SYLLABUS
Introduction to Rhetoric
Fall 2011
English 305.01 WI (MHRA 1204, TR 12:30-1:45)
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Office Phone:
Professor Stephen R. Yarbrough
3105 MHRA
TTh 2:30-3:30pm, and by appointment
334-3282
Home Phone:
E-mail:
292-1186
sryarbro@uncg.edu
Required Text:
Golden, James L., et al. The Rhetoric of Western Thought: From the Mediterranean
World to the Global Setting. 10th ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall / Hunt Publishing,
2007.
Course Requirements:
1. You must submit three brief (1.5-2.5 pages), typed papers, one for each of the
three historical units covered by the class (10% of your final grade, each).
Instructions for the writing assignments will be posted on Blackboard. For each
short paper there will be a workshop. Failure to attend a workshop without a
medical excuse or permission from the instructor in advance will result in a fivepoint deduction from your final grade.
2. You must revise and expand one of the first two brief papers to a 3-4 page typed
paper and resubmit it within two weeks after the instructor has graded and
returned to you the original paper. This revision will also be graded (25% of your
final grade).
3. At the end of each historical unit, you will take an online examination covering
the major issues and concepts covered by that unit (three exams, each worth 10%
of your final grade, but your worst grade will be dropped, for a total of 20% of
your final grade).
4. Except for the first and last two weeks, every week you will take an online
reading quiz (nine quizzes, at 1% each, for 9% of your final grade).
5. Each student must participate in the Blackboard “discussion” panels (nine panels
at 1% each, for 9% of your final grade) that are due on the same day that that
week’s quiz given. Normally, for each unit I will set up a panel with several
questions. You must respond to one of the questions with an essay that meets the
minimum length requirement of 500 words. These essays will be graded pass /
fail. Occasionally, there may be additional discussion panels in the form of
English 303W--Syllabus
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exercises or other assignments. Your performance on these may affect your
“participation” grade (see below).
6. Class participation is required. I expect you to come to class with your reading
done and to be prepared to ask and answer questions (7% of your final grade).
More than two unexcused absences will result in a lowering of this grade.
7. There will be no mid-term or final examinations.
Blackboard Site
The syllabus and other course materials may be found at our course site on Blackboard.
On your browser (Internet Explorer works best with Blackboard) go to the following url
address: https://blackboard.uncg.edu
Use your Novell Netware username and password, then click on the link to Fall ENG 303.
To access Blackboard, you must know your UNCG Novell Netware username and
password (email username and password). Those who do not know their Novell
password can reset it at http://accounts.uncg.edu. Select the Self Service Password
Resetting and answer the questions. On one screen you will be asked to indicate the
account password you are changing. Select the Novell Directory (Netware) password.
You do not need to know your current password to do this.
Those who have not activated their UNCG accounts will not appear in Blackboard since
they have not been assigned a UNCG username. Accounts can be activated at
http://accounts.uncg.edu by selecting Unix Communications, Netware and Campus
Pipeline Account Creation.
Email accounts are automatically set in Blackboard to the UNCG account. However, you
may choose to forward your UNCG account to another email address. This can be done
at http://email.uncg.edu. You will need to know your UNCG email username and
password to do this. If you have previously activated your account and do not know your
UNCG email password, go to http://accounts.uncg.edu and select Self-Service Password
Resetting. On one screen you will be asked to indicate the account password you are
resetting. Select the Unix account. If you have not previously activated your account,
see above.
Once online, use your browser to go to
https://blackboard.uncg.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp . Log in.
To take the quizzes, click the link on the Announcements page.
“Student Learning Goals”
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At the completion of this course, the student will be able to
 Demonstrate the ability to write clearly, coherently, and effectively about a
particular discipline.
 Adapt modes of communication to the audience.
 Incorporate constructive feedback from readers to improve the written work.
The student will also have the ability to
 Explain the major concepts, terminology, and principles of rhetoric for three
major periods of rhetorical history.
 Explain how changes in historical and social situations conditioned the
development of rhetorical theory and practice.
 Relate the study of discourse to other disciplines.
 Understand the general nature, purpose, and methods of rhetoric studies.
Schedule
(Note: This schedule is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.)

