ENGK 411—Fall 2014
Texas A&M University Central Texas
ENGK 411 : Fall 2014
Studies in Rhetoric and Language
Instructor :
Office:
Email:
Dr. Katherine S. Miles
Room 217C, Founders Hall
ksmiles@ct.tamus.edu
Office Hours:1
Tues & Thurs
Fri
10:45a – 11:30a
9:30a – 1p
If you email me through Blackboard and I
do not respond within one (1) business
day, please send another email to my
university account
(ksmiles@ct.tamus.edu). When
emailing my university account,
include the course number and
section: e.g., ENGK 411.110.
This course is offered online. Please contact the Blackboard Helpdesk if you need help accessing
Blackboard.
Phone: 855-661-7965
Please go to the Blackboard logon page for more information about available support.
1.0
Course Overview:
This course offers advanced study in the theory, nature, and practice of written discourse. Throughout the
semester, we will trace the development of rhetoric and communication through five historic eras:
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the civic discourse of Ancient Greece,
the religious rhetoric of Medieval times,
the feminist rhetoric of the Renaissance,
the scientific rhetoric of the Enlightenment, and
the modern rhetoric of our current Information age.
As we explore these broadly defined historical periods, we will consider the ways in which the rhetorical
appeals, topoi, and methods have changed in response to social and political changes.
2.0
Objectives of Course:
As a result of participating in this class, students will achieve the following objectives:
 to become conversant with the major figures and trends in the historic periods listed in section 1.0
 to investigate language theoretically as a background for your own professional & personal use
 to situate rhetorical texts within a historical and social context
 to relate the history of theoretical rhetoric to contemporary communication
 to construct rhetorical arguments using academic conventions
3.0
Required Reading and Textbook(s):
Herrick, James A. The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction. 5th edition.
1 These hours are the times that I am available to meet with you face-to-face. However, please make an appointment to meet
with me. Making an appointment is the only way to avoid waiting while I complete my other scheduled obligations.
ENGK 411—Fall 2014
This text does not need to be purchased in the campus bookstore, but it is your responsibility to
obtain a copy BEFORE the first reading is due (i.e., the first week of class).
Additional readings will be made available as pdf files on Blackboard, and each assigned reading has
‘Reading Notes’ that are considered required reading (e.g., quiz questions may originate from these
reading notes).
4.0
Course Requirements:
4.1 Quizzes (180 points, 12 quizzes @ 15 points per quiz): A quiz will be given each week over the
reading material assigned for that week. These quizzes must be completed in Blackboard by midnight
on Friday of each week. If you have never taken a quiz through Blackboard, please contact the
Helpdesk prior to the quiz. Quizzes CANNOT be made up, and they CANNOT be reset if you
encounter problems.
4.2 Reading Responses (200 points, 5 @ 40 points each): Starting the second week of the
semester, students will develop their own critical response to the works and issues we
consider. Sample questions are provided for each assignment, but students are encouraged to
develop their own topics. Please see the assignment sheet on Blackboard for more
information and for evaluation criteria.
4.3 Exam #1 (100 points): This exam will cover all reading and lecture material from the first
half of the semester. The exam will be a mixture of multiple choice, short answer, and a brief
discussion question.
4.4 5-page Draft of Research Paper (100 points, 50% for the state of the draft, 50% for the peer
review, see section 4.6 below): We will spend one week reviewing each other’s 5-page drafts
using Blackboard’s Discussion Board. In addition to your peers’ comments on your draft, I
will review these drafts also and provide direction for revisions. You must upload your draft
NO LATER THAN midnight on the Wednesday during peer review week. This strict
deadline ensures that everyone has a chance to read, consider, and review these works. If you
are unavailable during the week(s) of the reviews (and you have not contacted me BEFORE
the start of that week), then you will not receive credit. If you know that you will not be
available during one or both of those weeks, then you may upload your drafts to the
Discussion Board, and they will still undergo peer and professor review.
4.5 Full Draft of Research Paper (100 points, 50% for the state of the draft, 50% for the peer review,
see section 4.6 below): We will spend one week reviewing each other’s full drafts using
Blackboard’s Discussion Board. In addition to your peers’ comments on your draft, I will
review these drafts also and provide direction for revisions. You must upload your draft NO
LATER THAN midnight on the Wednesday during peer review week. This strict deadline
ensures that everyone has a chance to read, consider, and review these works. If you are
unavailable during the week(s) of the reviews (and you have not contacted me BEFORE the
start of that week), then you will not receive credit. If you know that you will not be available
during one or both of those weeks, then you may upload your drafts to the Discussion
Board, and they will still undergo peer and professor review.
