Writing & Rhetoric (WR 13100-17) Fall 2013 Jeffrey L.

Bain-Conkin TR 11:00-12:15 Coleman-Morse 201 Office: 300 OShaughnessy Hall Office Hours: Friday 1:00-5:00, before and after class, and other times (by appointment) E-mail: jconkin@nd.edu Course Description Writing and Rhetoric is designed to help students learn how to identify an issue amid conflicting points of view and craft an argument based on various sources of information. The course stresses the identification and analysis of potential counter-arguments and aims to develop skills for writing a research proposal, for conducting original research, and for using print and electronic resources from the library. Course Objectives 1) Recognize the arguments that surround us in media every day. a) Examine myriad sources. b) Evaluate the goals of these arguments. c) Determine intended audiences. 2) Articulate what makes arguments effective. a) Appreciate various forms. b) Understand appropriate content. c) Comprehend ethics of Writing and Rhetoric. 3) Form arguments using a variety of media. a) Craft theses and appreciate rhetorical situations. b) Research others arguments. c) Support claims using evidence. d) Anticipate objections and alternatives. e) Make appropriate conclusions for imagined audiences. 4) Understand the creative process and its component steps. a) Brainstorm well. b) Freewrite and Draft. c) Rewrite. d) Edit and Format. Course Materials (REQUIRED) The Craft of Research (Third Edition) Wayne C. Booth; Gregory G. Colomb; Joseph M. Williams Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.

ISBN: 978-0-226-06566-3 Fresh Writing (Volume 13) Matthew Capdevielle, ed. Hayden-McNeil, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-738-05175-8 Course Materials (RECOMMENDED) A Pocket Style Manual with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA Updates (Fifth Edition) Diana Hacker Bedford/St. Martins ISBN: 978-0-312-66480-0 A laptop (with wireless capability) or tablet is strongly recommended Notre Dame email account (checked daily) Scribd account Tumblr account Participation and Attendance Policy: I expect students to attend every class, but understand that sicknesses and other obligations occur. Therefore, students can miss three (3) class meetings with no penalty to their participation grade (see below). Officially-excused absences do not count for the three class meetings. One (1) point will disappear from a students participation grade (still below) for each additional absence. Participation comprises the subjective aspect of grading. Coming to class, asking questions, giving evidence of reading the assigned materials, will make borderline grades more likely to go up. Tardiness, sulking, surliness, lack of preparation, sleeping in class, will make borderline grades more likely to remain fixed. Regarding assignments and examinations, providing excuses for absences is the responsibility of the student, as is obtaining any material covered during the missed class. A list of acceptable excuses appears somewhere official, Im sure. Please let me know in advance if you will miss an examination or assignment because of an excused absence. Due dates for assignments remain as posted for students with unexcused absences. Each weekday late will result in the loss of one-third of one letter grade for the assignment. (For example, a paper due on Friday that would have received an A- automatically becomes a B+ before Monday at 11:59 pm) These late penalties remain in effect even after the student submits a revised draft. Course Cancellation Policy: In the unlikely event that the instructor needs to cancel class, he will notify students via email (or, in emergencies, someone will post a notice on the door). Ultimately, students should not wait more than ten (10) minutes before leaving in the classroom. The

instructor will provide his completed discussion and reading notes from the missed class as well as review missed materials upon students requests. Assignments and Grade Breakdown *All assignments will be individually completed unless instructor approves group work. *Instructor will provide assignment sheets for Portfolio assignments detailing expectations. Exams: Zero examinations in this course (Youre welcome) Participation: 5% See above for attendance and participation requirements. Workshops: 5% 1) Presenting at workshop. 2) Participating in others workshop (attending, contributing comments). Informal Writing: 10% 1) Blog/discussion-board entries, of which students will choose three (3) for grading. Grades determined by thoughtfulness and relevance to topic. 2) In-class exercises. Portfolio: 80% Narrative Essay: 20% 1000 words Rhetorical Analysis: 20% 1200 words Research Paper: 20% 2500 words Presentation: 20% Portfolio System and Deadlines All grades under the Portfolio component of the grading breakdown are in pencil until the final due date: 12 December at 11:59 pm. Deadlines for the initial drafts appear in the Course Schedule (see below). Students therefore have the opportunity to rewrite all assignments under the Portfolio category and re-submit them for a new grade. Note: grades are not guaranteed to improve, though rewrites using professorial, workshop, and peer-review comments should raise grades. Also, late penalties for initial drafts remain in effect for later draft grades. (For example, a paper that originally was one weekday late can only get an A-, no matter how improved the newest draft is.) Resubmission Process: 1. Revise the assignment, possibly using instructor and peer feedback.

