Syllabus: ENC 1101: Writing and Rhetoric I
MWF 10:00 10:50 AM
Instructors: Ann­Renee Clark, Jason Ehlen, Darbee Hagarty, Joaquin Pedroso
Email: aclar006@fiu.edu, jehle001@fiu.edu, darbee.hagerty@gmail.com, jpedr002@fiu.edu
Office: SIPA 201
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 11 AM to 1 PM and by appointment
Telephone: 954­985­5743
Introduction:
Welcome to ENC 1101 ­ Writing and Rhetoric. In this course you will learn the basics
of college composition and practice skills that will help you more easily master the writing styles
that will be required for your future careers.
Please read this entire syllabus! This syllabus is a contract between students and
teachers. It will protect you and it will protect us. It provides an overview of the expectations
for this class, as well as what you can expect for your major assignments. It also includes our
contact information, textbook information for the course, and grading and course policies.
Please notice that it also contains a signature page at the end for you to sign, agreeing to the
terms and conditions of the class. We’re looking forward to a productive and creative semester,
so please read this syllabus carefully and make sure this is the right section of this course for
you.
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Learning Outcomes for this Course:
By the end of ENC 1101, students will
Respond in writing to various rhetorical purposes and address the needs of various audiences
Develop their ideas through a recursive process of writing, revision, and editing
Display appropriate format, structure and stylistic choices to meet audience needs and to satisfy
their rhetorical purpose
Develop an effective thesis and support it with reasons and evidence
Interact with complex texts, explore alternative perspectives, and articulate and support their
own perspective in response
Incorporate sourced materials into their own work through effective use of quotation, summary,
paraphrase and citation using MLA or other appropriate style manual
Exhibit appropriate syntax, punctuation, and spelling
Develop a rhetorical vocabulary for understanding and talking about writing.
Required Books and Technology Use:
Lunsford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Customized for
Florida International University.5th edition. 2013
Ramage, John, John Bean and June Johnson. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing. New
York: Customized for Florida International University. 5th edition. 2013.
Please note: This course will have a "Blackboard" online site to augment classroom instruction.
Please go to http://ecampus.fiu.edu/ for login instructions. Turnitin.com will also be used for this
course. Please be aware that Turnitin keeps all student work in its database.
Course Policies
Attendance:
FIU’s Writing Department policy is that students who are absent for more than 20% of
classes without documentation should automatically fail this course. Please don’t put us in the
situation where we're forced to fail you over something as simple as attendance. If you have a
medical emergency or documented illness, if you must be excused for a religious holiday, or of
you have a serious family emergency to which you must attend, please bring documentation for
your absence to the professors as soon as possible, so you may be excused as per University
policy. Undocumented absences will not be excused.
While regular attendance will not ensure a student’s success, it will definitely help
student understanding of course concepts and assignments. Additionally, this class is structured
as a workshop, which means that students will work collaboratively on critiquing each other’s
work. If you’re not present to work with your classmates, your loss will be felt, and your input
to their writing will be missed.
Personal Technology Devices:
The professors understand that in today’s world a plethora of electronic devices are
calling to us on a second by second basis, and that many students have to work and fulfill a
myriad of social and personal responsibilities. However, the use of electronic devices for
purposes other than class activities is unhelpful to the workshopping process, and may
negatively affect student grades by interfering with concept comprehension. Students should
feel free to use laptops and tablets to take class notes, read and work on drafts, and refer to
electronic copies of the textbooks, but students found engaging in non­class­related activities or
making noise with electronic devices may be asked to leave the class for the day. Please silence
your cell phones, and refrain from texting, browsing social media sites, or checking email during
the brief time we have to learn the concepts on which you'll be graded.
Plagiarism:
Students should review the FIU web page on plagiarism, and be aware of the
disciplinary sanctions resulting from academic misconduct (please see
http://www2.fiu.edu/~oabp/misconductweb/1acmisconductproc.htm) In order that there is no
confusion and that students fully understand exactly what plagiarism is and is not, class time will
be spent addressing various aspects of plagiarism and how to avoid it. Please feel free to ask
questions of the professors at any time if you have any doubts regarding what constitutes
plagiarism, and what qualifies as original work.
Late Work:
Due dates for all assignments will be listed on the online assignment sheets and
discussed in class. The assignments themselves are structured in such a way that you should
have already written much of the paper well ahead of the final due date, so there will not be
much room for leniency as far as extensions. Late papers will be penalized 5 points for every
day that the paper is late. For example, if you turn in a paper one day late and that paper would
have received a “92%” it would now receive an “87%.” Homework will NOT be accepted
late, but up to five homeworks will be dropped.
