ENGLISH 1302: Advanced College Rhetoric
Texas Tech University
Spring 2020
Course Description
This course is designed to ground first-year students in the reading, writing, and rhetorical demands and practices necessary for engaging in civic discourse and for success in college and beyond. This class builds on the work of English 1301 to teach students to be both critical readers of complex texts and critical writers of effective texts. English 1302 focuses particularly on inquiry, conducting research, evaluating sources, incorporating source material in your own writing, mapping out a conversation around an issue, and entering that conversation through your own writing. This course assumes that the key to researching, evaluating sources, and responding to writing contexts is rhetorical knowledge. Rhetoric is foundational for this course because it helps you to understand how other people’s texts work and helps you compose effective and purposeful texts yourself in a variety of genres, media, and forms.
Student Learning Objectives
Texas Tech Student Learning Objectives
1. Identify and adapt appropriate communication choices based on subject, occasion, and audience.
2. Develop, apply, and express appropriate form and content in written, visual, aural and oral communication.
3. Demonstrate basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving and technical proficiency as evidence through their communication choices, including those of organization, genre, and platform.
College-Level Competency
Students graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to develop ideas and express them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate effectively.
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Objectives
1. Critical Thinking Skills: to include creative thinking, innovating, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information.
2. Communication Skills: to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication.
3. Personal Responsibility: to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision making.
4. Teamwork: To include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with other to support a shared purpose or goal.
Course-Specific Writing Goals
Rhetorical Knowledge
· Use key rhetorical concepts through analyzing and composing a variety of texts
· Develop facility in responding to a variety of situations and contexts (academic and nonacademic) calling for purposeful shifts in voice, tone, level of formality, design, medium, and/or structure
· Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences
· Read and compose in several genres, understanding how genre conventions shape and are shaped by readers’ and writers’ practices and purposes
· Identify stakeholders and their standpoints on issues of public concern, and identify, explain, and analyze the values informing those standpoints
Inquiry & Research
· Locate and evaluate a variety of primary and secondary research materials
· Summarize, paraphrase, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of sources in their writing
· Incorporate work created by others in a variety of media (e.g., text, images, sound, video) ethically and effectively for rhetorical purposes
· Apply citation conventions appropriate for genre, purpose, and audience
· Formulate viable research questions, hypotheses, and conclusions
Writing Processes & Craft
· Develop a writing project through multiple drafts
· Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting, rereading, and editing
· Evaluate the work of others, give useful feedback to others on their writing, and evaluate and incorporate feedback from others in their own writing
· Assess accurately the strengths and weaknesses of their own writing, and develop individual plans for revision and improvement
· Enact revision as substantive change
Required Materials
· Introduction to College Rhetoric and Inquiry, 1st edition, edited by Monica Norris & Michael J. Faris, MacMillan, 2018
· The St. Martin’s Handbook (8e 2016 MLA Update, Texas Tech University), 8th edition e-handbook by Andrea A. Lunsford, Bedford/St. Martin’s e-handbook
· Blackboard (www.depts.ttu.edu/lms)
· Electronic storage media to hold copies of all work completed and submitted for the course
· Access to a computer with Internet capabilities
Assignments and Grades
Your final grade in this class will be based on the following projects and activities. Projects and activities in this class will be graded on an A to F scale. Prompts for projects will be available on Blackboard. Final grades will be calculated based on the following:
Project or Activity Portion of Final Grade
Project 1: Rant 05%
Project 2: I-Search Essay 05%
Process Work: Projects 1 & 2 (Drafts, Peer Feedback, and Participation) 05%
Project 3: Annotated Bibliography 10%
Process Work: Project 3 (Drafts, Peer Feedback, and Participation) 05%
Project 4: Mapping the Conversation Essay 15%
Process Work: Project 4 (Drafts, Peer Feedback, and Participation) 05%
Project 5: Final Project with Statement of Goals and Choices 15%
Project 6: Final Speech 10%
Process Work: Projects 5 & 6 (Drafts, Peer Feedback, and Participation) 10%
Project 7: Final Self-Assessment Essay 10%
Process Work: Project 7 (Drafts, Peer Feedback, and Participation) 05%
Note: In order to pass this class, you must complete Projects 1 through 7. Failure to submit these seven projects will result in failing the class.
