Fall, 2012
COURSE SYLLABUS
ENG 4973: Special Studies in Rhetoric I
Instructor: Horace (Skip) Robinson, Office SCI 114 hrobinson@se.edu
Text: Proper Form, Pure and Simple, Horace N. Robinson
Course Description: An advanced application of the basic principles of the written
and spoken word, designed to prepare students for entrance exams to
professional and/or graduate schools and/or for entry into the workplace. Extra
emphasis will be placed upon the written word with students receiving special
critique and personal counseling.
Prerequisites: ENG 1113, ENG 1213, COMM 2213
Course Objectives:
1. To help students understand that proper form in the written and
spoken word is determined by rule as opposed to sound,
2. To provide the students with opportunities to write and speak in a
multitude of formats, with emphasis being upon the written
component of the professional graduate entry exams and/or the initial
workplace challenges,
3. To give the students an understanding of the evolution of the English
language and its position among the other languages of the world,
4. To give the students a background in the basic temperaments of man as
well as generational zeitgeists that will allow the students to be
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perceptive in audience analysis and awareness, in both the written and
spoken arenas,
5. To demonstrate that flawless form, coherent structure and
psychological insight are essential to the credibility and effectiveness of
the writer/speaker,
6. To provide personal counseling to the students who are trying to
determine the relationship between the gleam in their eyes and the
bent in their abilities,
7. To provide students the opportunity to showcase their written and
spoken skills in front of an audience other than their peers.
Course Outcomes:
After completing this course, the student should be able
1. To write and speak at a level acceptable to the professional
community,
2. To exude poise, skill and insight when approaching a rhetorical
objective,
3. To possess a deep-seated confidence that he/she can write in
standard written English,
4. To exhibit growth in overall vocabulary as a result of the study of
etymology,
5. To develop a clearer vision of a career path and specific knowledge
as to its challenges,
6. To have a basic knowledge of how man learned to write and the
historical context of this orthographic genesis,
7. To possess an understanding of the Four Basic Temperaments of
Man according to Hippocrates and a positive acceptance of the
predominance of his/her own temperaments.
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Course Content:
Students will write at least 4,000 words including in-class essays and out-of-class
essays. When applicable, MLA guidelines will be used. Students will make three
oral presentations.
Methods of Instruction:
This course will be conducted using a variety of instructional activities including
lecture/discussion, in-class writings, out-of-class writings, student recitation and
critiques, and comprehensive reviews for tests.
Course Requirements:
1. Class attendance, Class participation and note-taking.
2. In-class writing assignments: Two (2) papers covering assigned topics.
Each paper will be worth a maximum of 25 points. A content grade will
be assigned to each paper and then ¼ point will be deducted for each
spelling, grammar, or composition error. These papers must be
completed in-class on the day assigned in order to get credit.
3. Out-of-class writing assignments: Four (4) papers covering assigned
topics, which will be discussed thoroughly in advance. Each of these outof-class papers will be worth 50 points. A content grade will be assigned
to each paper. Then, ½ point will be deducted for errors in spelling,
grammar, and composition. For example, a paper may receive a content
grade of 48 and have four (4) errors in spelling, grammar and
composition. If so, ----content = 48 less errors -2 = 46 . Late papers will
be assessed a five (5) point penalty. Papers cannot be accepted if
presented more than one week after due date, as of class time on the
seventh day. Papers are to be computer generated in 14 font, doublespaced, at least three (3) pages long with prescribed cover sheet.
4. Written Tests: There will be four (4) written tests: Form Test #1, Form
Test #2, Philology and Renaissance Literature Test, and the Final Test.
Participation in the Rhetoric Center Recitations in late April will render
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the student exempt from the Final. Points earned will be commensurate
with contribution to the Rhetoric Center Recitations.
Evaluation:
Out-of-class papers will be worth 50 points:
In-class papers will be worth 25 points:
Proper Form Tests, #1 and #2
Philology and Renaissance Literature
Three oral presentations worth 50 Points:
Final Test (or Rhetoric Center Recitation):
4 X 50 = 200 Maximum Points
2 X 25 = 50 Maximum Points
2 X 50= 100 Maximum Points
1 X100= 100 Maximum Points
3 X 50 = 150 Maximum Points
1 X100 =100 Maximum Points
700 Maximum Points
The following scale will be used to determine final grades:
A = 630-700 Points
B = 560-629 Points
C = 490-559 Points
D = 420-489 Points
SYLLABUS STATEMENT
Any student needing special accommodations due to a physical disability
should contact the Coordinator for Student Disability Services, GDJ Student
Union, Suite 204 or call 580-745-2254 (TDD#745-2704). It is the
responsibility of each student to make an official request for
accommodations to the Coordinator.
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Any student experiencing mental or emotional issues who desires free,
confidential, clinical counseling is encouraged to contact the SE Counseling
Center at (580)745-2988 to schedule an appointment during normal working
hours Monday—Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. For after hours mental health
emergencies, please call SE Campus Police at (580) 745-2911 or the Mental
Health Crisis Hotline at 1-800-522-1090.
PLAGIARISM
When a person creates a composition, it is his/her intellectual property.
When another steals this intellectual property by representing it as his/her
own, it is called Plagiarism. It is a form of academic dishonesty that is
punished severely, including the professor’s requesting that the student
withdraw from the course. (See Student Handbook Section D.1)
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