Assignments and Grading:
An assignment sheet will be posted on Blackboard at the beginning of each unit.
All papers for this course must be original work intended to address each individual assignment
and not work that was previously done for other courses. You are expected to write at least
three drafts for each assignment, with each draft showing significant improvement. You will
receive input from both the professors and your peers to help you with the revision process.
You must receive a grade of "C" or higher to pass your ENC 1101 and 1102
courses, so please pay careful attention to the expectations for the assignments as written
below and on the assignment sheets that will be posted on Blackboard.
Assignment
Minimum Words
Percent of Course Grade
Rhetorical Analysis
1200­1500
15%
Visual Analysis
1200­1500
20%
Synthesis Essay
1500­2000
25%
TBA
10%
Drafts
700
5%
Peer Review
N/A
10%
Homework Assignments
250
5%
Class Participation
N/A
10%
Timed­Writing Essay
Grade Scale:
A
94­100
A­
90­93
B+
87­89
B
84­86
B­
80­83
C+
77­79
C
73­76
C­
70­72
D+
67­69
D
63­66
D­
60­62
F
0­59
Grievance Procedures, and Student Rights and Responsibilities:
In our classroom we are cultivating an atmosphere of productive learning and mutual
respect. Your professors reserve the right to ask any student to leave the class for the day if that
student is disrupting the learning environment of the classroom.
Accordingly, students have the right to have their grievances heard. Please contact Dr.
Kimberly Harrison, Director of FIU's Writing Program, harrisok@fiu.edu or Associate
Directors Mike Creeden (creedenm@fiu.edu) or Robert Saba (sabar@fiu.edu) if you have
concerns that you feel you cannot discuss with the professors.
Please review the university’s statement of student rights and responsibilities for detailed
information on expectations for student conduct and a discussion of student rights ­
http://www2.fiu.edu/~jms/student_rights.htm
Agreement to the Syllabus: (to be detached and returned to your instructor)
I have read and fully understand the syllabus as written here. I also understand that this syllabus
is subject to change if circumstances require, and that I will be notified in advance of any
changes to the procedures in this syllabus. I agree to these terms and to the terms of this
syllabus.
________________________
___________________________ ___________
(Print Name)
(Signature)
(Date)
Rhetorical Analysis Unit Schedule
ENC 1101
Date
Topic for
Today
Class
Activities
Outcome
Assignments
for next class
Monday,
Jan 6, 2014
Welcome to
ENC 1101!
Discussion of
the Course and
the Syllabus
To understand
the course
format and
structure
Read Syllabus
and bring it back
signed; Read
Chap. 1 in Allyn
and Bacon
Wednesday,
Jan. 8, 2014
Writing,
Rhetoric, and
Style
Class
To understand
1­2 page
Discussion on
and
narrative
Writing; What
communicate
discussing your
is Rhetoric?
how you view relationship with
How do writers writing and who writing; Read
use style?
you are as a
The Everyday
writer
Writer on Style
Friday,
Jan. 10, 2014
Introduction of
Writing and
To understand
Choose your
the Essay
Group
the different
article for the
Assignment; Activities on the types of essays,
Rhetorical
Types of Essays; elements of
what makes a
Analysis Essay,
What makes a
good essays
good essay
and write
good
within these
paragraph
Closed­Form
types, and
explaining your
Essay?
expectations for choice; Read
your first essay Allyn and Bacon
assignment
pp.26­37
Monday,
Jan. 13, 2014
Audience,
Discussion of
Purpose, Genre; key concepts;
Angle of Vision; small group
“Wallowing in
activities
Complexity”
Wednesday,
Jan. 15, 2014
Logos, Ethos,
and Pathos
To understand
how writing
changes with
context
Write 1
paragraph
identifying
context in your
selected article;
Read Allyn and
Bacon, Chap 3
Discussion of Understand how One paragraph
rhetorical
to detect
identifying
appeals, with appeals to ethos,
appeals in
group analysis
pathos, and
Passages 1 and
of Presidential
speeches
Friday,
Jan. 17, 2014
Monday,
Jan. 20, 2014
Identifying
rhetorical
appeals
logos
2 (pp. 65­66) in
Allyn + Bacon
Class analysis
To practice
Outline or write
of models from
identifying
a paragraph
homework;
rhetorical
identifying the
discussion of appeals; further
rhetorical
questions about discussion of
appeals in the
the Rhetorical questions about
article you
Analysis
the Rhetorical selected for your
assignment
Analysis essay
essay project
project
Reading with
Class
and against the
discussion of
grain; Structural
topics, and
elements: unity, small group
cohesion,
activities with
transitions, and models from the
using new and
book
old information
To understand
the purpose and
techniques of
being a strong,
critical reader; to
understand
structure and
transition
Write 1 page
discussing your
selected article
with and against
the grain; Read
Allyn and
Bacon,
pp.431­436 on
Peer Review
Wednesday,
Jan. 22, 2014
What is Peer
Review and
Why is it
Important?