Process work includes reading assignments, in-class brainstorming, drafting, workshops, written feedback to peers, etc. This work, while informal, will be some of the most important work we do for the course. Your collective process work counts as a percentage for each project (see above), and failure to complete process work will have a significant impact on your grade. The goal of this daily writing is to generate ideas, thinking on the page, not about having a finished product. Your process work grade should be a reflection of your continued engagement and preparation, not of perfection or mastery.
A
An A project effectively meets the needs of the rhetorical situation by illustrating a thorough understanding of purpose, audience, and context. The topic or approach is clearly defined and focused. The thesis or controlling idea is clear and supported with specific and appropriate evidence and reasoning for the genre and purpose. Sources are used appropriately and cited according to the conventions of the genre or medium. The organization is effective for the audience and purpose: For example, the introduction establishes a context for writing and contains a focused thesis statement; the body paragraphs are well developed and follow logically from the information that precedes them; the conclusion moves beyond restating the thesis to discussing the implications and/or significance of the topic. The language used is clear, readable, and sometimes memorable as well as appropriate in tone. The writer has followed all directions for the assignment.
B
A B project has a clear sense of purpose and audience. The topic or approach is adequately defined and focused. The thesis or controlling idea is adequate, but could be focused more, especially given the quality of evidence or reasoning the writer has used. Sources are used appropriately and cited according to the conventions of the genre or medium. The project has an effective introduction and conclusion. The order of information is logical, and the reader can follow the line of argument because of the transitions and topic sentences used. Paragraphs contain sufficient detail to assist the reader in understanding the argument. The language used is clear and readable. Sentence structure is appropriate for educated readers, and the writer has used subordination, emphasis, and varied sentences. Vocabulary is appropriate. The text contains few surface errors, few, if any, of which impair the readability of the assignment. The writer has followed all directions for the assignment.
C
A C project demonstrates some sense of purpose and audience. The topic or approach is generally defined, and the thesis or controlling idea is general. Claims are supported with evidence; however, the project doesn’t demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of the topic or of alternative points of view. Sources are used, but may not be integrated with sophistication or the citation system used may not be fully appropriate for the genre and medium. The organization is fairly clear; the reader can understand the structure of the project although the lack of some transitions and/or topic sentences may make the task more difficult. Paragraphs are adequately developed. Style is competent: For example, sentence structure may be simple but generally correct, or word choice may be correct but limited. The project contains errors in spelling, usage, and punctuation that distract the audience or that verge on detracting from meaning. The writer has followed all directions for the assignment.
D
A D project demonstrates little awareness of the rhetorical situation. It might, for example, overestimate, underestimate, or ignore the audience’s prior knowledge, assumptions, or beliefs. The text may have little sense of purpose. The thesis or controlling idea may be flawed or missing, and the evidence or reasoning presented irrelevant, flawed, or inadequately interpreted or understood. The project might rely too much on outside sources with little or no original analysis, and the project might not cite or reference sources in ways appropriate for the genre or medium. The organization is problematic: For example, introductions or conclusions might not be functional; paragraphs might be inadequately developed; and transitions and topic sentences might be dysfunctional or missing. The project has numerous and consistent errors in spelling, usage, punctuation, and sentence structure, many of which may hinder communication. The writer has attempted to follow all directions for the assignment, but may, for example, have omitted one or more parts of the assignment.
F
An F project is inappropriate in terms of the rhetorical situation. The project has no purpose or direction. The project is insufficiently developed, states the obvious about the topic, and falls short of the minimum length requirements because of this. The text has multiple problems with organization. The project contains numerous and consistent errors at the sentence level that seriously hinder communication. The project may be borrowed or purchased from elsewhere, recycled from another course (including a previous iteration of this course), or use sources improperly or without documentation. It may be plagiarized. The writer makes little or no attempt to follow the directions provided for the assignment.
