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DEPARTMENT OF RHETORIC AND WRITING STUDIES
RWS 200—THE RHETORIC OF WRITTEN ARGUMENT IN CONTEXT
Fall 2012
Instructor: Candace Boeck
Email: cboeck@mail.sdsu.edu
Class Time, Location: MW 3:30-4:45 p.m., AH2116
Office: AH 3108 Phone: (619) 594-0821 DRWS Mailbox: AH 3138
Office Hours: MW 1:00-1:50 p.m. and by appointment
Required Texts and Supplies
 Colombo, Gary, and Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America. 8th ed.
Boston: Bedford, 2010.
 Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. They Say I Say with Readings.
2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2012.
 Raimes, Ann. Keys for Writers. 6th ed. Boston: Houghton,
2011.
 College level dictionary and thesaurus
 Other supplies as needed—paper for notes and in-class writings, stapler, flash drive, etc.
Rhetoric and Writing Studies 200
General Education Capacities/Goals & RWS Learning Outcomes
Our learning outcomes reflect the goals and capacities of the General Education Program. RWS
200 is one of several courses in the area of general education defined as “Communication and
Critical Thinking.” Focusing particularly on argument, this course emphasizes four essential
general education capacities: the ability to 1) construct, analyze and communicate argument, 2)
contextualize phenomena, 3) negotiate differences, and 4) apply theoretical models to the real
world. This course advances general education by helping students understand the general
function of writing, speaking, visual texts, and thinking within the context of the university at
large, rather than within specific disciplines. In addition to featuring the basic rules and
conventions governing composition and presentation, RWS 200 establishes intellectual
frameworks and analytical tools that help students explore, construct, critique, and integrate
sophisticated texts.
Within this framework of four general capacities, the course realizes four closely related
subsidiary goals. These goals focus on helping students
1)
2)
3)
4)
craft well-reasoned arguments for specific audiences;
analyze a variety of texts commonly encountered in the academic setting;
situate discourse within social, generic, cultural, and historic contexts; and
assess the relative strengths of arguments and supporting evidence.
Our student learning outcomes for RWS 200 are closely aligned with these goals and capacities,
and reflect the program’s overall objective of helping students attain “essential skills that
underlie all university education.”
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Assignment Types: the following four outcomes describe the main writing projects or
"assignment types" for the course (more than one outcome may be included in a writing
project). Students will be able to
1. Construct an account of an argument and identify elements of context embedded in it, the
clues that show what the argument is responding to--both in the sense of what has come
before it and in the sense that it is written for an audience in a particular time and place;
examine a writer’s language in relation to audience, context and community;
2. follow avenues of investigation that are opened by noticing elements of context; research
those elements and show how one's understanding of the argument is developed,
changed, or evolved by looking into its context;
3. given the common concerns of two or more arguments, discuss how the claims of these
arguments modify, complicate or qualify one another;
4. consider their contemporary, current life as the context within which they are reading the
arguments assigned in the class; position themselves in relation to these arguments and
additional ones they have researched in order to make an argument; draw on available
key terms, concepts or frameworks of analysis to help shape the argument.
Outcomes across the semester: the following points describe outcomes to work on throughout
the semester, to be attained over the 15 weeks. Students will be able to
1. Building on the work done in RWS 100, students will be able to: articulate what
argument a text is making; describe the work that is done by each section of the
argument; describe elements of the argument—claims, methods of development, kinds of
evidence, persuasive appeals; translate an argument into their own words;
2. understand and incorporate all aspects of the writing process--including prewriting,
drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading;
3. articulate what key terms, definitions, concepts, statements of a problem or issue are
established by a text;
4. investigate and articulate how an argument is positioned—based on certain kinds of
assumptions, located in a way of thinking and representing issues from a point of view;
5. work with multiples sources in a paper, deciding what to include and what to exclude,
choosing an effective structure, and creating significant relationships among sources;
6. analyze and assess arguments made by visual texts; incorporate visual images into their
documents;
7. craft a cohesive paper, and use effective metadiscourse to articulate the project of the
paper and guide a reader through it;
8. describe their own papers and reflect on how they wrote them; differentiate between the
content of their texts and the language and rhetorical strategies they employ;
9. assign significance to the arguments they read;
10. revise their own work effectively, re-reading previous work and re-envisioning it in the
light of reflection, feedback, further reading and new sources of information;
11. edit their writing for the grammar and usage conventions appropriate to the project.