Discussion of To understand
Write a thesis
the peer review the peer review
statement for
process; the
process, and to
your rhetorical
class drafts
draft peer
analysis essay;
peer review
review questions Read Chap. 2 in
questions
for use through Allyn and Bacon
together
this unit
Friday,
Jan. 24, 2014
Thesis
Statements
Discussion of To understand
Update your
what makes a the elements of a thesis based on
good thesis
strong thesis
peer feedback;
statement;
statement
Write 1­2 pages
workshopping
of the analysis
thesis
portion of your
statements
essay
Monday,
Jan. 27, 2014
Analysis
Workshop
Class
To strengthen
discussion of
the draft of the
selected student analysis section
analyses; peer
of your essay
review of
project
analysis from
Write about
feedback; read
Allyn + Bacon
pp. 99­104 on
Summary,
paying close
the homework
Wednesday,
Jan. 29, 2014
attention to the
model essays
What constitutes Freewriting and To understand
Read “My
a good
class discussion the elements of a
Genome,
summary?
on summary; strong summary
Myself” and
small group
write a summary
activities
Friday,
Jan. 31, 2014
Workshopping
Summaries
Small Group
review of
student
summaries
Monday,
Feb. 3, 2014
Writing a Good Discussion of
Introduction;
Introductions
citations
and analyzing a
model; class
discussion of
citations
Wednesday,
Feb. 5, 2014
Putting it all
together ­ how
to structure the
essay
To strengthen
summary­
writing skills
Read Allyn and
Bacon pp.
42­26 and
Every­ day
Writer, MLA
section; play
“MLA Master
Blaster” Game
To understand
Write a 1 to 2
the elements of a page draft with
strong
title,
introduction; to
intro­duction
understand and and summary,
use MLA
including your
citations
thesis
Small group
To learn how to Begin working
activity on
organize and
on First FULL
structuring, and
structure a
draft of the
peer review of strong rhetorical
essay, with
the first part of analysis essay analysis section,
the essay
citations, and
conclusion
Friday,
Feb. 7, 2014
Conclusions and
Peer
To learn to craft Polished and
Revisions; Why workshopping
effective
complete First
Revise?
of conclusions; conclusions; to
Draft DUE
class discussion understand the
online by
on revision
importance (and midnight today
difficulties) of the
revision process
Monday,
Feb. 10, 2014
Conferences –
no class meeting
Go to the
To obtain
conference at feedback on the
your scheduled first draft from
Write second
draft of essay
with conference
time
the professor
revisions
To receive peer
feedback on the
second draft,
and move
forward with the
final draft of the
essay
Write a 1 page
reflective memo
on the revision
activity; write
final draft of
essay with peer
comments in
mind – bring a
printed copy to
next class
Wednesday,
Feb. 12, 2014
Peer Review ­
Second Draft
DUE Today
Peer Review
activity­
“Hotspotting”
Friday,
Feb. 14, 2014
Mechanics and
Grammar
workshop;
Assessment of
the Unit
In class, we’ll To discuss the FINAL DRAFT
reflect on the
Rhetorical
DUE!
Essay and
Analysis Unit
Post online by
workshop
and resolve final midnight tonight.
mechanical
mechanical
errors
issues
Rhetorical Analysis Unit: Daily Plans
ENC 1101
Week 1: Writing and Rhetoric Introduction
Key Concepts: About the Class/Discuss the Syllabus; Talk about Writing; Style;
closed form to open form essays
Monday, January 6: Welcome to ENC 1101! Discussion of the course and the syllabus.
“Freewrite” in class about what you think writing is, and discussion of writing as a class. Read
the syllabus tonight, and bring the last page back on Wednesday, signed. Read Chap. 1 in
Allyn and Bacon.
