning a language is more than simply learning the meaning of words. Learning the basic analytic vocabulary of rhetorical criticism is like learning any language: you learn the language by putting it into practice. And putting the vocabulary of rhetorical criticism into practice isn’t a mechanical process nor is it like following a recipe; it will involve issues of judgment and discernment. Criticism is not something you learn in the abstract. While it is very useful to read about criticism and to read examples of criticism (and you will be doing both this semester), criticism is like most practical activities (cooking, riding a bike, painting, etc.): you learn by doing it. Through course discussions, class exercises, and a range of projects you will learn how to employ a range of terms and concepts in order to produce rhetorical criticism.
Required readings :
We will read selections from Roderick P. Hart, Modern Rhetorical Criticism, 2nd ed
(Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1997). Those sections of Hart’s book that are required will be available through Moodle.
Richard A. Lanham, Analyzing Prose 2 nd ed. (NY: Continuum International Publishing
Group, 2003). Available through bookstore.
Andrea Lunsford, The Everyday Writer, 4 th ed. (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009).
While we won’t be discussing Lunsford in class, her work is an important resource. I will refer to it routinely when I grade your papers (as do most Comm Studies profs).
A number of additional essays (see details on schedule below) are required reading and will be available through Moodle. Moodle readings are indicated on schedule below.
All readings should be completed by the date assigned on the schedule below. Doing so will prepare you for quizzes. To facilitate discussion of the readings, I strongly recommend that you print copies of Moodle readings and bring those copies to class.
In addition to the reading material listed above, there will be a considerable number of handouts over the course of the semester. Handouts for this course generally will be of two types: (a) texts for discussion and/or the critical projects and (b) essays or other material that amplifies on points discussed in class or the readings.
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A note on course readings : Students who have previously taken the course report that some of the readings can be very challenging. The quantity of reading for this course is rather modest. But many of the readings may require careful study . So plan to spend a fair amount of time seriously engaging the reading material. You will need to do so in order to perform well on the unannounced quizzes.
Course objectives :
As noted above, the broad objective of the course is to introduce students to the practice of analytic, academic criticism, especially rhetorical criticism, and to provide you with a basic vocabulary that can be employed in critical analysis. More specifically, upon completing the course, students should be able to:
1. identify and explicate the basic logic of, and elements in, critical inquiry;
2. define and illustrate key concepts in rhetorical criticism;
3. demonstrate their comprehension of an analytic vocabulary (a vocabulary that includes traditional grammatical and syntactical terms as well as terms from the classical and contemporary traditions of rhetorical studies) that enables detailed description of a text or prose composition;
4. demonstrate an ability to employ the analytic vocabulary in critical practice (including an ability to “chart” sentences and paragraphs in order to reveal their structures and patterns);
5. demonstrate an ability to use the analytic vocabulary as a way to edit their own writing
(which means that the quality of the written work in the class is extremely important); and
6. demonstrate an understanding of the basic mechanics of a finished piece of rhetorical criticism.
Course Policies
1. Students must comply with University policies regarding academic honesty. It is your responsibility to review the Logger on-line so that you avoid violating University academic honesty policies, especially those relating to plagiarism.
2. Turn off your cell phones before class.
3. Please visit appropriate restrooms before class begins or during the break.
4. Please do not sit in class with sweatshirt hoods over your head. It is rude.
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Course requirements :
Active participation in class discussion and exercises; completion of readings and other written assignments as assigned. Students who fail to meet this minimum requirement (as demonstrated in quiz performance and class activities) can expect to have their final course grade lowered anywhere from one-third (e.g. from a B to a B-) to a whole letter grade.
Seven (7) critical analysis projects (six short; one long). Due dates and the point value for each project are noted on the schedule below. There are 75 total possible points for all seven projects. Additional details on each project will be provided in advance of each due date (app. one week before each due date).
Two (2) critical essay reviews. Students will select an example of published rhetorical criticism from a list provided and write a short (app. 3 pages, typed, double spaced) summary and assessment. Each critical essay review is worth 5 points.
There will be five unannounced quizzes and an undetermined number of take-home assignments. The five quizzes are worth a total of 15 points. There are no make-ups for quizzes. Some of the take-home assignments will provide an opportunity to earn bonus points and/or make up quiz points. N.B. Other take-home assignments will be “ungraded”
(which means if you turn in the assignment you have met the requirement but if you fail to turn anything in the assignment during the class period in which it is due you will have two points deducted from your point total).
The total points for the seven projects, two reviews, quizzes, and assignments will be added up and subjected to a course curve to determine a final letter grade. Information about the grading curve for previous semesters will be provided the first day of class.
In order to be eligible for maximum credit, all the critical analysis projects must be turned in during class on the day assigned. There will be an automatic point deduction for assignments turned in outside of class. Since we will be discussing each project in class, if you attend class on a date a project is due and do not hand in a project, you will not be able to turn that project in for credit. If you want to receive some credit for that missed project, you will need to arrange a substitute project. Each student will be allowed to redo one (and only one) of the first six projects. Details on redoing a project will be provided upon request (make sure we discuss these details before you begin to work on a rewrite).
