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Required Texts
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Brief description:
"What then is truth? A moveable host of metaphors, metonymies, and anthropomorphisms."
–Friedrich Nietzsche
Today, the term "rhetoric" frequently refers to empty or deceptive language that has no basis in truth ("We heard more rhetoric from the White House today"). But rhetoric is actually one of the seven original Liberal Arts (along with logic, grammar, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music), and its formal study arose with the inception of democratic politics. The abrupt shift from aristocracy to democracy in 5 th century Athens instantly granted any (male) citizen—regardless of class, property, or family name—a voice in government. But this unprecedented opportunity was largely wasted on anyone who could not speak convincingly in public, so those who could afford it hired freelance rhetoricians (sophists) to teach them the art of persuasion. Indeed, to be a good citizen at that time pretty much meant studying rhetoric.
And things are not so different now: effective participation in society today, no less than in ancient times, requires strong rhetorical skills through which to advance a specific position, mediate disputes, and make decisions. The contemporary scene, however, requires that one be capable not only of speaking convincingly but also (and perhaps more so) of writing effectively—both in print and in the cyburbs (e.g., on web sites, blogs, listservs, discussion forums, instant messaging, and even MMORPGs).
Aims of the course: Rhetoric is both a productive and an interpretive art; therefore, in this course, we will learn to identify and to make use of common rhetorical principles while presenting, composing, and interpreting "texts" in several different media—oral, print, and electronic. We will also analyze current issues and events from a specifically rhetorical perspective: if a philosophical approach seeks the truth, a rhetorical approach examines the way language is working to produce what functions as truth. The ultimate aim of the course is to help you develop a rhetorical lens through which to determine and successfully employ, in any given situation, the available means of persuasion.
Course Policy:
Attendance: Be here. This is a performance course that requires student attendance. Should a student miss the equivalent of 5 class sessions this semester, excused or not, s/he will not pass the course. Each three tardies will count as one absence. Beyond that, this: Because the success of this course depends upon the success of our interaction as a class, attendance is absolutely necessary. Expect your grade to suffer if you fail to fully participate on the listserv, forum, and in class discussions. If you must miss a class, check with one of your classmates about what you missed before the next class. Please keep at least 3 numbers/eddresses handy.
Deadlines: Don't miss 'em. Even if you must miss class, your work will need to find its way there (via a friend or an email, perhaps) on time if it doesn't want its grade to suffer--one letter grade for each day it's late. **I will allow rewrites on certain projects; however, to qualify, you must have handed in a full and complete version of your assignment at the time it was due. I will not allow rewrites on any paper/project that is turned in late and/or turned in on time but incomplete.**
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the undocumented use of someone else's ideas
or words. To present another's work as one's own, even if one is paraphrasing,
is plagiarism. This is a serious offense and will result in failure for that
assignment and, very likely, for the course. In certain cases, it can also
result in expulsion from the university. If you have questions
about the use of source materials, see me before turning in the assignment.
Do not use editing services other than those provided by the Undergraduate
Writing Center or the Learning Skills Center.
Computation of Grades: Grades will be computed on a 4-point scale: A=4.0,
B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0.
Assignments and Grades: This course has a "substantial writing component." Informal assignments will include in-class excercises and peer reviews, an oral presentation, and the semi-weekly completion of rhetorical excercises (what the ancients called "progymnasmata") designed to prepare you to accomplish more complex analyses and arguments. In addition, you will each be assigned the task of teaching the class one rhetorical figure, to be selected from a list of options. Your four substantial writing assignments, each of which will go through multiple drafts and peer review, will include two short rhetorical analyses of texts, a more substantial analysis of various positions taken within a "pubic debate," and a fully developed argument that advocates for a position in that public debate. Grades for all assignments will be tied to explicit criteria that will be discussed at length before the fact.
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Rhetorical Analysis 1 (2 pp) |
10% |
| Rhetorical Analysis 2 (2 pp) | 10% |
| Analysis of a "public debate" (5-6 pp) | 25% |
| Advocating a position (5-6 pp) | 20% |
| Presentation of Figure of the day | 5% |
| Oral Presentation (5 mins) | 10% |
| Semi-weekly rhetorical excercises (10 x 2) | 20% | TOTAL | 100% |
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