Student Calendar and Assignments Unit 1: Introduction to Writing and Rhetoric.
At the end of this unit students should be able to:
-define rhetorical situation and angle of vision;
-distinguish between open and closed form prose;
-apply the concept of three rhetorical appeals – ethos, logos, and pathos;
-read critically;
-argue in favor and against a given claim.
Due Date
Mn 05/11
Wed 05/13
Learning goals
Explain the
structure of the
course
Reflect on your
writing process
Define rhetorical
situation (purpose,
audience, genre),
open/closed form
prose, angle of
vision. Think
critically about a
subject-matter
question. Practice
wallowing in
complexity.
Homework Assignments Due
 Create a card with your name.
 Portfolio Assignment 1.
Write a letter to the instructor answering the questions “What is your learning
style? (Google learning styles) Do you work better in groups or alone? What
strategies have you found to be the most effective at helping you understand
and retain knowledge?”
 Read A&B Ch. 1
 Portfolio Assignment 2.
Perform the activity on Page 11 of Allyn & Bacon in the “Thinking Personally
About Closed and Open Forms” box under the subheading of “Individual
Task.” Students are to think back to a piece of writing they’ve done in the past
(essay, blog post, e-mail, article, poem, short story, etc.) and write a brief
description of it. They are then to consider where that particular piece of writing
falls on the Open Form to Closed Form spectrum. They are to identify its
audience, genre, and purpose.
 Read A&B Ch. 3 pp. 51-58
Notes
 Portfolio Assignment 3.
Find two pieces of writing/video on the same topic but from different
points of view, such as newspaper editorials or online articles, and bring
them to class
 Read A&B Ch. 2 pp. 25-37.
Fr 05/15
Practice making
good stylistic
choices for desired
rhetorical effect.
Apply the concept
of three rhetorical
appeals.
Identify parts of a
rhetorical critique

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Read A&B Chapter 4, pp. 82-83
Review “Strategies for Constructing an Angle of Vision,” pp. 56-57
Read Ch. 3 p. 58
Read Martin Luther King Jr.’s Speech “I have a dream” at
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
 Portfolio Assignment 4.
Identify, ethos, pathos, and logos and find (highlight) examples to illustrate
these concepts in Martin Luther King Jr’s Speech.
 Print assignment calendar for unit 2 from verabel.wordpress.com (look
under summer course materials).
 Print new assignment sheet, Writing the Rhetorical Analysis
 Read A&B Ch. 5 pp. 104-118.
 Select the text for your first writing project at
https://verabel.wordpress.com/texts-for-analysis-and-synthesis/
 Read EW Chapter 12, pages 129-137. Bring it to class.
 Portfolio Assignment 5
Use strategies from EW Chapter 12 to critically read and annotate the article
you’re working with.
Read A&B Ch. 5 pp.87-103
 Portfolio Assignment 6
Compose your structure and content notes.
 Portfolio Assignment 7
Using your structure and content notes, compose a summary of a chosen text.
Bring it to class.
Read A&B Chapter 5, pages 99-117.