Cincinnati Christian University
Foster School of Biblical Studies, Arts & Sciences
ENGL 111 02 COLLEGE ENGLISH 2 (Section 2)
Professor: Brian Derico
Phone: 244.8147
3 Semester Credit Hours
Semester: Fall 2013
E-mail: brian.derico@ccuniversity.edu
Meeting Times: TH 1:30 – 2:45
Course Description
ENGL 111 is a companion course to ENGL 110 covering additional patterns of development and writing
situations. A major research project forms a part of the requirements. Also, attention is given to literary analysis.
Prerequisite: ENGL 110 or its equivalent.
Course Rationale
It is the purpose of this course to equip students with the rhetorical orientation, knowledge, and skills required
to create and analyze persuasive texts in a variety contexts.
Course Objectives
Students who satisfactorily complete this course should be able to do the following:
1.
2.
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Analyze a rhetorical situation and respond to it with a persuasive text;
Demonstrate thoughtfulness about their writing process;
Integrate contextually credible research into a persuasive text;
Offer thoughtful analysis of texts written for various rhetorical purposes.
Course Texts
Purdue OWL (various pages)
“Backpacks vs. Briefcases,” Laura Bolin Carroll (Web/Google Drive)
“Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources,” Karen Rosenberg (Web/Google Drive)
“The Outcasts of Poker Flat,” Bret Harte (Google Drive)
They Say, I Say by Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst, Second Edition
“The Real Bluff of John Oakhurst,” Jeff Tweedy (Google Drive)
“Annoying Ways People Use Sources,” Kyle D. Stedman (Web/Google Drive)
“Walk, Talk, Cook, Eat: A Guide to Using Sources,” Cynthia R. Haller (Web/Google Drive)
“Googlepedia,” Randall McClure (Web/Google Drive)
“Beyond Black on White,” Michael J. Klein and Kristi L. Shackelford (Web/Google Drive)
“Navigating Genres,” Kerry Dirk (Web/Google Drive)
“Reflective Writing,” Sandra Giles (Web/Google Drive)
“I Need You to Say I,” Kate McKinney Maddalena (Web/Google Drive)
Assignments
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Persuasive Essay about Literature & Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation (10%)
Persuasive Essay with Sources & Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation (10%)
Persuasive Essay with Division and Classification & Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation (10%)
Persuasive Essay with Cause and Effect & Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation (10%)
Article Analyses (9) (40%)
Exam (10%)
Class Participation (10%)
Course Policies
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Work submitted late that reflects a satisfactory effort will receive 60% credit and may not be revised.
Initial drafts that do not reflect a satisfactory effort will receive 60% and may not be revised.
You will receive credit for the following assignments in the context of a scheduled conference outside of
the regular meetings of our course: Persuasive Essay about Literature, Persuasive Essay with Sources,
Article Analysis One, Article Analysis Two. Conferences for these assignments must occur within three
weeks of the assignment’s due date.
If you choose to revise an assignment that is eligible for revision you must schedule the revision meeting
to occur within three weeks of the assignment’s due date.
Revisions must be accompanied by a revision explanation (described below). Revisions won’t receive
less credit than an earlier draft, but they won’t necessarily receive more. Revisions that do not reflect
satisfactory effort will not receive credit for further revision.
Students enrolled in this course must read and respond in a timely manner to email from the professor or
his Graduate Assistant.
All written assignments must be shared with me in Google Drive under file names that conform to the
pattern described in the File Name Format section of this syllabus.
The attendance regulations listed in the CCU catalog apply to this course.
If you do not understand an assignment or section of class discussion, it is your responsibility to ask for
clarification either during a class session or in private consultation with the professor.
You must maintain scrupulous academic integrity. The CCU Policy on Academic Integrity will be our
guide on occasions of academic dishonesty.
I reserve the right to amend the above policies for individual circumstances. It is always your
responsibility to apprise me of extenuating circumstances.