Wednesday, January 8: Class discussion on writing, rhetoric and style; freewrite to focus
thoughts and discussion: How have you used writing in the past? What does “style” in writing
mean to you? After discussion, break into small groups and answer the prompt ­ “What is
rhetoric? How would you explain this to a friend who missed class today?” Class discussion
then centers on a working definition of rhetoric. Homework ­ Who are you as a Writer? (Views
on writing, what you want to change or learn in this class, etc.) 1 to 2 pages; look at The
Everyday Writer section on Style. Think about your style choices on this first writing
assignment, and how you can make deliberate stylistic choices to enhance your writing.
Friday, January 10: Class discussion of the Rhetorical Analysis assignment (projected
overhead); “How would you explain this to a friend” Free­write on the continuum of closed to
open form essays, followed by class discussion; small group Brainstorming ­ what are the
elements of a good closed form essay? As a group, make an idea map (example on page 32 of
Allyn and Bacon.) Homework ­ Review the essays from the assignment sheet and select the
article you want to work with. Post your choice on Blackboard, with a brief description
justifying your choice (about a paragraph.) Read pages 26­37 in Allyn and Bacon.
Week 2: Rhetorical Analysis
Key Concepts: Audience, Purpose, and Genre; Ethos, Pathos, and Logos; Wallowing
in Complexity, angle of vision
Monday, January 13: Audience, Purpose, and Genre class discussion. “How would you
explain this to a friend?” questions in small groups ­ How can you determine a writer’s purpose
from their writing? How do you determine angle of vision? Why does genre matter? Should you
write differently for different audiences? What does “wallowing in complexity” mean to you? ­
followed by class discussion of the terms and topics. Homework ­ Identify the audience,
purpose, and genre of your selected article for the essay project. Write about 1 paragraph
identifying these aspects of the article (post on Blackboard.) Read Chap. 3 in Allyn and Bacon.
Wednesday, January 15:Class discussion of logos, pathos, and ethos; small group analysis of
Presidential speeches (video to be shown in class) ­
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqCquDl4k4 and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd_HIXu79jY ; Homework­ analyze passages 1 and 2 on
pages 65­66 for appeals to logos, pathos, ethos. Write at least one paragraph, identifying main
instances of rhetorical appeals and bring to class for discussion.
Friday, January 17: Models analysis (from pages 65­66) and class discussion of findings from
homework ­ dissection of selected essays for appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. Class
discussion of questions about the Rhetorical Analysis assignment. Students may also write
down questions and submit them at the end of class. Homework ­ Outline main rhetorical
appeals you identify in your selected article for the essay project. Read Chap. 5 in Allyn and
Bacon.
Week 3: Writing Strong Essays
Key Concepts: Reading with and against the grain; topic sentences, unity, cohesion,
new and old information; forecasting, thesis; the review process
Monday, January 20: Class discussion of this week’s concepts (above), focusing on reading
with and against the grain; small group analysis of model on page 111 in Allyn and Bacon,
Chap. 5, followed by class discussion of findings concerning reading with and against the grain.
(Time permitting) model’s analysis of (anonymous) student writing on overhead projector to
workshop unity, cohesion, and transition. Homework ­ Refer back to your selected article for
the essay assignment. Write about one page in which you tell your reader the article’s argument
and the support for it (read with the grain), and then read it against the grain and discuss. Pay
careful attention to your transitions, unity, and cohesion. Read Allyn and Bacon, pp.431­436 on
Peer Review to prepare for next class and for thesis workshop on Friday.
Wednesday, January 22: Class discussion of the peer review process ­ what’s expected
from you and why? Brainstorming peer review questions (for the essay itself, and for the thesis
workshop next class) ­ small groups, followed by class discussion. [Prompts to generate
thoughts and questions: What are the elements of a strong thesis for a rhetorical analysis? How
do you evaluate the rhetorical context (audience, genre, purpose) for a text? What is your own
rhetorical context for this essay? How should this essay be structured? What does it mean to
analyze a text? How do you know when a writer is using a rhetorical appeal? What’s the
difference between ethos and an appeal to ethos?]
Homework: Write a thesis statement for your rhetorical analysis essay and post it to
Blackboard. Read Chap. 2 in Allyn and Bacon.
Friday, January 24: Class discussion and models analysis of class thesis statements (projected
overhead); two­person peer workshopping of your thesis statements. (Is the thesis arguable and
how would you argue it?; Answer the following questions: Is the thesis clear? Is it concise?
Does it make a claim? Does it discuss rhetorical appeals and speak to the effectiveness of the
original essay? Does it read the original text both with and against the grain? Does it forecast?)
