SYLLABUS Introduction to Rhetoric Spring 2011 English 305.01 (MHRA 1209, 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. 9th ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall / Hunt Publishing, 2007. Course Requirements: 1. You must submit three brief (1.5-2 pages), typed papers, one for each of the three historical units covered by the class (15% of your final grade, each). Each paper will define and explicate one major term or concept introduced in the unit. 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. 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). 3. 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). 4. 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 some “starter” threads, and you may respond to these, or start your own threads. Each student must meet the minimum length requirement of 500 words (for the total of all your individual responses on each panel). Occasionally, there may be additional discussion panels in the form of exercises or other assignments. Your performance on these may affect your “participation” grade (see below). 5. Class participation is required. I expect you to come to class with your reading done and to be prepared to ask questions (7% of your final grade). More than two unexcused absences will result in a lowering of this grade. English 303W--Syllabus 2 6. 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 Spring 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” 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. English 303W--Syllabus 3 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: Jan. 11, 13 Introduction to the Course T. Course mechanics R. Course subject Read RWT 1-30. Assign: Paper #1. The Ancient World Week 2: Jan. 18, 20 Moral-Philosophical Rhetoric—Plato T. Read RWT 35-41; 53-66 R. Read Phaedrus, Trans. Benjamin Jowett: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedrus.html DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses Week 3: Jan. 25, 27 Scientific Rhetoric—Aristotle T. Read RWT 67-82. R. Read Aristotle, Rhetoric, Bk. 1.1-3, Trans. W. Rhys Roberts: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/rhetoric.html DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses Week 4: Feb. 1, 3 Civic Rhetoric—Isocrates, Cicero, Quintilian T. Read RWT 83-98 R. Quintilian, Education of an Orator,Bk 3, Ch. 6. Trans. John Selby Watson: http://www.sfu.ca/classics/quintilian/PDF/book3ch6.pdf DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses Week 5: Feb. 8, 10 T. Workshop for Paper #1; Review for exam #1 R. Exam # 1 (online) Due: Paper # 1 English 303W--Syllabus 4 The Modern World Week 6: Feb. 15, 17 Neoclassicism, the Belletristic Movement, and Hugh Blair T. Read RWT 123-37. R. Read Hugh Blair, Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, Lecture Summaries: https://msu.edu/user/ransford/summaries.html DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses Week 7: Feb. 22, 24 The Epistemologists—Bacon, Descarte, Locke, Vico T. Read RWT 147-67). R. Read Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning,Bk 2, Chaps. XIII and XVIII : http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/adlr10.txt DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses Week 8: Mar. 1, 3 Campbell and Whately T. Read RWT 169-188 R. Read George Campbell, Philosophy of Rhetoric, Bk 1, Chaps. 1, 5, 7: http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/Ulman1/Campbell/TPOR_TOC.htm -------------------- Spring Break!! ------------------- Week 9: Mar. 15, 17 T. Workshop for Paper #2. Review for Exam # 2 R. Exam # 2 (online) Due: Paper # 2 The Contemporary World Week 10: Mar. 22, 24 I. A. Richards T. Read RWT 235-46 R. 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: Mar. 29, 31 Kenneth Burke T. Read RWT 247-66 English 303W--Syllabus 5 R. Read Kenneth Burke, “Introduction: The Five Key Terms of Dramatism.” A Grammar of Motives, pp. xv-xxii. 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 Week 12: April 5, 7 Stephen Toulmin T. Read RWT 295-323 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: April 12, 14 Michel Foucault and Michel Meyer T. Read RWT 347-54; 387-92 R. Read RWT 387-402 DUE: Online quiz and Discussion Board responses Week 14: April 19, 21 T. Workshop for Paper # 3. Review for Exam # 3 R. Exam # 3 (online) Due: Paper # 1 Notice: To enhance communication with majors, the English Department has set up a listserve. Please join the listserve by sending this message from the e-mail account (on campus or at home) that you use most regularly: listproc@uncg.edu: subscribe Englishl firstname lastname. (Substitute your first name and last name for those terms in the message. For example subscribe English-l Jane Doe. Note that the letter l follows English, not the number 1.)