*Note: due to the instructors grading style of prioritization, even making all suggested changes will not guarantee an A. *Note: there is a chance your resubmission could receive a lower grade. 2. Post the new assignment as a new entry on your Tumblr blog. Title it something like revised assignment X. 3. Email the instructor with: a. notice of resubmissions existence b. list/description of changes made to the assignment 4. The instructor will respond with either a new grade, or encouragement to change even more of the draft. Required University Writing Center and Student-Teacher Conferences Students must visit the Writing Center (Coleman-Morse 203) once over the course of the semester. The Writing Center is most effective for larger issues of structure, organization, transitions, et cetera. Although they accept drop-in students, it encourages scheduling appointments. During a class session, a Writing Center tutor will come and explain the appointment process. The visit to the Writing Center must happen prior to Fall Break. Bring your assignment with you! (Or post it to the N: drive.) After visiting the Writing Center, post a 120-word reaction to your experience. What did you expect? Did the visit change your perception of the Writing Center? Will you go again? Students must visit the instructors office hours twice during the semester: once before the break, and once after the break. Students should schedule an appointment with the instructor in advance. When scheduling an appointment, students should briefly state what they hope to accomplish during the conference. For example, students may use these conferences to improve essays for the portfolio submission or complain about the instructors (lack of) fashion sense. Academic Honesty Policy: All Notre Dame students pledge the following at their matriculation and sign multiple statements each semester, thoughdespite rumorsalmost never in blood: As a Member of the Notre Dame community, I will not participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty. Depending on the nature of the offense and the extent of dishonesty within an assignment/exam, penalties will range from a zero of the assignment/exam to failure of the course. (The following appears in an adapted form through permission from Professor Bill Svelmoe of Saint Marys College): Plagiarism is the most serious academic offense a student or faculty member can commit. It is the passing off of anothers ideas or words as ones own; in effect, it is theft. Plagiarism destroys the educational process itself, inasmuch as education requires that students do the hard work of thinking and forming their own ideas and then sharing those

ideas with others. The plagiarist shows disrespect not only for those from whom she steals and for those to whom she presents the plagiarized work, but also for herself. She is, in effect, saying that she is incapable of doing her own work, or that she is too lazy to give proper credit to those from whom she borrows. Students plagiarize primarily as a failure of time management, not character. Therefore, this course includes breaking assignments into component parts, requiring students to plan ahead for what appear to be unwieldy and intimidating projects. Students who still find themselves trawling the interweb at the eleventh hour angling to plagiarize should politely request an extension. Nearly always granted, these new due dates and accompanying penaltiesif anyemerge from an agreement between student and instructor. Plagiarism undercuts the trust that is essential in any community of learning. It will destroy the relationship between instructors and students, making a semesters course feel like an eternity. Post-plagiarism, the classroom experience becomes awkward for everyone. Future encounters on campus require students flee the instructor by hiding in garbage cans, nearby classrooms, or behind sculptures. Students wishing not to be embarrassed by banana peels on their clothes, by interrupting random classes, or by mocking squirrels should simply avoid plagiarism. For all of these reasons, the University of Notre Dame maintains an academic honesty policy. Accordingly, I treat incidents of plagiarism very seriously. At minimum, a student whose work is discovered to be plagiarized will fail the assignment in question. If, in my estimation, the student plagiarized with the deliberate intent to deceive, the student will fail the course, not just the assignment. In keeping with the official policy, I will report instances of plagiarism to appropriate administrators. It is every students responsibility to be aware of what plagiarism is and to learn how to document their work correctly. I will go over these procedures in class and am always available to answer questions. Never let the pressures of academia lead you into dishonesty. Character is more important than what may seem more obvious measures of success. Statement on Students with Disabilities: The University of Notre Dame does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, veteran status or age in the administration of any of its educational programs, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs or in employment. The University has designated the Director of its Office of Institutional Equity to handle all inquiries regarding its efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under Title IX and under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Title IX and Section 504 coordinator may be contacted as follows: Director Office of Institutional Equity 414 Grace Hall (574) 631-0444 Course Schedule

Note: Due Dates (**) apply to 11:59 pm (South Bend time) of the noted date, even for those students with unexcused absences. The student is responsible for posting her/his materials (and double-checking availability). Week One: Beginnings 27 August Syllabus, etc. 29 August How to Read 99% invisible on Sounds of Artificial World Week Two: 3 September 5 September Week Three: 10 September 12 September Week Four: 17 September 19 September Week Five: 24 September 26 September Week Six: 1 October 3 October Week Seven: 8 October 10 October Week Eight: 15 October 17 October 22-24 October Week Nine: 29 October Audiences and Situations (Work on Narrative Essays) Internet Memes and Audiences Narrative Theory and Sample Narratives Introductions First Paragraphs Audio Narrative Introduction and Technologies **Narrative Script Due 11:59 pm Arguments, Theses, Topics Dissecting and Assembling Arguments How to choose a good topic **Narrative Essay Due 11:59 pm Organization and Conclusions Organization Conclusions **Topics/Theses (Research Paper) Due 11:59 pm Literacy Rhetoric Analyses NO CLASS More Analysis Rhetoric of Space and the Built Environment Rhetorical Analyses ** Rhetorical Analysis Draft Due 11:59 pm Sources and Evaluation Finding Sources (Library) Evaluating Sources (Library) NO CLASS Fall Break Presentations Sample visual presentations and technologies

31 October Week Ten: 5 November 7 November Week Eleven: 12 November 14 November Weeks 12-14: 19 November 21 November 26 November 28 November 3 December 5 December Week Fifteen: 10 December 12 December

**Annotated Bibliography of five sources (Research Paper) due 11:59 pm Work on Presentations Presentations Presentations **Presentation due 11:59 pm Presentations Research Papers Research Papers Revision Process Nothin but Workshops Practice Workshop and Real Workshop **Research Paper Draft Due (11:59 pm) Workshop Workshop NO CLASS Thanksgiving Break Workshop Workshop Teary Farewells Workshop **Portfolios due 11:59 pm (more tears)