If you require academic accommodations due to any documented physical, psychological, or learning
disability you should request assistance from the Academic Support Director within the first two weeks
of class. The Academic Support Office is located in the Lower Level of the Worship and Ministry
Building (room 153). You may also contact the office by phone (244-8420).
Office Hours
Stop by during the posted hours to reach me by chance. Please make an appointment via e-mail if your need is
urgent or if the posted hours do not coincide with your availability.
Monday: 9:30-11:00
Tuesday: 9:30-10:00
Wednesday: 9:30-11:00
Thursday: 9:30-10:00
Friday: 9:30-12:00
Course Agenda
All dates are approximate and subject to change without notice.
August
27
29
September
03
05
Syllabus
Purdue OWL
Purdue OWL
Google Drive
“Reading Games,” Rosenberg
Google Drive
Due: Article Analysis Two
Introducing the Persuasive Essay about Literature Assignment
“Writing about Fiction” (All Sections)
Purdue OWL
“Writing about Literature” (All Sections)
Purdue OWL
“MLA Formatting Quotations”
Purdue OWL
“Integrating Quotations into Sentences”
Google Drive
10
12
“Outcasts of Poker Flat,” Harte
“Outcasts of Poker Flat,” Harte
Google Drive
Google Drive
17
They Say, I Say
Introduction-Chapter 3
Peer Review
Due: Persuasive Essay about Literature Draft
“MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics”
“MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format”
“Avoiding Plagiarism” (All Sections)
Purdue OWL
Purdue OWL
Purdue OWL
19
24
26
October
Introduction to College English Two
“Article Analyses”
Rhetorical Analysis
“The Rhetorical Situation” (All Sections)
“MLA Formatting and Style Guide”
“Backpacks vs. Briefcases”
Due: Article Analysis One
01
03
08
“The Real Bluff of John Oakhurst,” Tweedy
Due: Persuasive Essay about Literature
Taking Essay Exams
“Writing Essays for Exams”
Google Drive
“Annoying Ways People Use Sources,” Stedman
Due: Article Analysis Three
FALL RECESS
Google Drive
Purdue Owl
Introducing the Persuasive Essay with Sources Assignment
“Walk, Talk, Cook, Eat,” Haller
Google Drive
Due: Article Analysis Four
“MLA Sample Works Cited Page”
Purdue OWL
“MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web)
Purdue OWL
10
15
17
Purdue OWL
Rhetorical Practice
Introducing the Persuasive Essay with Division and Classification Assignment
Due: Persuasive Essay with Sources
29
They Say, I Say
Chapters 6-7
Peer Review
Due: Persuasive Essay with Division and Classification Draft
05
07
12
14
19
21
December
They Say, I Say
Chapters 4-5
Peer Review
Due: Persuasive Essay with Sources Draft
“Evaluating Sources of Information” (All Sections)
Google Drive
22
24
31
November
Library Presentation
“Googlepedia,” McClure
Due: Article Analysis Five
“Beyond Black on White,” Klein and Shackelford
Due: Article Analysis Six
“Navigating Genres,” Dirk
Due: Article Analysis Seven
Peer Review
Due: Persuasive Essay with Cause and Effect Draft
“Reflective Writing,” Sandra Giles
Due: Article Analysis Eight
THANKSGIVING RECESS
THANKSGIVING RECESS
03
Exam Review
Due: Persuasive Essay with Cause and Effect
They Say, I Say
Chapters 10-12
10
12
Google Drive
Introducing the Persuasive Essay with Cause and Effect Assignment
Due: Persuasive Essay with Division and Classification
They Say, I Say
Chapters 8-9
26
28
05
Google Drive
“I Need You to Say I,” Maddalena
Due: Article Analysis Nine
Exam Review
Google Drive
Google Drive
Assignments
The following assignment descriptions will be supplemented by class discussion and assigned reading. The
student is responsible for completing each assignment in a fashion that reflects familiarity with lectures and
assigned readings.