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Course Requirements
1. Attendance— Consistent attendance is necessary for your academic success. Your active
participation is crucial for you and your classmates to meet the course objectives. Lack of
participation due to inattention or absence will negatively impact your course participation
grade. If you have more than FOUR absences for any reason, your participation grade will
drop to 0. Three tardies (10 minutes late or leaving more than ten minutes early) count as
one absence. If you miss more than a total of 20 minutes of class time, you will be marked
absent. If you fail to bring four copies of your essay for a peer editing workshop, you will be
marked absent.
2. Timely completion of all reading and writing projects—All writing assignments
completed outside of class must be typed, stapled, and turned in on the due date at the
beginning of class. Late essays will result in a drop of one grade for each day they are late.
Late reading responses will not be accepted.
3. Writing Workshops—Essays will be critiqued in a peer editing workshop. You will need to
bring four copies of your draft on the day of the workshop. Peer editing guides will assist
you in critiquing each others’ drafts.
Grading Policies
Class Participation (Individual and Group) ….80 (10%)
Reading Responses (3) (40 ea)…………........120 (15%)
Essays (3) (160 ea.)…....…………………….480 (60%)
Final Exam………………………………….. 120 (15%)
Total Points
800 (100%)
Grading Scale for RWS 200
4.0 A (100-94%)
3.7 A- ( 90-93%)
3.3 B+ ( 87-89%)
3.0 B ( 84-86%)
2.7 B- ( 80-83%)
2.3 C+ ( 77-79%)
Points for RWS 200
4.0 A (752-800)
3.7 A- (720-751)
3.3 B+ (696-719)
3.0 B (672-695)
2.7 B- (640-671)
2.3 C+ (616-639)
Undergraduate grades shall be
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.7
0.0
C
CD+
D
DF
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.7
0.0
(74-76%)
(70-73%)
(67-69%)
(64-66%)
(60-63%)
(59- 0%)
C (592-615)
C- (560-591)
D+ (536-559)
D (512-535)
D- (480-511)
F (479 – 0 )
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A, outstanding achievement;
B, praiseworthy performance;
C, satisfactory performance—the most common undergraduate grade;
D, minimally passing;
F, failing.
(From SDSU Faculty and Senate policy)
Course Policies
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Essay Format—All essays should be typed MLA style. See Keys for Writers for detailed
instruction. Use a 12 point font, Times New Roman font type or other standard print font.
On workshop days, bring four copies of your draft.
Reading Responses—Various types of reading responses will be assigned during the
semester. They will be collected at the beginning of class and will be evaluated for
completeness and editing--see the assignment schedule for due dates. Reading responses
must be typed. Handwritten reading responses will not be accepted. Late reading
responses will not be accepted.
Plagiarism—Evidence of plagiarism will result in an F grade for the course, NO
EXCEPTIONS. In addition, I will report all instances of plagiarism to the Center for
Student Rights and Responsibilities, which uses various disciplinary measures, including
suspension/expulsion from the University. I use diverse means to document plagiarism,
including electronic devices. If you plagiarize, you will be caught—do not risk your
educational future. To avoid plagiarism, do your own work and cite sources—see Keys for
Writers for instructions on MLA documentation.
Essay Note—I may copy or share your papers (anonymously) with the class to perhaps
illustrate a well-written essay or as an example of a text needing revision.
Classroom Behavior—Be courteous to the instructor and your classmates by refraining from
side conversations or other disruptive behaviors during class. If talking becomes a problem,
you will be asked to continue your conversation outside and will be marked absent. No
work from other courses may be completed during class time and such work will be
confiscated. Turn off all electronic communication devices before you enter the classroom.
It is my responsibility to maintain a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning—if you are
unable to comply, you will be asked to leave.
Classroom Preparedness—Written assignments are due at the beginning of the class, typed
and stapled. All assigned readings should be annotated. Bring textbooks to class every day
to facilitate your classroom participation.
Time Commitment—This course has been designed to provide a rewarding learning
experience. I have carefully devised reading and writing assignments, assuming that you
will spend from two to three hours for each classroom hour on work outside of class. Your
commitment to this time requirement is essential for your success in this course.
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RWS 200 COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES
Week 1
Mon. 8/27— Introduction and review of syllabus.
Wed. 8/29—Writing Sample. Groups and Success Factors.
Week 2
Mon. 09/03—Labor Day Holiday—no class
Wed. 09/05—Reading due-- Raimes pg. 3-40 “The Writing Process” and skim MLA guidelines
in Section 3.