Choosing to redo a project does not, however, guarantee that you will receive additional points for that assignment.
A final note: The critical analysis projects are individual, not group, assignments.
Discussing course issues and topics with classmates is a valuable activity. But do not work on written projects collectively . For example, it is appropriate to discuss your grasp of course concepts with classmates (e.g. “What makes a sentence syntactically complex?” “What’s the definition of hypotaxis and how do you determine if a text is hypotactic?”). But do not discuss the results of your critical analyses with classmates
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2/2 (Tu)
2/4 (Th)
2/9 (Tu)
2/11 (Th) when you are preparing to write papers (it is not appropriate to ask a classmate: “When I counted the number of complex sentences in the text, I got 43; what did you get?”). Each project should reflect your grasp of the material being discussed and your ability to apply the material to the assigned text(s). Every student should prepare each of their projects on their own. Any suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be handled through established University procedures.
Tentative class schedule (subject to minor revisions):
Date
1/19 (Tu)
1/21 (Th)
Topic Reading
Introduction to course. Explore key terms: criticism and rhetoric.
Locating the text/message in its situation. Read : Lloyd Bitzer,
“The Rhetorical Situation” Philosophy and Rhetoric, 1 (1968): 1-
14 (available through moodle); Hart, pp. 46-57 (moodle)
1/26 (Tu)
1/28 (Th)
Continue discussion.
Project #1 due
Read : Handouts.
(analysis of a rhetorical situation). App. 4-5 typed, double spaced pages; 10 points.
2/16 (Tu)
2/18 (Th)
2/23 (Tu)
2/25 (Th)
Analyzing message texture: Basic elements and mechanics of prose discourse and some of their rhetorical implications.
Grammar Review Handout and “fragments” handout. Complete fragments exercises as assigned. Recommended Richard Weaver,
“Some Rhetorical Aspects of Grammatical Categories”
(moodle). NB: class periods. See me for suggestions.
Continue discussion.
Project #2 due double spaced pages; 5 points.
Read grammar and syntax may want to seek additional resources to help them grasp the material to be covered over the next few
(basic grammatical analysis). App. 2-3 typed,
More on message texture: Basic prose analysis. Read: Lanham, pp. 15-52 NB: The Lanham material will be challenging. It should be studied carefully.
Continue discussion.
Continue discussion/dry run for project #3.
Project #3 due
165.
Students without a strong grasp of English
(basic prose analysis). App. 4-5 typed double spaced pages; 10 points.
:
More message texture: Analyzing “tacit persuasion patterns” (or rhetorical tropes and “figures of speech”). Read : Lanham, pp. 122-
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3/2 (Tu)
3/4 (Th)
3/9 (Tu)
3/11 (Th)
3/16 (Tu)
3/18 (Th)
3/23 (Tu)
3/25(Th)
Continue discussion.
Continue discussion/dry run for project #4.
Project #4 due
Spring Break
Spring Break
(analyzing tropes and figures). App. 4-5 typed double spaced pages; 10 points.
Mini-unit on message structure. Read : Handouts.
Continue discussion of structure. Critical essay review #1 due .
Analyzing message substance: Language. Read : Hart, “Analyzing
Word Choice” (moodle); Recommended : Richard Weaver,
““Ultimate Terms in Contemporary Rhetoric” (moodle).
3/30 (Tu) Advanced language analysis. Read: handouts. Recommended :
George Kamberelis and Karla Scott, “Other People’s Voices: The
Co-articulation of Texts and Subjectivities” Linguistics and
Education, 4 (1992): 359-403 (moodle). NB: A more challenging reading. Be prepared to engage it carefully.
Continue discussion. 4/1 (Th)
4/6 (Tu)
4/8 (Th)
Continue discussion/dry run for project #5.
Project #5 due (analyzing language). App. 4-5 typed double spaced pages; 10 points.
4/13 (Tu)
4/15 (Th)
Analyzing message substance: Argument. Read : Wayne
Brockreide and Douglas Ehninger, “Toulmin on Argument: An
Interpretation and Application” Quarterly Journal of Speech, 46
(1960): 44-53 (moodle).
Continue discussion. Read : Handouts (there will be frequent handouts during this unit).
4/20 (Tu)
4/22 (Th)
Continue discussion.
Continue discussion/dry run for project #6.
4/27 (Tu)
4/29 (Th)
Project #6 due (analyzing argument). App. 4-5 typed double spaced pages; 10 points.
Putting the pieces together: Developing the finished critical essay.
Read : Handouts.
5/4 (Tu) Discuss critical essay reviews and final project. Critical essay review #2 due .
Project #7 due (a “close analysis” of a text) at the start of the scheduled final exam period
(Tuesday May 11 at 4pm). See project handout for details. All students will prepare an
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oral presentation based on their final project; the quality of the presentation will impact final project grade. Attendance is mandatory . Anyone absent from this class meeting will have five points deducted from their final project (so make your travel plans accordingly). Final project should be approximately 15 typed double spaced pages and it must conform to the MLA style guide. Consult Lunsford, sections 48-51 on MLA documentation. Project seven is worth 20 points .
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