File Name Format
When you save your documents please name the file using the following pattern: your name, assignment
description, draft number.
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Example: student name, persuasive essay about literature, draft one
Example: student name, persuasive essay about literature, revision
Example: student name, article analysis one, draft one
Example: student name, article analysis one, revision
Class Participation
Operative Theory of Learning:
The design of this course is premised on the theory that learning occurs when individuals and communities
encounter ideas and then bring those ideas into productive contact with the knowledge systems that govern
human behavior (rhetorical, agricultural, historical, sociological, psychological, philosophical, political,
economic, artistic, religious, scientific, etc.). Productive contact is reflective, collaborative, and oriented toward
action. It requires that participants work together to understand how new ideas disrupt or reify existing
knowledge systems--and it must lead to strategic action.
Consequent to this theory of learning is the requirement that students actively participate in this course in the
following ways:
● Attend class regularly (arrive on-time and remain for entire meeting);
● Arrive to class prepared to participate in class activities (complete writing assignments on time; read
assigned texts; plan ways to contribute to production of knowledge during course meetings);
● Actively participate in class activities (participate in class discussions; do not use phones, computers,
tablets, etc. for purposes not explicitly related to the objectives of this course; do not use class meeting
as opportunity to complete work unrelated to this course).
Class Participation Grading Breakdown:
Pass: 10%
Fail: 0%
Peer Review
Peer-review serves a number of valuable purposes. Peer review:
● motivates recursive writing;
● underscores the collaborative nature of writing;
● gives students an opportunity to thoughtfully engage in rhetorical analysis.
Reading
Reading assignments listed in the course syllabus are an important component of this course. Information
available in reading assignments may be supplemented by discussions during class meetings. No specific credit
will be assigned to completion of reading assignments, but a student’s ability to perform well on written
assignments and the essay exam will require familiarity with assigned portions of course texts.
Essay Exam
The exam will be offered during exam week and will require familiarity with class discussion, and the assigned
readings.
Extra Credit
I do not offer extra credit because it is a disincentive for students to consistently pursue excellence and because
there are sufficient opportunities to earn credit built into the course.
Conferences
You will receive credit for the following assignments in the context of a scheduled conference: Persuasive
Essay about Literature, Persuasive Essay with Sources, Article Analysis One, Article Analysis Two.
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Please schedule a meeting using the Google Doc created for that purpose;
Conferences are scheduled for times outside of the regular meetings of our course;
Arrive to a conference prepared to participate in a dialogue about your essay;
Please plan to discuss only one assignment at an appointment;
Please make available in Google Drive a version of the draft you plan to discuss at least 24 hours before
your meeting;
Please list your name and the subject of our meeting when you schedule a meeting;
Please read your work before your meeting and arrive prepared to participate in a dialogue about your
work;
Please take notes during your meeting;
Make only one appointment for a given day;
Do not add appointment times to the published schedule;
Please cancel a scheduled meeting as soon as you discover you will not be able to attend it;
Please let me know if the appointments listed in this document do not coincide with your availability.
Revisions
Revision is a necessary part of everyone’s writing process. Revision can be motivated by and reflect
developments in your understanding of the rhetorical context of your text, comments made by readers, further
research and inquiry, and further consideration of your persuasive ambitions. You may revise the following
assignments after an initial draft has been assigned a grade in the context of a conference: Persuasive Essay
about Literature, Persuasive Essay with Sources, the first two Article Analyses. These revision opportunities are
for the purpose of helping you to introduce revision into your typical writing process.
Revision Explanations
You may not meet to discuss a revision unless it is accompanied by a revision explanation. Revision
explanations must offer a thorough explanation of the revised draft you are submitting. Specifically, what is
different from the previous draft and what considerations motivated these changes. If you chose not to make a
specific recommended revision you should also offer an explanation of that decision. Your revision explanation
should appear at the top of your revised draft.