4.6 Peer Reviews of Research Paper Drafts (points included in the ‘Drafts’ above, 4.6 and 4.7): We
will conduct two (2) peer reviews this semester: on the 5-page and full drafts of the research
paper. These reviews serve three important functions: 1) They prompt students to spend
time considering their arguments for the 15-page research paper, 2) they ensure that students
have ample time to revise their arguments and formatting for the research paper, 3) and they
provide opportunities to learn from their peers by offering multiple model responses to the
ENGK 411—Fall 2014
research paper assignment. Peer reviews will be evaluated on the quality of your suggestions.
These reviews should demonstrate that you have thought critically about the argument your
peer is trying to make; and the comments/suggestions should provide revision suggestions,
alternative ways of thinking about the subject, and/or help with sentence-level grammar and
mechanics. The peer reviews will be submitted via the comment function on Blackboard’s
Discussion Board.
4.7 Research Paper (220 points): Each student will write a 15-17 page, double-spaced, MLAstyle paper that presents original research. There will be ample opportunities to revise and to
receive peer and professor feedback on these papers before the final submission. Please see
the assignment criteria sheet on Blackboard for more information.
4.10 Exam #2 (100 points): This exam will be comprehensive (covering all reading and lecture
material from the entire semester). The exam will be a mixture of multiple choice and short
answer.
5.0
Grading Criteria Rubric and Conversion
Quizzes (13 @ 15 points each)
Reading Responses (5 @ 40 points each)
Exam #1
5-page Draft of Research Paper (incl. peer review)
Full Draft of Research Paper (incl. peer review)
Research Paper
Exam #2
TOTAL
180 points
200 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
220 points
100 points
1,000 points
I use a point system to calculate grades. At any point in the semester, you should be able to
easily determine you course grade. Simply a) divide the total number of points earned by the
total number of points possible for all completed assignments, and b) multiply this number
by 100. Use the scale below to determine your grade:
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 59-below
The following rubric illustrates the basic grading criteria that are used for each writing assignment.
More specific criteria are provided for each assignment.
A Top-notch, excellent, extraordinary accomplishment. Really strong conception and
execution. Minor tinkering at most needed to make this comparable to professionalquality work.
B Very strong work. Everything in order, well conceived and well executed. Minor editing
problems at most.
NOTE:
The differences between an A and a B have to do with a combination of
originality, excellence, thoroughness, and attention to detail in execution. Although A
grades may include comments on sentence level editing, doing this type of editing
would not be sufficient to raise a B to an A.
C Average, but missing some components. No glaring conceptual or execution
problems, but nothing particularly outstanding in either department. Topic or problem
may be somewhat limited, or execution may be less than optimal.
D Acceptable, but below average work. Either conception, execution or both definitely
need to be improved.
F Not of acceptable quality.
ENGK 411—Fall 2014
6.0
Teaching Philosophy
My pedagogy reflects my responsibility to prepare students for communication in diverse workplace,
academic, cultural, and technological contexts. In a diverse social, political, and economic society, teaching
communication involves helping students to think critically and rhetorically about the "texts" they use and
create so they can engage productively in multiple communicative situations.
7.0
Assignment Submission Policy
I expect you to submit your assignments by midnight on the day they are due. Assignments will be submitted
electronically. If you have never submitted an assignment through Blackboard, please contact the Helpdesk
for support. Please DO NOT email your assignments to me. These emailed assignments get ‘buried’ in my
email inbox. For each assignment, a link will be provided in Blackboard through which you will submit your
work. Please follow this protocol for submitting major assignments.
8.1 Quizzes, Drafts, Peer Reviews, and Reading Responses may NOT be submitted late. If these
assignments are not submitted by the due date, a zero will be awarded.
8.2 Late Submissions: If an assignment is submitted after midnight on the day it is due, that
assignment will be awarded a zero.
8.3 Extended Submission Date: I am willing to negotiate an extension of no more than one week on
no more than one occasion during the semester for the Reading Response assignment. The formal
request for an extension should be sent via email at least 24 hours before the assignment is due. The
formal extension request should be in memo format and should state the following:
o Ask for an extension
o Explain why the assignment will not be submitted on time
o Provide a new submission date
If no formal request is made for an extension, the assignment will be considered late, and it will
receive a zero. If the assignment is not submitted on the new submission date, a ‘zero’ will be
awarded.