Week 1: Aug. 23, 25 Introduction to the Course
T. Course mechanics
R. Course subject
Read RWT 1-30.
Assign: Paper #1.
The Ancient World

Week 2: Aug. 30, Sept. 1 Moral-Philosophical Rhetoric—Plato
T. Read RWT 35-41; 53-66
R. Read Phaedrus, Trans. Benjamin Jowett: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedrus.html
(Available on Blackboard in the Course Materials bin in a Word version, the version
we will refer to in class. This is a very long reading. You need to start on it early.)
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses

Week 3: Sept. 6, 8 Scientific Rhetoric—Aristotle
T. Read RWT 67-81.
R. Read Aristotle, Rhetoric, Bk. 1.1-3, Trans. W. Rhys Roberts:
http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/rhetoric.html (available on Blackboard in the Course
Materials bin in a Word version, the version we will refer to in class).
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses

Week 4: Sept. 13, 15 Civic Rhetoric—Isocrates, Cicero, Quintilian
T. Read RWT 83-98
English 303W--Syllabus
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R. Quintilian, Institutes of Oratory, Bk 3, Ch. 6. Trans. John Selby Watson:
http://www2.iastate.edu/~honeyl/quintilian/3/chapter6.html (available on Blackboard in
the Course Materials bin in a Word version, the version we will refer to in class).
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses

Week 5: Sept. 20, 22
T. Workshop for Paper #1; Review for exam #1
R. Exam # 1 (online)
Due: Paper # 1
The Modern World

Week 6: Sept. 27, 29 Neoclassicism, the Belletristic Movement, and Hugh
Blair
T. Read RWT 125-40.
R. Read Hugh Blair, Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, Lecture Summaries 1-15
and 18: https://msu.edu/user/ransford/summaries.html (available on Blackboard in the
Course Materials bin in a Word version, the version we will refer to in class).
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses
Assign: Paper # 2

Week 7: Oct. 4, 6 The Epistemologists—Bacon, Descarte, Locke, Vico
T. Read RWT 149-67).
R. Read Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning,Bk 2, Chaps. XIII and XVIII :
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/adlr10.txt (available on Blackboard in the Course
Materials bin in a Word version, the version we will refer to in class).
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses

Week 8: Oct. 11 (fall break), Oct. 13 Campbell and Whately
T. FALL BREAK
R. Read RWT 171-189.
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses
The Emergence of Female Rhetors

Week 9: Oct. 18, 20
T. Workshop for Paper #2. Review for Exam # 2
R. Read RWT 237-54.
The Contemporary World
English 303W--Syllabus

5
Week 10: Oct. 25, 27 I. A. Richards
T. Exam # 2 (online)
Due: Paper # 2
R. Read RWT 255; 262-72.
Read I. A. Richards, The Philosophy of Rhetoric, Lecture II (on Blackboard in “Course
Material” bin).
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses

Week 11: Nov. 1, 3 Kenneth Burke
T. Read RWT 273-90.
R. Read Kenneth Burke, “Introduction: The Five Key Terms of Dramatism.” A
Grammar of Motives, pp. xv-xxii.(Google Books)
http://books.google.com/books?id=m_BUlVZjxKEC&pg=PR15&lpg=PR15&dq=kennet
h+Burke+Five+key+terms+of+dramatism+grammar+of+motives%5C&source=bl&ots
=c66QZ_mibj&sig=-cvd38wdnwOXRWVUvRfZUMEfZQ&hl=en&ei=NKkLTajdCcKB8gapzIStDg&sa=X&oi=book_
result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses
ASSIGN: Paper # 3

Week 12: Nov. 8, 10 Stephen Toulmin
T. Read RWT 319-45.
R. Stephen E. Toulmin, The Uses of Argument, Chap. I, “Fields of Argument and
Modals” (on Blackboard in “Course Materials” bin).
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses

Week 13: Nov. 15, 17 Michel Meyer / Future Rhetoric
T. Read RWT 371-77;381-401
DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses
R. Workshop for Paper # 3. Review for Exam # 3

Week 14: Nov. 22, Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving)
T. Exam # 3 (online)
R. THANKSGIVING

Week 15: Nov. 29
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T. Due: Paper # 3
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