Article Analyses
You must schedule meetings to receive credit for Article Analyses One (“Backpacks vs. Breifcases,” by Laura
Bolin Carroll) and Article Analysis Two (“Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources,” by
Karen Rosenberg). You will receive credit for the remaining Article Analyses without scheduling meetings and
without opportunity for revision.
Purpose
Article Analyses give you a method for reading journal articles that emphasizes their rhetorical nature, a method
for taking notes that facilitate your engagement in class discussions, and potential material for integration into
other writing assignments. The Article Analysis assignment is also an opportunity to develop your ability to
paraphrase, summarize, and conform to MLA style. Article Analyses should display thoughtful, meaningful,
and complex interactions with the assigned readings.
Procedure
In order to develop usable insights into the assigned readings, you will need to strip away all unnecessary
information and develop a sharp focus on four components of each article:
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Description of the Problem
Description of the Solution
Assessment of the Solution (optional)
Description of a Key Term/Concept
Problem Descriptions
Problem Descriptions should describe the problem that motivated the author to write the article. In addition to
describing the problem, you should indicate why this particular issue is problematic for the scholar’s audience.
Do not describe your problems with the article or problems you think readers have when reading it. Do not
quote directly, but do provide page numbers for paraphrases and summaries in parenthetical citations. Problem
descriptions should comprise between 25 and 75 words.
Description of the Solution
Descriptions of the Solution should identify and describe how the author attempts to address the problem that
motivates the article. Again, do not quote directly, but do provide page numbers for paraphrases and summaries
in parenthetical citations. Your Description of the Solution should comprise between 50 and 150 words.
Assessment of the Solution (optional)
Assessments of the Solution should make a compelling case for your assessment of whether or not the article is
likely to solve the problem that motivated it. Again, do not quote directly, but do provide page numbers for
paraphrases and summaries in parenthetical citations. Your Assessment of the Solution may comprise between
50 and 100 words.
Term or Concept Descriptions
Term or Concept descriptions define the meaning and function of a term or concept that appears in the article.
Define the meaning of the term or concept as it functions in this article rather than offer a dictionary definition.
Give specific attention to the function of this term or concept in the solution to the problem that motivated this
article. The term or concept you choose does not have to be the most important term or concept--simply one that
is worthy of consideration during a class discussion of the article. If you cannot imagine a discussion of this
term or concept being a worthwhile contribution to our class discussion, choose a different term or concept.
Again, do not quote directly, but do provide page numbers for paraphrases and summaries in parenthetical
citations. Term/Concept Descriptions should comprise between 50 and 75 words.
Format
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Use headings to divide the sections of your Article Analysis.
Identify the title and the full name of the author of the article in the Problem Description.
Identify the title of the article by using quotation marks.
Do provide a Works Cited entry for the article.
Do not quote the article.
Use parenthetical citations to provide page numbers for paraphrases and summaries.
Your article analysis should not be a cohesive essay with an introduction and conclusion.
Your completed article analysis should be between 125-300 words.
Persuasive Essay about Literature
● Write a thesis driven essay of at least 700 words that supports a specific interpretation of the chosen text
(or a portion of it).
● Essays about literature describe the action of literature as though it happens in the present tense.
● Essays about literature must incorporate quotations from the text as evidence.
● Essays about literature may also incorporate evidentiary support derived from inquiry beyond the text.
Such evidence might be, for instance, biographical, bibliographical, historical, psychological,
physiological, ideological, critical, cultural, sociological, or epistemological.
● Essays about literature must include reference to the title of the subject of the article in the introduction-even if it appears in the title.
● Essays about literature must include reference to the full name of the author of the subject of the article
in the introduction—even if it appears in the title.
● Essays about literature present evidence in support of a claim about the subject of the article—not
summary or description alone.
● Essays about literature must make and support an assertion with which a reasonable person might
disagree—or that a reasonable person might not have considered but would benefit from encountering.
● Essays about literature mark the title of a short story with quotation marks—not italics or underlining.
