RWS 100: The Rhetoric of Written
Argument
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RWS 100 is a general education course that
teaches students to interpret, analyze, synthesize
and produce written arguments.
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We focus on argument as it’s central to GE goals
and capacities, & because argument is a key part
of academic literacy, critical thinking, and civic life
-Lasch: “argument is the essence of education,” and
“central to democratic culture”;
- Graff: Universities are “houses of argument” &
“argument literacy” is key to undergrad education.
Why We Fight!
(4 your right to succeed in RWS100)
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The ability to interpret arguments, locate claims and
evidence, analyze moves and strategies, and evaluate
arguments is important to undergraduate education.
“Argument literacy” is central to business, law,
professional life, and to academic study (including
graduate school).
Students tested for these skills in the WPA, the LSAT,
GMAT, and GRE – all the gateways to professional life.
Sustainability, Social Justice &
Environmental Integrity

Students will read a series of short and medium-length
texts on this topic, as well as three long texts:
1) Oreskes’ “The Scientific Consensus on Climate
Change: How Do We Know We’re Not Wrong?”
2) The documentary Food Inc. (Kenner)
3) Anderson, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist
Assignment Sequence
1. Produce a summary and analysis of a single
argument (Oreskes)
2. Research and synthesize texts in order to situate an
argument within a broader “conversation” (Food Inc.)
3. Identify, analyze and evaluate rhetorical strategies
(Confessions of a Radical Industrialist)
4. Produce an argument that contributes to the
conversation/uses one of the texts as a “lens” to build
an argument
The three main texts
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All three are calls to action – on climate policy, food
policy, or industrial policy.
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Oreskes’s text is about the nature of arguments on
climate change – who are the most reliable authorities?
What constitutes valid evidence; what criteria do
scientists use to decide whether knowledge is valid, and
how do academic communities work?
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Connects directly with the 3 chapters toward the end in
Confessions, that deal with the science of climate
change, and Anderson’s analysis of skeptics.
Food Inc. & Confessions
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Food Inc. provides an “on-ramp” to Confessions – it
introduces themes and claims that Anderson will
explore in greater detail.
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Both texts are shaped by Paul Hawken’s The
Ecology of Commerce.
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Both argue that profitability and environmental
responsibility must go together, and business must
play a key role in environmental reform.
Food Inc. & Confessions
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Anderson presents a radical critique of “industry 1.0,”
Food Inc. presents a similar critique of “industrial food”
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Both argue that the ‘take-make-waste” paradigm cannot
continue. It is extractive, polluting, and reliant on
petrochemicals. It promotes an instrumental view of
nature and people that is dehumanizing, out of balance
and unsustainable.
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It’s riddled with perverse incentives. We need reform
the produces “ecologically honest prices” so markets
move toward sustainability. And we need to look to
nature for models (reuse of raw materials in a closedloop cycle.)
We are piloting a wiki to:
1.
Make resources for teaching the common book
project more widely available to teachers in
RWS, as well (perhaps) faculty in other
departments
We are piloting a wiki to:
2.
Open up and share teaching resources and
program materials with outside groups (high
schools, community colleges, the CSU)
3.
Conduct teacher training & provide more
opportunities for collaboration and coordination
We are piloting a wiki to:
4.
5.
Provide alternative platforms for
teaching; give students experience of a
CMS with relevance outside the
classroom; open up different roles for
students than the traditional LMS.
Encourage “CMS literacies” that support
new initiatives in publishing, community
organization, collaboration, public
intellectualism, teaching, and open
source education.
Teaching and scholarship mix and the “process” is opened
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Edupunk/Open Source – Moodle, Sakai,
Open Journal System, Mediawiki, etc.
Commercial Remix – google sites, NING,
Facebook, wikispaces, etc.
Mature, “Mixed Model” Open Source –
Wordpress, drupal, joomla, plone
Open Humanities Press: peer reviewed journals using Wordpress & OJS
Towards an ecosystem of CMSs
1)
Platforms that support key elements of
new media literacy & “CMS literacy” for
students.
2)
Developing CMS literacies for teachers
that support new initiatives in publishing,
community organization, public
intellectualism, teaching, and open source
education.