Homework ­ How can you strengthen the thesis that you created? Post your “final” draft of
your thesis. Next, try writing the rhetorical analysis portion of your essay project (1­2 pages.)
Post this on BB and bring it in for workshopping on Monday.
Week 4: Analyzing, and Writing Good Summaries
Key Concepts: summary, attributive tags
Monday, January 27: Models analysis of one or two posted analyses, as a class. Break into
small groups for the remainder of the class period and workshop each other’s analyses. Does
the analysis address the three rhetorical appeals? Does it address audience, purpose, and
genre? Does it focus on the rhetoric in the essay, and NOT the issue? What are the strengths of
the analysis, and what can you suggest to make it stronger? Homework ­ Write a short (1­2
paragraph) discussion of the feedback you received from your peers on your analysis. What
advise was helpful? What will you change in your analysis based on peer review? What wasn’t
helpful for you? Post to Blackboard. Review Allyn and Bacon pp. 99­104 on Summary for
next class, paying particular attention to the model essays.
Wednesday, January 29: Freewrite: What aspects of summary writing are difficult for you?
What tactics do you think that you can use to overcome those difficulties? Class discussion of
Summaries, attributive tags, and what elements make a good summary; Small group activity on
judging the effectiveness of example summaries from Allyn and Bacon pg. 101. Groups will also
be given a newspaper article (instructor’s choice) and have to summarize the article in 15 words
then present their summary to the class. Homework: Read “My Genome, Myself” by Steven
Pinker and write a summary.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/magazine/11Genome­t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
Friday, January 31: Summary Workshop ­ For class you read, “My Genome, Myself” by
Steven Pinker, and wrote a summary. In class today, meet in small groups to compare and
discuss these summaries. After this, write a reflection on the difference between your summary
and the other summaries from the members of your group. What were some strengths of your
peer’s summaries and how can you adapt their strategies for your own use? What were some
of the weaknesses of their summaries, and how did you help them strengthen their writing
today? What did you learn from helping them strengthen their summaries? Homework ­ read
42­46 Allyn and Bacon and The Everyday Writer section on MLA citation, and play the
“MLA Master Blaster” quiz game at http://library.williams.edu/citing/game/ (Challenge yourself
to play until you get a perfect score!)
Week 5: Composing and Revising Closed form Prose
Key Concepts: the importance of titles and introductions; MLA citation style; the
writing process, structuring a rhetorical analysis essay
Monday, February 3: Freewriting: What is the purpose of an introduction in closed form
prose? Class discussion on key concepts including the importance of citations and the purpose
of a good title, followed by small group activity: Groups will do exercise from page 46 of Allyn
and Bacon. Homework ­ write the beginning of your essay, complete with Title, Introduction,
Thesis, and Summary, 1­2 pages
Wednesday, February 5: Freewriting: What was your writing process for the first past of the
Rhetorical Analysis essay? Discussion on student’s process, and how to bring all of the
elements of the Rhetorical Analysis essay together (structuring – paying special attention to how
to incorporate reading with and against the grain into their analysis.) Students then do a Tree
Diagram of the expected structure of their Rhetorical Analysis essay (about 5­10 minutes,
example on page 449 of Allyn and Bacon.) Switch diagrams and drafts from homework with a
partner, reading both and offering suggestions on both content of the essay so far and intended
structure of the essay. Homework ­ write the first full draft of the essay, and bring the
conclusion on Friday.
Friday, February 7: Freewrite warm­up: What insights, questions, or frustrations do you have
about the essay project so far? What sections do your think are your strongest, and what do
you still need to work on? As a class, brainstorming on what makes a good conclusion, Break
into pairs and do a short peer review of the conclusion part of the essay. This will be followed
by a class discussion on revision, questions, etc.
Homework ­ full, polished first draft due by midnight today.
Week 6: Revision
Key Concepts: revision, conferencing
Monday, February 10: Conferences­ Meet with your instructor on your assigned date to
discuss your first draft, the progress on your paper so far, and any questions you may have.
Homework ­ revise your draft based on the feedback that you received in your conference
today. Post to Blackboard by next class meeting, and bring a copy of the second draft to
workshop on Wednesday. For your posted draft, include a 1 page reflective memo on how you
used your conference feedback to strengthen your draft.