● Essays about literature conform to MLA format and style.
● Essays about literature should be organized in support of a thesis rather than according to the chronology
of the short story that is the subject of the article.
● Essays about literature have titles that reflect their argument—not just their subject.
● To receive credit for this assignment you must submit the essay with your Analysis of the Rhetorical
Situation as a Google Doc before class on the assignment’s due date. You must also schedule a meeting
to discuss this assignment to occur within three weeks of the assignment’s due date.
Persuasive Essay with Sources
● Write a thesis driven essay of at least 1400 words that supports an assertion within the context of a
scholarly rhetorical situation.
● Your essay should reflect your careful analysis of the rhetorical situation to which you are responding.
That is, you should compose a text that reflects your consideration of questions like these:
○ What problem gives rise to this article?
○ What do you hope to accomplish through this article?
○ Who is the primary audience of this article? What does this audience value? What kind of evidence
and authority does this audience recognize as credible? What is your relationship to this audience?
Does this audience recognize your authority to make this argument? Does this audience recognize
your authority to make this argument in this place and at this time?
○ How does your assertion fit into a “They say, I say” conversation.
● Support your assertion with appropriately documented and contextually credible evidence.
● You must document sources using MLA format.
● To receive credit for this assignment you must submit the essay with your Analysis of the Rhetorical
Situation as a Google Doc before class on the assignment’s due date. You must also schedule a meeting
to discuss this assignment to occur within three weeks of the assignment’s due date.
Persuasive Essay with Division and Classification
● Write a thesis driven persuasive essay of at least 700 words that uses either division or classification as a
means of persuasion.
● You might, for instance, use classification as a means of persuasion by ranking the persuasiveness of
arguments commonly articulated in favor of vegetarianism (ecological arguments, humanitarian
arguments, animal welfare arguments, and nutritional arguments) in a text that recommends that the
reader switch to a meatless diet. Or you might use division as a means of persuasion by describing four
phases of emergency response to a humanitarian crisis (first steps, emergency response, continuing
response, phasing out) in an essay that recommends a specific strategic response to some specific
humanitarian crisis.
● Your essay should have a title that reflects the content of the paper and should conform to MLA format.
● To receive credit for this assignment you must submit the essay with your Analysis of the Rhetorical
Situation as a Google Doc before class on the assignment’s due date.
Persuasive Essay with Cause and Effect
● Write a thesis driven persuasive essay of at least 700 words that uses a cause and effect relationship as a
means of persuasion.
● You might, for instance, allege a causal relationship between access to safe drinking water and disease
reduction in an essay that encourages the reader to support a humanitarian organization like charity:
water. Or you might allege a causal relationship between girls’ access to education and positive
outcomes in developing countries in an essay that encourages the reader to support a humanitarian
organization like CARE.
● Your essay should have a title that reflects the content of the paper and should conform to MLA format.
● To receive credit for this assignment you must submit the essay with your Analysis of the Rhetorical
Situation as a Google Doc before class on the assignment’s due date.
Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation
The Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation should be written before you write your essay. The Analysis of the
Rhetorical Situation is a description and analysis of the rhetorical context of your essay. This includes strategic
decisions about the means of persuasion you plan to employ as you develop your essay.
Your Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation should describe and analyze the exigence that motivates your
essay:
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What deficiency makes this essay necessary?
In what way do you hope to correct this deficiency through this essay?
How can you locate your essay within a conversation with a “they say/I say” move?
Your Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation should describe and analyze the audience:
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With what audience(s) do you intend to partner?
What do you know about the audience(s)?
What do you know about the audience's relevant values, education, experiences?
What sources/authorities/evidences does the audience credit as authoritative?
What does the audience think of you?
Where will this audience encounter this discourse?
What does the audience think this kind of discourse should look like?
What does the audience think of your purpose?
