In this course, students will learn about modern rhetorical theories which
have influenced all writing/communication disciplines, particularly Composition
and Rhetoric. We’ll concentrate on twentieth century texts and their
influence on the theories which have profoundly affected the way we think,
teach, and talk about writing.
We’ll begin by examining the teaching and practice of writing in the
disciplines, and then we’ll step back to see the texts which have influenced
these practices. In particular,
we'll look at early century rhetorical texts (mainly Platonic and
neo-Aristotelian), the move towards the more modern theories, informed by new
understandings of the mind and language, and later by postmodernism and feminism
theories. Ultimately, we will try
to discern where rhetorical theory—and with it, those fields based upon
applied rhetoric, such as Composition and Technical Communication—are headed.
Some questions that will explore along the way: What constitutes a discipline? How is knowledge constructed and maintained? What is the relationship between theory and practice? Has postmodern thought destroyed the humanist subject? How do we construct rhetorical theory? How has media and science/technology influenced rhetorical thought and practice? What is the relationship between rhetorical theory and writing pedagogy?
And finally, what is rhetoric in the 20th century?
At the end of
this course, students should have a theoretical understanding of the assumptions
behind the theories and theorists which have shaped the writing/communication
disciplines. Students should be
able to articulate how these ideas and texts have shaped the fields of
Composition and Rhetoric and Technical Communication and Rhetoric.
Berlin,
James. Rhetorics, Poetics, and Cultures: Refiguring
College English Studies.
Bizzell,
Patricia, and Bruce Herzberg. The
Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from
Classical Times to the Present.
Burke,
Kenneth. A Rhetoric of Motives.
Haraway,
Donna. Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The
Reinvention of Nature.
Harris,
Joseph. A Teaching Subject: Composition
Since 1966.
Ong,
Walter J. Orality and Literacy: The
Technologizing of the Word.
Porter,
James E. Audience and Rhetoric: Archaeological
Composition of the Discourse Community.
See the Course Syllabus for a reading schedule.
Although I will explain backgrounds for the readings and certain concepts and ideas, the dominant mode of class sessions will be discussion. I will expect you to ask questions, connect ideas from various readings, and connect ideas from the readings to arguments as you see them practiced around you. In addition, I will ask each of you to be responsible for leading one class discussion this semester. Class participation and the reading responses are worth 15% of your grade, and a Synthesis and Response assignment will be worth 25%. All online discussions will take place in Web Board (http://wb.engl.ttu.edu/~Rickly5364), where I have established several conferences.
Attendance is expected. If you have a good reason for missing class (I get to determine what a good reason is), we need to make arrangements ahead of time.
| A | Superior; the work is of near professional quality. The paper meets or exceeds all the objectives of the assignment. The content is mature, thorough, and well-suited for the audience; the style is clear, accurate, and forceful; the information is well-organized and formatted so that it is accessible and attractive; the mechanics and grammar are correct. The paper has publication potential. |
| B | Competent; the paper meets the objectives of the assignment, but it needs improvement in style, or it contains easily correctable errors in grammar, format, or content, or its content is superficial. |
| C | Unsatisfactory for graduate courses. The paper needs significant improvement in concept, details, development, organization, grammar, or format. It may be formally correct but superficial in content. |
You can figure an A as 95, A- as 90, B+ as 88 etc.
I have assembled a separate web page with this semester's assignments. The assignment breakdown is:
| Participation (class discussion, web board discussion) | 15% |
| Synthesis and Response on Web board | 25% |
| 1-3 page Prospectus for Seminar Paper | 10% |
| Leading Class Discussion | 20% |
| 12-15 page Seminar Paper | 30% |
Any student who, because of a disability, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements must contact me by the end of the second week of classes to make necessary accommodations.
Plagiarism means "using, stating, offering or reporting as one's own, an idea, expression, or production of another person without proper credit to its source." (Class Schedule, Code of Student Affairs.) Plagiarism means using another student's work or published work without credit. Plagiarism rules include material on the World Wide Web as well as print materials. Plagiarism will result in failure on the assignment and may result in failure in the course. If you are uncertain about what to document or when it is appropriate to request the assistance of a tutor, please ask me.