Wednesday, February 12: Peer Review Classroom activity ­ Hotspotting. Students will trade
papers and read through the drafts that have been brought to class. Each student will highlight or
mark in some way parts of the draft they feel are strong or “hotspots” of the draft. They will
mark at least three “hotspots.” The students will hand their papers back to each other and pick
their favorite of the “hotspots” that their peer has marked. Then that student will start on a new
sheet of paper, placing the isolated idea at the top and freewriting with that as the paragraph
opener. The goal here is to improve upon at least one idea for the final draft and bring invention
into the revision process. Students should be placed in pairs and be given around 6­8 minutes to
read the drafts and then 10­15 minutes to write. Homework ­ revise for your final draft based
on your peers’ input, exploring the “hotspot” you choose to expand. Do not post your final draft
yet. Instead, write a 1 page reflective memo on what your “hotspots” were, which one you
choose to develop and why. Also, write a few sentences about whether this activity was helpful
for you.
Friday, February 14: Class assessment of the unit. Bring a printed copy of your essay. There
will be an in class grammar and mechanics workshop and an in class exercise in line editing.
Students will exchange papers and search for selected grammar mistakes. If time allows,
discussion the essay unit as a whole ­ What activities worked for you and why? What activities
didn’t help you? What do you still need to work on? Homework ­ post your final essay on
Blackboard by midnight tonight. Include a reflective memo on the writing process for you, what
feedback helped you improve your essay the most, what activities were most useful for helping
you write this essay.
Rhetorical Analysis Assignment Sheet
Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to persuade your audience of your evaluation of the
rhetorical effectiveness of a selected essay. In order to do this you will have to carefully read
and successfully summarize a text, and then analyze its rhetorical effectiveness from the
perspective of the intended audience. You will establish an argument (thesis) that speaks to the
writer's effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) in the use of rhetorical appeals (logos, ethos, and
pathos) and other rhetorical strategies that persuade (or fail to persuade) a reader in favor of the
writer's argument.
Audience:
Your audience for this assignment is a peer reader who may disagree with your thesis.
This means that you are writing for a general college reader who may not have read the text
you're analyzing (which is why a good summary is so important!) You also need to assess the
audience of the original essay. Who was the writer trying to reach with this text? This is
extremely important because effectiveness is dependent on the intended audience NOT on what
you think about the essay.
Project Outcomes:
At the end of the unit, students should
● Demonstrate familiarity with/understanding of rhetorical concepts including rhetorical situation,
rhetorical purpose/aim, audience, rhetorical appeals, genre, angle of vision; reading against the
grain
● Recognize the rhetorical strategies and stylistic choices made by experienced communicators
● Read and summarize another writer's argument succinctly
● Articulate a clear perspective on the way the assigned text works rhetorically
● Purposefully incorporate quotations, summary, and paraphrase using attributive tags, quotation
marks, and appropriate citation style
● Employ revision and editing strategies appropriate to the audience and purpose
Description:
You are to write a thesis­driven analysis of a text (selected from the topics below) that
addresses the rhetorical effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of that text, the rhetorical appeals
(logos, ethos, and pathos) used by the writer, and any additional rhetorical strategies that the
writer employs to attempt to persuade the reader. Your analysis should include a concise
summary of the original text (no more than 200 words) and an analysis that supports your thesis
and addresses the rhetorical context (audience, genre, and purpose) of the original text. Your
final essay should be between 1200 and 1500 words in length, double or 1.5 spacing, an in
Times New Roman 12 font (or Arial 10 font.)
Due Dates:
First Draft will be due and ready for conferencing on Friday, February 7, 2014
Second Draft will be due and ready for peer review on Wed., February 12, 2014
Final Draft will be due on Friday, February 14, 2014
Topics: (full copies of these essays are posted on Blackboard)
1. “The Crazy State of Psychiatry” by Marcia Angell
2. “We are Raising a Generation of Deluded Narcissists” by Keith Ablow
3. "Confessions of a Female Chauvinist Sow" by Anne Roiphe
4. “Poverty in America is Mainstream” by Mark K. Rank
5. “The Business of Business is More than Business” by Laura Tyson
6. “The De­Americanization of Asia” by Frank Ching
7. “Ignoring the Ignorant” by Henry I. Miller
8. “The Good Short Life” by Dudley Clendinen
Rhetorical Analysis Essay ­ Scoring Guide:
Expectations
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Weak
Thesis (15%)
Excellent 14­15
Good 11­13
Satisfactory 7­10
Weak 0­6
Has a clearly
stated
arguable thesis
that contains
tension
Contains an
arguable thesis
that lacks
tension.
Contains a thesis,
but the thesis
lacks tension and
isn’t clearly
stated.