Your Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation should describe and analyze other features of the rhetorical
situation:
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Relevant features of the historical context;
Features of the genres that are typically used to respond to this type of exigence;
Features of the assignment;
Characteristics of you the author that are that are relevant to this rhetorical situation.
Your Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation should answer questions about the constraints that limit your
options:
● How does your description and analysis of the rhetorical situation limit your strategic options as you
strategically respond to the exigence by developing this discourse?
● A constraint either compels you to employ a means of persuasion in a particular way or it compels you
to not use a means of persuasion in a particular way.
● There are always a variety of constraints.
● In order to recognize constraints you must describe with specificity elements of the rhetorical situation.
In light of your analysis of the above features of the rhetorical context, your Analysis of the Rhetorical
Situation should answer questions about the available means of persuasion:
● How should I use logos (reason, data, testimony, etc.)?
● How should I use pathos (inciting or acknowledgement of emotion)?
● How should the student use ethos (the writer’s known character or the character the writer develops in
her discourse)?
● How should I use kairos (recognition of the opportune moment or creating the opportune moment in
discourse)?
● How should I use to prepon (fitting the discourse to the situation in a manner that is seemly, decorous, or
appropriate)?
● How should I use dunaton (what is possible as opposed to what is inevitable or impossible)?
● How should I use telos (the writer’s underlying purpose)?
Format
● The Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation should be a incorporated as a single-spaced abstract at the
beginning of the essay, after the title.
● Use headings to organize your Analysis of the Rhetorical Situation.
Rubric
Rhetorical Analysis
E
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p
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y
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Fulfills assignment with creativity
and sophistication
Demonstrates strategic attention
to audience and other features of
rhetorical situation
Demonstrates strategic use of
means of persuasion (logos,
pathos, ethos, to prepon, kairos,
dunaton)
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A
G
o
o
d
Style
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B
Fulfills assignment adequately
Demonstrates adequate strategic
attention to audience and other
features of rhetorical situation
Demonstrates adequate strategic
use of means of persuasion
(logos, pathos, ethos, to prepon,
kairos, dunaton)
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A
d
e
q
u
a
t
e
P
o
o
r
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Fulfills assignment poorly
Demonstrates limited strategic
attention to audience and other
features of rhetorical situation
Demonstrates limited strategic
use of means of persuasion
(logos, pathos, ethos, to prepon,
kairos, dunaton)
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Mechanics
Conspicuous, clear, compelling,
and concise thesis
Discourse is clear and thoughtfully
organized in support of thesis on
the outline and paragraph levels
Contains an effective introduction
and conclusion
Transitions effectively orient the
reader
Compelling They Say, I Say move
contextualizes thesis
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Moderately conspicuous, clear,
compelling, and concise thesis
Discourse is adequately clear and
thoughtfully organized in support
of thesis on the outline and
paragraph levels
Contains an adequately effective
introduction and conclusion
Transitions generally orient the
reader
They Say, I Say move
contextualizes thesis
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Thesis is neither clear nor
compelling
A lack of organization on the
outline and paragraph levels
detracts from the effectiveness of
the essay
Introduction and conclusion are
not used effectively
Transitions do not effectively
orient the reader
They Say, I Say move does not
effectively contextualize thesis
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No thesis
Lacks strategic organization
No introduction or conclusion
No transitions orient the reader
No They Say, I Say move to
contextualize thesis
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Consistently uses grammar,
punctuation, and spelling in
conformity with Edited American
English
Conforms to MLA format
Infrequently fails to conform to
Edited American English
Generally conforms to MLA format
Frequently fails to conform to
Edited American English
MLA format is not consistently
used
D
C
U
n
s
a
ti
s
f
a
c
t
o
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Does not fulfill assignment
Demonstrates no strategic
attention to audience and other
features of rhetorical situation
Demonstrates no strategic use of
means of persuasion (logos,
pathos, ethos, to prepon, kairos,
dunaton)
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Generally fails to conform to
Edited American English
MLA format is not used
r
y
F