8.4 Backup Copies: Always keep back-up, electronic copies of ALL your work. If I misplace your
assignment (or if my computer crashes and I lose all data, which has happened), you are responsible
for promptly submitting another copy. Also, it is good practice to keep ALL graded copies of your
work in case a grade dispute arises.
8.0 Complete Course Calendar
Topics and
Activities
Week 1
Overview and History
8.25.14 –
8.31.14
Introduction to the Course
Greek History and Culture
Assignments
(Syllabus subject to change.)
READ: Syllabus and Related Links
READ: Overview of Rhetoric (Ch. 1)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
Week 2
Sophistic Rhetoric
ENGK 411—Fall 2014
9.1.14 –
9.7.14
The Sophists
Gorgias
READ: Origins and Early History of Rhetoric (Ch. 2)
READ: “Gorgias,” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
http://www.iep.utm.edu/gorgias/
READ: Gorgias, Encomium of Helen (pdf)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Reading Response #1
Week 3
Civic Rhetoric
9.8.14 –
9.14.14
Rhetoric on Trial
Plato
READ: Plato vs. the Sophists (Ch. 3)
READ: Plato’s “Gorgias”
Wednesday, September 12th is the
last day to drop with no record.
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
Week 4
Civic Rhetoric
9.15.14 –
9.21.14
Aristotle
Aristotle Redefines Rhetoric
READ: Aristotle on Rhetoric (Ch. 4)
READ: The Life of Aristotle (Introduction to Nichomachean
Ethics, pdf)
READ: Aristotle, “Nicomachean Ethics,” Book VI (pdf)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Reading Response #2
Week 5
Religious Rhetoric
9.22.14 –
9.28.14
The Rise of Christianity and the
Written Word
The Second Sophistic and St.
Augustine
READ: Rhetoric in Christian Europe (Ch. 6)
READ: The End of the Ancient World, Murphy & Katula, pp.
228-236 (pdf)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
Week 6
Religious Rhetoric
9.29.14 –
10.5.14
Augustine’s Rhetoric
READ: Augustine’s, “On Christian Doctrine” (Bizzell &
Herzberg, pp. 456-485, pdf)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Reading Response #3
Week 7
Midterm
10.6.14 –
10.12.14
Review for Exam
Week 8
Feminist Rhetoric
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Exam #1
I will be presenting my research at the Rocky Mountain
Modern Language Association Convention in Boise, Idaho
this week and will have limited access to the internet. Please
plan ahead and study for the exam early, so that you can
contact me with any questions in advance. Call my cell in
case of a time-sensitive question: 512-470.1577.
ENGK 411—Fall 2014
10.13.14 –
10.19.14
The Rise of Female Rhetoricians
READ: Rhetoric in the Renaissance (Ch. 7)
Christine de Pizan
READ: Jenny Redfern’s “A Medieval Rhetorician and Her
Rhetoric,” (Lunsford, pp. 73-92, pdf)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Reading Response #4
Week 9
Feminist Rhetoric
10.20.14 –
10.26.14
Christine de Pizan
READ: from The Book of the Three Virtues (pdf)
READ: Querelle de la Rose (pdf)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
I will be presenting my research at the 2014 Mentoring
Conference in Albuquerque, NM this week and will have
limited access to the internet. You are welcome to call my
cell in case of a time-sensitive question: 512-470.1577.
Week 10
Academic Rhetoric
10.27.14 –
11.2.14
Constructing Academic Arguments
READ: John Swales on research paper introductions (pdf)
We will spend this week discussing the rhetoric of academic
arguments and the rhetorical requirements (i.e., the expected
academic ‘moves’) of the Research Paper assignment
(which is composed of multiple, smaller assignments).
We will not have a quiz due this week; instead, we will focus
attention on the line of inquiry you plan to pursue in the
research paper and practice constructing academic rhetoric.