Week 3
Mon. 09/10— Reading due-- Colombo “Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths”
pg. 1-10 and Raimes pg. 51-73 “Writing and Analyzing Arguments.”
Wed. 09/12—Reading due--Colombo “Active Reading” pg. 10-15 and Colombo “Idiot Nation”
by Michael Moore pg. 128-145. Writing due--a Reading Response: Answer
questions 1-6 pg. 145-146.
Week 4
Mon. 09/17— Reading due--Colombo “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” by
Jean Anyon pg. 169-185. Discuss context categories.
Wed. 09/19— Reading due-- Colombo “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose pg. 157-168.
Week 5
Mon. 09/24—Reading due-- Colombo, “Still Separate, Still Unequal” by Jonathan Kozol
pg. 219-36.
Wed. 09/26— Reading due-- Graff Chapter 1-3 pg 19-50. Context Discussion, Group
Assignments, and Essay #1 Prompt.
Week 6
Mon. 10/01—Group Context Assignments class work—meet at library.
Wed. 10/03—Group Context Assignments class work—meet at library. Turn in at end of class.
Week 7
Mon. 10/08— Group Presentations of contexts for readings.
Wed. 10/10—Group Presentations of contexts for readings.
Week 8
Mon. 10/15—Reading due-- Raimes, “Subject-Verb Agreement” pg. 425-435 and
“Pronouns” pg. 435-446 and Graff Chapters 4 and 5 pg. 55-75.
Wed. 10/17—Writing due--Draft for Essay #1. Bring 4 copies for a peer editing workshop.
Week 9
Mon. 10/22— Reading due-- the Preamble to the United States Constitution and Amendments
13, 14 and 15 (use a search engine) and Colombo “Created Equal”
pg. 374-377 and “Notes on the State of Virginia” by Thomas Jefferson pg.
378-383. Also see photograph of Jefferson’s descendants in Colombo pg. 73.
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Wed. 10/24—Reading due-- Colombo “Causes of Prejudice” by Vincent Parrillo
pg. 384-397. Writing due--a Reading Response: Answer the “Engaging the
Text” questions #1-5 pg. 397. Visual Portfolio.
Week 10
Mon. 10/29— Writing due---Essay #1 Revision. Reading due-- Colombo “Models of
American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective” by George Fredrickson
pg. 449-459.
Wed. 10/31—Reading due--Colombo “The Crossing” by Ruben Martinez pg. 473-482 and
Graff “A More Perfect Union” by Barack Obama pg. 647-663. Begin Essay #2.
Week 11
Mon. 11/05— Reading due--Colombo “Ragged Dick” by Horatio Alger pg. 258-263 and
“Horatio Alger” by Harlon L. Dalton pg. 272-277. Writing due, a Reading
Response: Answer the “Engaging the Text” questions #1-3 pg. 278 and
“Exploring Connections” #5 pg. 278.
Wed. 11/07— Writing due--a draft of Essay #2. Bring 4 copies of your essay for a peer editing
Workshop.
Week 12
Mon. 11/12—Veteran’s Day Holiday—no class.
Wed. 11/14—Reading due--Colombo “Serving in Florida” by Barbara Ehrenreich pg. 290-303.
Visual Portfolio.
Week 13
Mon. 11/19—Writing due--Essay #2 Revision. Reading due-- Colombo “Class in
America—2003” by Gregory Mantsios 304-317 and “Framing Class, Vicarious
Living, and Conspicuous Consumption” by Diana Kendall pg. 330-346.
Essay #3 prompt.
Wed. 11/21—Optional Writing Conferences
Week 14
Mon. 11/26— Reading due--Raimes “Commas” pg. 462-470 and “Apostrophes” pg. 470-473.
Wed. 11/28— Writing due--Write a draft of Essay #3. Bring 4 copies of your draft for a peer
editing workshop.
Week 15
Mon. 12/03—Reading due-- Graff Chapters 6 and 7 pg. 78-100.
Wed. 12/05—Writing due--Essay #3 Revision. Take Home Final Prompt.
The Take-Home Final will be due during the following Final time:
2:00 p.m. class--Wednesday, December 12, 1:00-3:00
3:30 p.m. class—Wednesday, December 12, 3:30-5:30
Please turn in your Final in the classroom during the regularly scheduled final time for
your class. Also—you may turn it in early to my campus mailbox.