Letter Grade Scale
A 94-100%
A- 90-93%
B+ 87-89%
B 83-86%
B- 80-82%
C+ 77-79%
C 73-76%
C- 70-72%
D 60-69%
F below 60%
Due Dates and Late Penalties
All major projects must be submitted in Blackboard by the due date and time listed on the course schedule. If you have trouble submitting your work on Blackboard for any reason, email your instructor and include a copy of your completed assignment, along with an explanation of the technical problem, prior to the deadline for the assignment. As soon as the technical problem has been resolved, you must submit your assignment as usual. Any exceptions to this policy must be arranged with me before the assigned due date and time.
Late major projects will automatically receive a letter grade (10%) penalty. If your project is more than 48 hours late, it could receive a total grade deduction of up to 20%. If your project is more than 1 week late, it could receive a total grade deduction of up to 50%. After two weeks, your project will receive a zero. Remember that all major projects must be completed in order to pass the class. Assignments cannot be accepted after the course has ended.
Always backup your electronic files. Best practice is to store digital files in at least two locations. Develop a strategy for consistently and frequently backing up your digital files, whether that is through a cloud service like Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive, a flash drive, or another mechanism. A lost file or a crashed computer is not an excuse for late work in this class.
Incompletes
A final grade of “Incomplete,” according to the University Catalog, “is given only when a student’s work is satisfactory in quality but, due to reasons beyond his or her control, has not been completed. It is not given instead of an F.” Texas Tech OP 34.12 states, “The instructor assigning the grade must stipulate in writing at the time the grade is given, the conditions under which the I may be removed and the specific date by which the make-up work is to be completed.” To qualify for an incomplete, students must have completed at least 60% of the work for the class with a grade of C or better. Students seeking an incomplete must work with both the instructor and a writing program administrator to determine a proposed completion date. The incomplete becomes an F if the proposed completing date (up to one year from the date filed) passes without the work being submitted.
Attendance
You are expected to arrive on time, to attend all scheduled classes, and to have your work with you. Regular attendance is required because course instruction depends on your active participation. During class, we will be learning concepts related to rhetoric and writing and practicing applying those concepts. Your success on course projects will depend on your participation during class meetings.
You are responsible for notifying by email prior to any absence. If you miss class, you are responsible for collecting any materials you missed and completing all assignments or other activities.
Because participation in class activities is crucial to both your success and your classmates’ success, attendance will be factored into your process work grade for each project. Regular attendance, engagement in in-class activities, submitting rough drafts and bringing them to class, and participating in peer review will contribute to your success in this class. Unexcused absences that equal three weeks of the course (six class periods for courses that meet twice a week) can constitute grounds for failing the class. Absences under the three-week maximum can still affect your grade adversely through the process work percentage on the grade scale.
Texas Tech OP 34.04 states, “In case of an illness that will require an absence from class for more than one week, the student should notify her/his academic dean. The dean's office will inform the student's instructors through the departmental office. In case of class absences because of a brief illness, the student should inform the instructor directly.”
University policy allows two kinds of absences:
Observances of religious holy days (OP 34.19). “‘Religious holy day’ means a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under Texas Tax Code §11.20. A student who intends to observe a religious holy day should make that intention known in writing to the instructor prior to the absence. A student who is absent from classes for the observance of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. A student who is excused under section 2 may not be penalized for the absence; however, the instructor may respond appropriately if the student fails to complete the assignment satisfactorily.”
University business or university-sponsored trips (OP 34.04). “Department chairpersons, directors, or others responsible for a student representing the university on officially approved trips must notify the student’s instructors of the departure and return schedules. The instructor so notified must not penalize the student, although the student is responsible for material missed. Any student absent because of university business must be allowed to make up missed work within a reasonable span of time or have alternate grades substituted for work due to an excused absence.”