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Reading Response #5
Week 11
Scientific Rhetoric
11.3.14 –
11.9.14
Introduction to Scientific Rhetoric
READ: Enlightenment Rhetorics (Ch. 8)
Integrating Source Material in
Academic Arguments
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
Week 12
Scientific Rhetoric
ENGK 411—Fall 2014
11.10.14 –
11.16.14
Monday: Veteran’s Day
John Locke
READ: John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human
Understanding, Book III, Chapters IX and X (Bizzell &
Herzberg, pp. 817-827, pdf)
Organizing Academic Arguments
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
DUE (WEDNESDAY before Midnight): 5-page Draft of
Research Paper Posted to Discussion Board
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): TWO (2) peer reviews of 5age drafts, posted as comments in the Discussion Board
Week 13
11.17.14 –
11.23.14
Rhetoric as Power
READ: Contemporary Rhetoric III (Ch. 11)
READ: Michel Foucault, from The Archaeology of
Knowledge (pdf)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
DUE (SUNDAY before Midnight): Full Draft of Research
Paper posted to the Discussion Board
Week 14
Happy Thanksgiving
11.24.14 –
11.30.14
The Social Construction of Knowledge
Week 15
The university is officially closed for
Thanksgiving beginning on
Wednesday at noon.
Modern Rhetoric
12.1.14 –
12.7.14
Rhetoric of ‘Screens’ in the
Information Age
DUE (WEDNESDAY before Noon): TWO (2) peer reviews
of 5-age drafts, posted as comments in the Discussion Board
READ: Kathleen Welch, Electric Rhetoric (pdf)
WATCH: Annie Leonard, The Story of Stuff,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM (web link
also on Blackboard)
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Quiz
DUE (Sunday before Midnight): Research Paper
Week 16
Final Exam Week
12.8.14 –
12.11.14
Review for Exam
DUE (FRIDAY before Midnight): Exam #2
ENGK 411—Fall 2014
9.0
Technology Requirements
Since this course is ONLINE, all of our assignments will be submitted through Blackboard. If you are not
familiar with Blackboard (e.g., how to take a quiz, how to submit an assignment, how to use the Discussion
Board, etc.), then you are responsible for contacting the Blackboard Helpdesk for support (866-744-8900 or
helpdesk@tarleton.edu ).
10.0 Classroom Communication Policy
All questions or concerns should be sent to me via email. These emails should be professional (e.g., use a
proper and professional salutation, state the purpose of the email immediately, state the specific action you
would like taken, and end with a complimentary closing).
I will attempt to answer each email in a timely manner. However, if the email is sent after normal business
hours (9a-5p M-F), then I will not respond until the next business day. For example, if a request is made on
Friday after 5p, and that request is regarding a course that meets on Monday, then I will not respond to the
email before class. Please plan accordingly.
If I do not respond to your email through Blackboard within one (1) business day, please send another
message to my university account: ksmiles@ct.tamus.edu
11.0 Drop Policy
If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records Office and ask for the necessary
paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the responsibility of the student. The record’s
office will give a deadline for which the form must be returned, completely signed. Once you return the
signed form to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into Duck Trax and confirm that you are
no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, FOLLOW-UP with the records office immediately. You are to
attend class until the procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absence. Should you miss the deadline or
fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
12.0 Academic Honesty
Texas A&M University Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and
scholarly conduct. Students guilty of academic dishonestly will fail the course. The faculty member is
responsible for initiating action for each case of academic dishonestly. More information can be found at
www.ct.tamus.edu/StudentConduct.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work,
plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. The following website from Purdue University’s
Online Writing Lab provides an overview and definition of plagiarism; links from this site provide guidelines
for avoiding plagiarism. You should familiarize yourself with these definitions and practices.
Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/
13.0 Disability Services
If you have or believe you have a disability wish to self-identify, you can do so by providing documentation to
the Academic Support Programs Coordinator. Students are encouraged to seek information about
accommodations to help assure success in this class. Please contact the Office of Disability Support and
Access for more information: http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/disabilitysupport/index.php.
ENGK 411—Fall 2014
14.0 Library Services
INFORMATION LITERACY focuses on research skills that prepare individuals to live and work in an
information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the development of critical reasoning,
ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of secondary research techniques including: exploring
information resources such as library collections and services, Identify sources such as subject databases and
scholarly journals, executing effective search strategies, retrieving, recording, and citing relevant results
correctly, and interpreting search results and deciding whether to expand the search. Library Resources are
outlined and accessed through the web page. http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/library/warriorhall.php
15.0
Tutoring
Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on-campus and online. Subjects tutored include
Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (APA). Visit
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/academicsupport/tutor.php for more information.
Tutor.com is an online tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT students to log-in and receive FREE online
tutoring and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing, Career Writing, Chemistry,
Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. Chat live with a tutor 24/7 for any subject on your
computer. To access Tutor.com, click on www.tutor.com/tamuct.