Has no thesis or
a thesis that is
not arguable and
lacks tension.
Summary (15%)
Excellent 14­15
Good 11­13
Satisfactory 7­10
Weak 0­6
Objectively
summarizes
and presents
the major
arguments of
the essay
being
evaluated
Objectively
summarizes the
arguments but
misses some
aspects of the
writer’s
argument
Summarizes the No Summary
arguments but
doesn’t
summarize well or
summarizes in a
biased manner.
Rhetorical
Situation (15%)
Excellent 14­15
Good 11­13
Satisfactory 7­10
Weak 0­6
Clearly
identifies the
essay’s
audience,
purpose, and
genre
Identifies most
of the aspects
of the
rhetorical
situation.
Identifies some
aspects of
rhetorical
situation.
No identification
of rhetorical
analysis
Argument &
Appeals (15%)
Excellent 14­15
Good 11­13
Satisfactory 7­10
Weak 0­6
Identifies and
analyzes the
rhetorical
effectiveness
at least 2 of
each of the
following
methods of
argument:
reason,
credibility, and
emotion
Does the vast
majority of
what
constitutes an
excellent rating
but not all of it.
Identifies and
evaluates at least
1 of each of the
methods of
argument or
appeal.
Doesn’t identify
specific
examples of
reason,
credibility and
emotion.
Language &
Style (15%)
Excellent 14­15
Evaluates to
what extent
the writer’s
Evaluates to
The evaluation of Doesn’t evaluate
what extent the language and style language and
writer’s
lacks precision or style.
Good 11­13
language and
Satisfactory 7­10 style work to
Weak 0­6
persuade the
audience
language and
style work to
persuade the
audience but
the evaluation
lacks clarity or
depth.
doesn’t explain
how the language
and style works
to persuade the
audience.
Process (10%)
Excellent 10
Good 8­9
Satisfactory 6­7
Weak 0­5
Participated in
all aspects of
the writing
process: peer
reviews,
conferences,
and drafts.
Participated in
most of the
writing process
activities.
Participated in
less than half of
the writing
process activities.
Sourcing (5%)
Excellent 5
Good 3­4
Satisfactory 2
Weak 1
Effectively
incorporates
quotations
from outside
sources using
attributive
tags, quotation
marks and
MLA citation
style.
Uses
quotations but
quotations
contain errors
in style or
aren’t properly
introduced or
implemented.
Use of quotations No quotations
is ineffective due or paraphrases.
to errors in
citation style or
due to errors in
implementation.
Mechanics
(10%)
Excellent 10
Good 8­9
Satisfactory 6­7
Weak 0­5
Adheres to
fundamental
grammar rules
regarding
usage and
spelling
Follows most Some grammar
grammar rules usage and spelling
and
issues.
conventional
spellings.
Thesis Statement Workshopping Activity
ENC 1101
Purpose:
Participated in
none of the
writing process
activities.
Repeated
grammar usage
and spelling
issues.
To receive peer feedback on the thesis statement for a Rhetorical Analysis essay. This
exercise also allows students to practice providing helpful feedback for a classmate, generating
ideas that can be used to improve both student's arguments.
Description:
In groups of two, students will review each other's thesis statement for a Rhetorical
Analysis essay. Students should have previously written a brief thesis statement and have a
copy ready to be reviewed by a classmate. Students are to answer, on paper, questions about
their classmate's thesis statement, and provide helpful suggestions both on paper and through
discussion with their classmate.
Suggested Time:
About 20 minutes in total. Take no more than 8 to 10 minutes answering the questions
below. Spend at least 5 minutes discussing each thesis.
Procedure:
You were asked to bring a paper copy of your thesis statement for your Rhetorical
Analysis essay in order to "workshop" it in class today. Get into groups of two and exchange
thesis statements with a classmate. Review your classmate's thesis statement, answering the
numbered questions below, and taking any additional notes that you need or want to on their
thesis. Once you've completed your written feedback, discuss your answers and suggestions
with your classmate. When both of you have discussed both theses, exchange papers so that
your classmate has the suggestions that you have written for him or her.
1. What is the argument that the writer (your classmate) intends to make in the essay? How can
the thesis be made more clear and concise?
2. Does the thesis make a claim? Is that claim arguable? What suggestions could you make for
refining the thesis further to make it more arguable?
3. Does the thesis discuss rhetorical appeals or use any other rhetorical strategies? What
suggestions can you make for additional rhetorical strategies for this thesis?