Class Conduct, Academic Integrity, and Plagiarism
Since this class will be conducted as a community of scholars and writers, I expect you to treat each member of our community with the dignity and respect they deserve. No discriminatory behavior directed toward a person’s race, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexuality, gender identity, or ability status will be tolerated in this classroom.
Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. In order to assure that all students have the opportunity to gain from time spent in class, unless otherwise approved by the instructor, students are prohibited from engaging in any form of distraction. Upon the first incidence of academic misconduct, I will publicly ask the offending student to stop the behavior or withdraw the comment; if additional incidences occur, I will follow the code guidelines for reporting misconduct. Inappropriate behavior in the classroom may result in a directive to leave class.
Texas Tech aims “to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard of integrity. The attempt of students to present as their own work any that they have not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension” (TTU Catalog).
The University defines sever types of academic dishonesty, which “includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor(s) or the attempt to commit such an act” (TTU Catalog). More detailed information concerning academic dishonesty can be viewed at the Office of Student Conduct’s website at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentconduct/academicinteg.php.
In writing courses, plagiarism is the most common form of academic dishonesty. TTU defines plagiarism as the “representation of words, ideas, illustrations, structure, computer code, and other expression or media of another as one’s own,” the “improper citation or lack of acknowledgment that direct, paraphrased, or summarized materials are not one’s own,” and self-plagiarism, or “submission of the same written assignment for two courses without prior permission of the instructor and/or failure to cite correctly previous work written by the same student” (TTU Catalog).
The instructor or a writing program administrator is responsible for initiating action against academic dishonesty or plagiarism. In the case of convincing evidence, the instructor will take appropriate action and contact the Office of Student Conduct. The consequences for misconduct are detailed in the Texas Tech University Code of Student Conduct (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/dos/handbook/).
Additionally, the English Department provides its students with a guide for ethical behavior available at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/english/linked_files/Ethics_in_English_for_Students.pdf.
Digital Correspondence
Email is probably the easiest way to contact me. When emailing me, please include a subject header with helpful information, an opening, and a closing (i.e., your name). This will help me know who has written me and what it is about. I will only respond to emails from your TTU address. Please expect a reasonable turnaround time for replies. I do not usually check my email in the evenings or on the weekends.
Accommodations
Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note: instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, please contact Student Disability Services in West Hall or call 806-742-2405.
For more information, see the University Operating Policy at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opmanual/OP34.22.pdf or visit the Student Disability Services website at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/sds/.
TTU Resources for Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Violence
Texas Tech University is committed to providing and strengthening an educational, working, and living environment where students, faculty, staff, and visitors are free from gender and/or sex discrimination of any kind. Sexual assault, discrimination, harassment, and other Title IX violations are not tolerated by the University.
Report any incidents to the Office for Student Rights & Resolution, (806)-742-SAFE (7233) or file a report online at titleix.ttu.edu/students.
Faculty and staff members at TTU are committed to connecting you to resources on campus. Some of these available resources are:
TTU Student Counseling Center
Phone: 806-742-3674
Website: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/scc
(Provides confidential support on campus.)TTU 24-hour Crisis Helpline
Phone: 806-742-5555
(Assists students who are experiencing a mental health or interpersonal violence crisis. If you call the helpline, you will speak with a mental health counselor.)Voice of Hope Lubbock Rape Crisis Center
Phone: 806-763-7273
Website: voiceofhopelubbock.org
(24-hour hotline that provides support for survivors of sexual violence.)The Risk, Intervention, Safety and Education (RISE) Office
Phone: 806-742-2110
Website: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/rise/
(Provides a range of resources and support options focused on prevention education and student wellness.)Texas Tech Police Department
Phone: 806-742-3931
Website: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ttpd/
(To report criminal activity that occurs on or near Texas Tech campus.)
University Writing Center
The University Writing Center offers undergraduates 30-minute, one-on-one tutorials on any type of writing, and is a great resource for getting help with drafts of your writing projects. The University Writing Center is located in English & Philosophy room 175. You can access tutors and writing resources at http://uwc.ttu.edu, drop by in person, or call 806.742.2476, ext. 2.