4. Does the thesis read the original text with or against the grain? How can the thesis be made to
suggest readings both with and against the grain?
5. What else can the writer add to (or remove from) this thesis statement to improve it further?
(Examples: Does the thesis statement itself follow a logical arrangement of ideas or are ideas out
of logical order? Is the thesis a run­on sentence, and if so, how can it be changed?)
Additional Notes for Instructor:
(Notes for instructors: this exercise can be modified for use with larger workshopping groups.
Add an additional 10 to 15 minutes per student, and instruct the students to complete all written
evaluations first before any discussion is done. Each student will need one set of questions per
classmate reviewed. A three­student group for example can be expected to take about 15
minutes total to address the questions for each classmate, and between 15 and 20 minutes for
discussion of all three thesis statements. Each student would need two copies of the questions
(Number of students in the group minus one.
Analyzing Rhetorical Appeals
ENC 1101
Purpose: To be able to correctly identify appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos in a text.
Description: The instructor will present students with short video clips of famous presidential
speeches given in similar contexts. The instructor will ask students to write down instances of
specific appeals to either logos, pathos, and ethos and why they thought these instances
constituted such an appeal. Students are to prepare to justify why they interpreted the specific
appeal as they did and offer possible reasons for such a strategy.
Suggested Time: Total time for this exercise is about 20 minutes. The showing of videos
should take no more than 5 minutes (only selections should be played, not the videos in their
entirety.) Writing and discussion should take no more than 15 minutes.
Procedure: Students are asked to first take out a sheet of paper and prepare to identify the
rhetorical appeals we discussed in class. The instructor will first show one clip and ask students
to identify what rhetorical appeals are at work, how they are at work, and speculations as to
why. The class will discuss their findings. The instructor will then show a second clip (a
different speech given in the same context) and repeat the process.
Additional Notes for Instructor:
This exercise can also be done as a small group activity. Have students break into
groups of three, with each student taking notes. The instructor can then show part of one video
clip, giving the groups about 5 to 10 minutes to discuss their notes together after the clip. The
instructor would then show part of the second clip, giving another 5 to 10 minutes for groups to
discuss it. Class discussion after would then involve asking the groups what consensus they
came to concerning the use of the appeals in these speeches. Instructors may use their own
video clips, or the following selections:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqCquDl4k4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd_HIXu79jY Hotspotting
“Good stories are not written, they are rewritten.”
­Phyllis Whitney
Purpose: To receive peer feedback on a draft that you’ve written, with feedback focusing on
the development of interesting or provocative ideas that need further exploration. This activity
will also provide you with the opportunity to explore these ideas further through freewriting.
Description: Revision is a way to learn about the craft of writing. Revision activities help you to
reflect on what you’ve written, distance yourself from the page and critically evaluate what you
have in front of you ­ whether it’s your own work or that of a peer writer. This activity will allow
you to expand upon underdeveloped but engaging ideas in your own drafts, recognize such
ideas in peer writing (helping you learn to recognize such ideas in your own work), and allow
you some time and freedom to explore ideas in a location other than in your essay draft. Once
you’ve thought through an idea, you can bring it into your essay draft clearly and concisely.
Suggested Time: The total time for this exercise is about 30 minutes. Peer Review/Hotspotting
time: about 10 minutes. Writing time: 20 minutes.
Procedure:
1. Choose a draft you’d like to work on/revise
2. Trade drafts with a peer/partner
3. Read your peer’s draft and mark (underline, highlight, star, etc.) places where you think an
idea is working well. It could be a sentence that expresses a thought­provoking idea, a strong or
startling image, or a place that could be explored in more detail. These places are “hotspots” of
the draft.
4. Try to find three or four hotspots in your peer’s draft, mark these hotspots and then hand it
back to your partner.
5. Once you have your own paper back, copy your favorite of the hotspots that your partner
picked out onto a clean sheet of paper and write, using the hotspot as a new first sentence (or
paragraph). The goal here is to expand on what you already have, don’t worry if your writing
leads you in a new direction.
Additional Notes for Students: Ultimately, it’s the decision of the writer of the draft if s/he
wants to work the newly developed concept from this exercise into the next draft of the essay.
If, after exploring the concept, you don’t feel that it adds to your essay then you don’t have to
include it in your next draft. However, your partner in this exercise chose to bring your attention
to those hotspots for a reason. It’s up to you, the writer, to think about your intended audience
for your work and to remember that an idea that seems clear to you may seem underdeveloped
to your reader. Feedback is a powerful tool for any writer, so consider carefully how you use
it!